COVID-19: How a new blood test could help speed up vaccine development and population screening
Written by Yella Hewings-Martin, Ph.D. on August 17, 2020
In an interview with Medical News Today, James Hindley, Ph.D., from Indoor Biotechnologies explains how his company is developing a new T cell test during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also reveals why this test is a much-needed tool for those designing new vaccines and studying immune responses to the new coronavirus.
James Hindley, Ph.D. (pictured standing) is part of a group developing a new T cell test.
Image credit: James Hindley, Ph.D.
All data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication. Some information may be out of date. Visit our coronavirus hub and follow our live updates page for the most recent information on the COVID-19 outbreak.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, scientists across disciplines and geographical locations have collaborated in unprecedented ways.
The speed at which diagnostic tests went from conception to reality was astounding, as were the global efforts to test new and repurposed drugs to find treatments for those with the disease.
However, effective treatments are only tentatively emerging. Diagnostic testing capabilities have been slow to ramp up to the scales needed to keep the pandemic at bay.
Many questions remain about how the virus causes catastrophic deterioration in some but leaves many others relatively unscathed.
Undeterred, investigators continue to research and develop new arsenals in this global fight.
Medical News Today spoke to one such scientist, who recently began a new project with a grant from the British government’s Innovate UK fund.
James Hindley, Ph.D., is the Executive Director at Indoor Biotechnologies in Cardiff in Wales, and the work is underway in collaboration with Martin Scurr, Ph.D., a research associate at Cardiff University’s School of Medicine.
Working with the team at Indoor Biotechnologies, Dr. Hindley and Dr. Scurr are developing a new type of test that can show if someone has developed specific T cells to SARS-CoV-2.
T cells are a type of white blood cell. They play a key role in how our bodies fight off viral pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus.
COVID-19: How a new blood test could help speed up vaccine development and population screening Written by Yella Hewings-Martin, Ph.D. on August 17, 2020 In an interview with Medical News Today, James Hindley, Ph.D., from Indoor Biotechnologies explains how his company is developing a new T cell test during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also reveals why this test is a much-needed tool for those designing new vaccines and studying immune responses to the new coronavirus.
James Hindley, Ph.D. (pictured standing) is part of a group developing a new T cell test. Image credit: James Hindley, Ph.D. All data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication. Some information may be out of date. Visit our coronavirus hub and follow our live updates page for the most recent information on the COVID-19 outbreak.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, scientists across disciplines and geographical locations have collaborated in unprecedented ways.
The speed at which diagnostic tests went from conception to reality was astounding, as were the global efforts to test new and repurposed drugs to find treatments for those with the disease.
However, effective treatments are only tentatively emerging. Diagnostic testing capabilities have been slow to ramp up to the scales needed to keep the pandemic at bay.
Many questions remain about how the virus causes catastrophic deterioration in some but leaves many others relatively unscathed.
Undeterred, investigators continue to research and develop new arsenals in this global fight.
Medical News Today spoke to one such scientist, who recently began a new project with a grant from the British government’s Innovate UK fund.
James Hindley, Ph.D., is the Executive Director at Indoor Biotechnologies in Cardiff in Wales, and the work is underway in collaboration with Martin Scurr, Ph.D., a research associate at Cardiff University’s School of Medicine.
Working with the team at Indoor Biotechnologies, Dr. Hindley and Dr. Scurr are developing a new type of test that can show if someone has developed specific T cells to SARS-CoV-2.
T cells are a type of white blood cell. They play a key role in how our bodies fight off viral pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus.