Staff donate blood for COVID research study
NHS Tayside staff members are donating blood samples to help develop COVID-19 antibody testing as part of a study.
The research study is being carried out by microbiology and blood science teams.
Over the coming weeks, microbiology and blood sciences teams will be evaluating the performance of several COVID-19 antibody tests as part of a research study called MATCH.
Antibody tests are not currently being used for public testing in Scotland but are used to detect antibodies to the COVID-19 virus to see if you have previously had the virus. The test works by taking a blood sample and testing for the presence of antibodies to see if you have developed an immune response to the virus.
Antibody tests differ to virus swab tests, which test to see if you currently have the virus.
An NHS Tayside spokesperson added there is no strong evidence yet to suggest that those who have had the virus develop long-lasting immunity which would prevent them from getting the virus again.
The value of antibody tests is “currently limited to answering the question of whether someone has had the virus or not”, and provides data and a greater understanding on the spread of the pathogen.
Professor of respiratory research James Chalmers said: “While the results of an antibody test will not allow people to make any changes to their behaviour, such as easing social distancing measures, there’s clear value in knowing whether NHS workers have had the virus, and in collecting data on the test results.
“These tests will undergo extensive validation as soon as they are delivered to ensure that performance is consistent with targets set out by UK Government.”