• Assesses multiple antibody types against multiple SARS-CoV-2 antigens
• High sensitivity profile has 10 measures for a complete picture of an individual’s immune response*
• Detects the level of antibodies from either a natural infection or a vaccine
• Provides a 30/60/90 day look back AND forward as a predictor of effectiveness against future variants
• Saves time and money with less frequent COVID-19 PCR testing
• Knowing which antibodies are present provides actionable data upon which to base
health decisions upon
• Helps travelers know their risk(s) of exposure
• Actionable advice means knowing if/when additional precautions are warranted**
• Includes Physician Telehealth consultation to interpret NAb test results
• Helps minimize lost time and wages for employees by reducing need for quarantine
• Keep employees safer by identifying those employees most at risk
• Monitors workforce for COVID-19 antigens and enables is highly effective decision making
* Born from the highly sensitive organ transplant medical industry
**Knowing the type and strength of antigen(s) means knowing a worker immune status.
• Assesses multiple antibody types against multiple SARS-CoV-2 antigens
• High sensitivity profile has 10 measures for a complete picture of an individual’s immune response*
• Detects the level of antibodies from either a natural infection or a vaccine
• Provides a 30/60/90 day look back AND forward as a predictor of effectiveness against future variants
• Saves time and money with less frequent COVID-19 PCR testing
• Knowing which antibodies are present provides actionable data upon which to base
health decisions upon
• Helps travelers know their risk(s) of exposure
• Actionable advice means knowing if/when additional precautions are warranted**
• Includes Physician Telehealth consultation to interpret NAb test results
• Helps minimize lost time and wages for employees by reducing need for quarantine
• Keep employees safer by identifying those employees most at risk
• Monitors workforce for COVID-19 antigens and enables is highly effective decision making
* Born from the highly sensitive organ transplant medical industry
**Knowing the type and strength of antigen(s) means knowing a worker immune status.
Today, months after a person has received the full course of available COVID vaccines, the prevailing question is whether that person is still protected against SARS-CoV-2. Is it time for another booster or not? Which variant are they protected against, if any? How can business owners protect their workforce while keeping their businesses running? How can we make the unknown known? Turns out it isn’t magic, it’s science at its best.
In medical science, we never stop learning. And what we have learned three years out from the onset of COVID is that Neutralizing Antibodies are the best indicators of past infection and predictors of future protection against the virus. And, we know the Hermes Health Sciences Neutralizing Antibodies test holds the highest sensitivity available today.
The Hermes Health Sciences NAb test measures levels of three antibodies – IgM, IgA, and IgG – independently of each other against three different SARS-CoV-2 antigens. This gives a more complete picture of the immune response to either the virus itself or a COVID-19 vaccine. The number of antibodies of each type directed against the receptor binding domain (RBD), spike protein (S1), and nucleocapsid protein (NP) is calculated, with the level of response indicating the quality of immune protection and the source of the response. The test report shows the results of each of the nine assays.
The NAb test results actually differentiate who’s got a vaccination versus who’s got an infection. The vaccines only have the spike protein and the receptor binding domain antigens. We can easily see if somebody got an infection because he gets a nucleocapsid response that you don’t see with vaccine.
A vaccinated individual who did not have the infection at any point would generally show elevated response of all three antibodies to the RBD and S1 antigens, but only low levels of antibodies for the NP protein. The NP antigen is not active in COVID-19 vaccines, but is present in the SARS-CoV-2 virus itself.
In contrast, an individual who had contracted COVID-19 several months prior to testing and had not been vaccinated would typically have strong IgG response to all three antigens and lower levels of IgM and IgA antibodies against the antigens. IgM and IgA develop relatively early in an infection and then fade as IgG takes on a larger role in the immune response. IgG, however, rises later but stays elevated for months or even years, depending on the infection.
Everyone’s immune response is unique to the individual. Hermes Health Sciences sciences and medical teams have been studying individual immune responses to COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination, and they are finding that the immediacy, strength, and duration of antibody responses can vary widely based on a multitude of variables.
Our science team enhanced its immune response test for COVID-19 by adding a high-sensitivity neutralizing antibody quantification. With the expansion, the multidimensional test provides a comprehensive measure of the strength of an individual’s immune response to the novel coronavirus.
For people with compromised immune systems, more frequent assessment of response could be beneficial. An initial test to see whether the immune system has mounted a strong response following full vaccination could inform both patients and physicians about the need for additional vaccinations, such as some countries are currently offering for immunocompromised individuals. Later tests might indicate that neutralizing antibodies have weakened more quickly in some individuals than expected and that a booster could be in order.
Beyond those with weakened immune response, measuring the activity of neutralizing antibodies could direct public policy as well as individual decisions. Vaccines are estimated to be effective for 95% of people for at least six months. But what happens after six months? The NAb test can determine if they have an adequate response and are protected by neutralizing antibodies.
The NAb test is a diagnostic-level test and is performed in one of Hermes Health Sciences laboratories with results posted to your personal and confidential patient portal. Contact us to learn more about how easy the entire process is to complete.
What Are Antibodies Anyway?
What Are Neutralizing Antibodies Anyway?
The body produces B-cells. The B-cells produce different types of antibodies in response to pathogens. Neutralizing antibodies block invaders by stopping them from spreading and sometimes from even attaching to a cell.
Simply put, Neutralizing Antibodies (NAb) are the body’s response force against an invading antigen. NAb’s consist of different response “teams.” Some teams act as a rapid response team rushing in to neutralize the virus. Others act more slowly but provide a steady long-term response. It’s the Antibodies job to neutralize the invading virus.
Knowing which antibodies are present, if any, and at what levels is akin to a wartime General asking where the aircraft carriers are and what they are doing. It’s the best information to have before making important workforce health and business operational decisions.
Antigens are the “attacking force” mentioned above and are a toxic or other foreign substance (i.e. SARS-CoV-2) which induces an immune response in the body, especially the production of antibodies.
