BioLab Sciences Responds to Need for Rapid COVID-19 Testing

Performing widespread antibody tests has been identified as a key component in the fight against the coronavirus and restarting the economy nationally, and BioLab Sciences is doing its part in accelerating rapid antibody testing.
 
The company, which is based in Scottsdale, Arizona is currently distributing millions of Rapid COVID-19 Result Tests to detect antibodies for the virus that can be completed in just 10 minutes with 98% accuracy. It is distributing the test devices to healthcare agencies, hospitals and outpatient facilities throughout the US.
 
“Our goal at BioLab Sciences is to help healthcare providers obtain the resources they need to detect COVID-19,” said Bob Maguire, president and CEO of BioLab Sciences. “These tests are helping equip physicians and healthcare leaders with the data they need to make informed public health decisions and help guide our nation as we navigate the future of the virus.”
 
The test is quick, efficient and user friendly and very similar to the process normally used to obtain blood during a glucose test, according to the company. The test must be administered and results reported by a licensed provider.
 
“The rapid antibody test detects the presence of IgG and IgM antibodies from COVID-19 generally available in whole blood, serum or plasma after an infection,” said Carlos Encinas, PhD, chief science officer of BioLab Sciences. “With healthcare agencies and providers experiencing shortages and testing delays for molecular tests, these rapid antibody tests are a mission-critical need for the community to determine who has been infected by the novel coronavirus.”
  
BioLab Sciences says it has one of the highest manufacturing rates of production in the United States with the capacity to produce more than 9 million tests per week to meet the pressing demand for quality testing. Biolab Sciences has partnered with Med Labs Supply as its authorized distributor of this product in the United States.
 
Serology testing for SARS-CoV-2 is at increased demand in order to better quantify the number of cases of COVID-19, including those that may be asymptomatic or have recovered. Serology tests are blood-based tests that can be used to identify whether people have been exposed to a particular pathogen by looking at their immune response. 
 
Knowledge of prior infection is epidemiologically important and represents a significant unmet need in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Antibody (serology) test is a quick “surveillance or Screening Tool,” yielding results in just 10 minutes. 
 
The “Surveillance/Screening” Rapid Antibody Test Kit quickly allows States and Governments to narrow and sift through the populous of who is healthy and who has been exposed or infected by COVID-19. When a potentially infected citizen is rapidly identified, the next phase is a hand-off to the PCR molecular test to ensure a thorough evaluation is completed.
 
The PCR (molecular) test that is completed with a nasal swab or blood vial takes two to seven days for results. Although the PCR (molecular) test is the ultimate diagnostic tool, it has limitations detecting someone who may have been infected but is asymptomatic.
 
In general, because each person’s immune system responds on its own timeline, the results for Biolab Sciences’ test kit are as follows:
 

• Positive for IgM only = exposed within days and approximately up to 4 weeks ago
• Positive for IgM & IgG = exposed approximately 4 – 8 weeks ago
• Positive for IgG only = exposed more than 8 weeks ago