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Development of Standard Microneutralization and Antibody Dependent Enhancement (ADE) Assays on Sera of COVID-19 Individuals

Grant number: unknown

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Key facts

  • Disease

    COVID-19

  • Funder

    Roche Holding AG (Roche)

  • Principal Investigator

    Mario Ostrowski

  • Research Location

    Canada

  • Lead Research Institution

    University of Toronto

  • Research Priority Alignment

    N/A

  • Research Category

    Pathogen: natural history, transmission and diagnostics

  • Research Subcategory

    Immunity

  • Special Interest Tags

    N/A

  • Study Type

    Non-Clinical

  • Clinical Trial Details

    N/A

  • Broad Policy Alignment

    Pending

  • Age Group

    Unspecified

  • Vulnerable Population

    Unspecified

  • Occupations of Interest

    Unspecified

Abstract

We don't know what causes the lung disease in COVID-19 infection, and this project will determine whether the COVID-19 virus can trick the immune system in making antibodies that damage the lungs rather than neutralize the virus. The project calls this situation "antibody dependent enhancement" or ADE, meaning that the immune system makes antibodies against the virus allowing it to grow faster and cause immune damage to the lung. This project will develop an assay that detects ADE in a person's serum. Many companies are making vaccines against COVID-19, and this assay will test if vaccines against COVID-19 could also make ADE in serum.