The test, which analyzes blood and looks for biomarkers of inflammation, is expected to launch in September.
At the end of August, the European Union approved the sale of the test incellKINE Long COVID In Vitro Diagnosticdeveloped by the American company IncellDx to diagnose long covid. Defined by the company as a “simple blood test”, it detects specific patterns of biomarkers found in patients suffering from sequelae of new coronavirus, known as long covid. According to the company, the product will be launched in Europe in September. There is still no information on the sale of the object in Brazil.
THE World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 20% of covid-19 infected patients may suffer from prolonged sequelae, which can include shortness of breath, fatigue, persistent cough, chest pain, and even cognitive disturbances such as forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating and foggy brain (brain fog), name given to the confused mood often reported by patients. In April, the European Commission reported that it estimated that between 60% and 80% of the population of the countries that make up the European Union were infected with covid-19 at some point.
Scientists have found that people with Covid-19 sequelae have a different immune profile, which can be identified in a blood test Photo: Simon Dawson / Pool via REUTERS
“The long Covid represents a significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for patients. Many of the symptoms associated with it can be easily confused with other conditions such as post-Lyme, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia or even the common cold. Effective tool. to diagnose the condition is absolutely essential, “medical virologist Bruce Patterson, CEO of IncellDx, said in a statement.
How does the long covid test work?
The test was developed on the basis of two studies published in the scientific journal Frontiers in immunologywhich show how the company’s researchers used artificial intelligence and automatic learning to measure and analyze the presence of cytokines and chemokines, two proteins used as biomarkers of long covid inflammation. They are called biomarkers, which are biological markers, substances or cellular structures that can indicate changes caused by certain diseases.
Scientists have found that people with Covid-19 sequelae have a different immune profile, characterized by the very patterns in which these proteins appear. Furthermore, it was observed that some defense cells of these patients still had significant concentrations of the SARS-CoV-2 protein, the virus that causes covid-19, for up to 15 months after infection. According to studies, the test is over 90% accurate in detecting disease sequelae.
Source: Terra
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