Pictor, an in vitro diagnostics company based in Oakland, New Zealand, is working with Mobility Health, a laboratory services provider based in Mason, Ohio, to distribute Pictor’s Covid-19 antibody test to assess whether patients have Covid-19 antibodies and whether they have, if any, antibodies From vaccination or infection with Covid-19. The partnership coincides with a $6.1 million investment for Pictor led by Marko Bogievski and K One W One Ltd.
Pictor’s PictArrayTM SARS-CoV-2 test can identify whether a patient has Covid-19 antibodies and determine whether these antibodies can be attributed to previous Covid-19 infection, or whether they came from vaccination alone. This test works by determining whether a person has antibodies to the nucleocapsid protein (NP) as well as antibodies to the spike protein (SP), or whether the person has only SP antibodies. If only SP antibodies are identified, the person is not infected with Covid-19 and the antibodies present are attributable to vaccination.
The test has an additional useful application: determining whether at-risk patients don’t have an adequate antibody response, even if they’ve been vaccinated or infected before.
Pictor CEO Howard Moore explained in an interview that Pictor sees the test as an opportunity to inform whether these patients should receive additional boosters. On the other hand, if someone has a very high antibody count, the test may indicate that the person probably shouldn’t receive a booster yet. For example, Moore said, if a patient’s antibody levels are too high, they may benefit from delaying an additional boost.
“You have to be careful when you’re vaccinating. We think you should be careful about vaccinating people who are infected. Their antibody levels can be quite high,” Moore said.
Although it has not been proven, there may be a correlation between high antibody levels and autoimmune disease, Moore said. Therefore, Pictor’s test may prove useful in this regard, as it can determine antibody levels and where they come from.
In an email forwarded by representatives, Moore explained that patients will be able to get tested through doctors or hospitals who order on their behalf.
The $6.1 million investment will fund Pictor’s test marketing as well as other diagnostics. The funding will go towards market development in the US, EU and ANZ; it will also help fund research and development efforts, Moore said. Pictor has raised $17 million to date.
Current tests that assess antibody levels can determine whether a person has Covid-19 and whether the antibodies present come from that infection. However, a person must undergo a completely independent test to see if the presence of antibodies is due to vaccination.
“The PictArra SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Test is a high-performance, all-in-one NP/SP COVID-19 antibody test with serological differentiation. It is the only 2 testing for antibodies to infection,” said Tadd Lazarus, Pictor’s chief medical officer, in a press release. “Separate detection of SP and NP could enable more precise clinical intervention.”
Additionally, Moore said Pictor’s 2-in-1 test costs about the same as a competitor’s one test, making it possible for Pictor’s test to reduce the overall cost of the test by 50 percent. Additionally, money can be saved by paying a lab technician to perform only one test instead of two.
“them [our competitors] can do what we do, but they [would] Two tests have to be sold to do this,” Moore added. “Lab technicians only need to perform one test. These are the advantages we have. We intend to take advantage of them when we launch especially in the US. “
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