Response Biomedical Corp. is proud to be part of Canada’s fight against COVID-19 by developing a COVID-19 Antibody (Serology) test on the RAMP® platform. The RAMP platform is a fluorescent-based immunoassay Point of Care (POC) system with Health Canada clearance, proudly manufactured and developed in Vancouver, B.C.
The team at Response is now uniquely positioned to develop two COVID-19 tests, a test to detect SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in patients suspected of infection, and the serology test, both available on the same platform.
Serology tests are used to detect antibodies in the blood. Antibodies are produced by the natural immune system to fight against infections such as SARS-CoV-2. If an individual has been infected at some point in time with SARS-CoV-2, the RAMP serology test can be used to detect the antibodies in the blood and confirm that the patient was likely exposed to the virus. In this way, the test can be used to track the incidence of infection in a population.
The core competency of the Response team is in the development of high-quality tests for the aid in diagnosis and triage of patients in life-threatening situations. The RAMP system is already in use globally in the detection of blood biomarkers of heart attack (Troponin), heart failure (NT-proBNP), DVT (D-dimer) and sepsis (Procalcitonin) in addition to testing for infectious disease agents such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
With support from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), we aim to develop and manufacture a test that detects COVID-19 antibodies in 15 minutes or less in patients who have previously been infected with COVID-19.
