Avacta Announces AffiDX® SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Lateral Flow Test Detects Delta Variant
29 June 2021 - 7:36PM
Business Wire
Avacta Group plc (AIM: AVCT), the developer of diagnostics and
innovative cancer therapies based on its proprietary Affimer® and
pre|CISION™ platforms, is pleased to announce that a study has
shown that the AffiDX antigen lateral flow test detects the Delta
variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in clinical samples and, in this
small study, outperformed two lateral flow antigen tests that are
commercially available in Europe.
Lateral flow antigen tests are intended to provide a cost
effective and rapid means of identifying individuals with a high
viral load that means they are more likely to infect others. The
clinical data for Avacta’s AffiDX SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow
test demonstrated 100% sensitivity for identifying infectious
individuals with viral loads measured by PCR of Ct<27, which is
considered infectious.1
The SARS-CoV-2 virus, like most viruses, mutates over time to
create different variants and those that have a biological
advantage will become a dominant strain. The Delta variant, first
identified in India, has recently emerged, has greater infectivity,
and may rapidly become a dominant strain world-wide.
The AffiDX SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow test has been
evaluated with a small number of patient samples confirmed to be
Delta variant positive and, for a Ct<29, the test was shown to
correctly identify all the positive cases. In this study, two other
commercially available lateral flow tests were evaluated: One test
detected half the positive cases and the other detected none.
The AffiDX SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow test is CE marked for
professional use in the UK and EU. The Company has recently
appointed the first distributor for the test, Calibre Scientific,
and is progressing multiple commercial opportunities with other
distributors and professional end users in Europe and the UK.
Dr Alastair Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Avacta Group,
commented: “We are delighted to report that the AffiDX
SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow test detects the Delta variant with
very high sensitivity for patients with a Ct value of less than 29.
This is a variant of the virus that is spreading rapidly on a
global scale and therefore the ability of the test to detect this
variant is paramount to our commercial roll-out.
“In comparison with other lateral flow tests on the market,
Avacta’s rapid antigen test demonstrates better clinical
performance. This is a further huge validation of the Affimer®
reagent platform for use in in-vitro diagnostics.
“This excellent performance and ease of nasal sampling, coupled
with the fact that the AffiDX test has been developed in the UK, is
based on UK technology and is manufactured in the UK are huge
selling points for customers in Europe.”
Disclaimer: The AffiDX® SARS-Cov-2 rapid antigen test is not
currently available for sale in the United States.
[1] Liverpool COVID-19 community testing pilot: interim
evaluation report
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Zyme Communications (Trade and Regional Media) Katie
Odgaard Tel: +44 (0) 7787 502 947
katie.odgaard@zymecommunications.com
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