SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibody testing in Europe: towards harmonisation of neutralising antibody titres for better use of convalescent plasma and comparability of trial data

Euro Surveill. 2021 Jul;26(27):2100568. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.27.2100568.

Abstract

We compared the performance of SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibody testing between 12 European laboratories involved in convalescent plasma trials. Raw titres differed almost 100-fold differences between laboratories when blind-testing 15 plasma samples. Calibration of titres in relation to the reference reagent and standard curve obtained by testing a dilution series reduced the inter-laboratory variability ca 10-fold. The harmonisation of neutralising antibody quantification is a vital step towards determining the protective and therapeutic levels of neutralising antibodies.

Keywords: Europe; SARS-CoV-2; convalescent plasma; neutralising antibodies; standardisation, COVID-19.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • COVID-19 Serotherapy
  • COVID-19* / therapy
  • Europe
  • Humans
  • Immunization, Passive
  • SARS-CoV-2*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Antibodies, Viral