Auckland-based Pictor, a global leader in immunodiagnostics, has announced that its PictArray SARS-CoV-2 IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antibody test will soon be available in New Zealand. Rako Science will utilise its national network by collecting blood samples with a device from Tasso, Inc., and undertake testing for COVID-19 antibodies.

The PictArray SARS-CoV-2 assay is the first test of its kind. It enables personalised COVID-19 assessments by detecting if a patient has antibodies from a previous infection of SARS-CoV-2 – from spike protein (SP) and nucleocapsid protein (NP) antibodies or from vaccination alone (SP antibodies only). It indicates whether at-risk patients have failed to mount a detectable antibody response despite vaccination or infection (SP and NP negative).

This innovation is designed to help guide personalised clinical interventions and inform broader public health measures. For example, there are a number of vulnerable New Zealanders who would benefit from the test because it would show if they had an immune response to COVID-19. In an effort to protect the entire New Zealand population as much as possible, Pictor has partnered with Rako Science and Tasso to improve accessibility.

Pictor partnered with Rako Science, an Auckland-based high-tech pathology company and US-based Tasso, Inc., the leading provider of convenient, clinical-grade blood collection solutions. As a result of these partnerships, Pictor’s COVID-19 antibody test will be accessible via Tasso’s new Tasso+ in-clinic and remote blood collection device, with Rako Science providing access to the antibody test to New Zealanders and healthcare organisations labeled Test2Detect. Rako Science will initially offer supervised in-centre testing from two locations in Auckland and Christchurch.