The researchers taking a gamble with antibody tests for coronavirus

The researchers taking a gamble with antibody tests for coronavirus



Several laboratories in the United States are offering antibody tests for COVID-19, but the results require nuanced interpretation. (Beaumont Health)

Researchers take a gamble with antibody tests

Laboratories across the United States have launched initiatives to test hundreds of thousands of people for antibodies against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. And researchers are telling those people the outcomes — despite uncertainty about what they mean. They’re couching the results in careful terms, but because of the urgent need to stem the outbreak, to prevent more deaths and to reopen businesses, they argue that it’s important to just get going. “One thing we have learned is that we can’t let perfect be the enemy of good — we need to act,” says virologist Keith Jerome. (Nature | 6 min read)

1,500 people volunteer for controversial vaccine study
A grassroots movement has attracted nearly 1,500 volunteers prepared to take part in controversial ‘human challenge’ trials — which involve intentionally infecting healthy, young volunteers with the coronavirus to test potential vaccines. The effort is not affiliated with vaccine-developing groups or companies, but co-founder Josh Morrison hopes to show them that there is broad support for this kind of trial. “We want to recruit as many people as possible who want to do this and pre-qualify them as likely to be able to participate in challenge trials should they occur,” he says. (Nature | 3 min read)

The untapped potential of US testing labs
A survey of more than 4,000 researchers suggests that better coordination could make hundreds of thousands more tests for coronavirus available across the United States. Nearly 1,600 of those polled said they had the necessary tools and biosafety conditions, but were not testing. About 95% of labs not currently testing said they needed more information on protocols and regulations. The survey was prompted by a Nature investigation revealing that several top US university labs approved to process coronavirus tests are operating at half their potential capacity. (Nature | 3 min read)

COVID-19 concerns put transplants on hold
People are having to wait longer for life-saving organ transplants because hospitals are concerned about putting both donors and recipients at risk of coronavirus infection, and need to prioritize the use of intensive-care beds and ventilators for critical patients with COVID-19. (STAT | 6 min read)Read the latest coronavirus news, continuously updated on Nature.

Read Nature’s continuously updated selection of the must-read papers and preprints on COVID-19.