⁍ T cell immunity is thought to be essential to protection against infection from the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus.
⁍ The UK Vaccine Taskforce has chosen Oxford Immunotec to supply T cell testing.
⁍ Britain has signed supply deals for six different coronavirus vaccine candidates.
– The race for a vaccine against SARS is heating up: Britain says it will partner with an Oxford-based firm to provide testing for the T cell response of potential candidates, reports Reuters. T-cells are key to protection against the virus, and could provide longer-term immunity than antibodies. Britain has signed supply deals for six vaccine candidates, including two from AstraZeneca and one from Pfizer. “It is important to be able to assess the different vaccines head-to-head and the T cell response is part of our portfolio of accredited assays that we are employing for cross comparisons,” says the chair of the UK Vaccines Taskforce.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-britain-tcell/britain-partners-with-oxford-firm-to-assess-coronavirus-vaccine-t-cell-responses-idUSL8N2HC6R9