COVID-19 has graced the public with a crash-course in immunology - most of us are now familiar with the terms ‘PCR’, ‘rapid antigen’, ‘sensitivity and specificity’ and ‘antibodies.’   New to the syllabus is T cell immunity - a different arm of the immune system that has been largely ignored in the dialogue surrounding COVID-19 due to how difficult the T cell response has been to measure.  An innovative lab based in Seattle - Adaptive Biotechnologies - has figured out how to detect T cell responses and is the first in the world to offer this test to the public.  BreatheMD is proud to partner with Adaptive Biotechnologies to offer this breakthrough test to Houstonians.

What are T cells?

T cells are the first responders of the immune system and activate the antibody response.  They are highly specific (>99%) and respond to more than twice as many SARS-CoV-2 targets as antibodies.  T cells persist longer than antibodies with 95% detection 5+ months after PCR diagnosis compared to 52-71% detection with antibodies.

Who should get the T cell test?  

• People who have tested positive for COVID-19 but have negative antibodies

• People who have had symptoms of COVID-19 but tested negative on PCR

• People who were exposed to COVID-19 but were never tested

More research is being done to determine how long the T cell response will stay positive.  Current data shows immunity to last at least 5 months in most people - 10 month data is on the horizon.  Additional research is ongoing to prove whether T cell immunity offers full protection against the virus; based on studies from other viruses, the assumption is that people with a positive T cell test are not susceptible to COVID-19.

The T cell test requires a blood draw and costs $250.  Results are back in 7 - 10 days.  The test is available in our office Monday - Saturday.