The COVID-19 pandemic has led to considerable review of virus diagnosis, prevention and treatment of COVID-19, and of other respiratory pathogens.
Gregory Walker, who is a PhD student at our Virology Research Laboratory in Randwick, has been conducting research to extensively evaluate the SARS-CoV‑2 serology assays used by diagnostic laboratories.
He investigated alternative uses for these platforms including for determining protective antibody titres, and detecting antibodies from dried blood spots to expand access to SARS-CoV‑2 serological testing among difficult-to-sample populations such as children and rural regions.
The primary aim of his research is to inform guidelines and clinical practice surrounding SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody detection, antibody-mediated immunity, and the development and use of immunotherapeutics, such as monoclonal antibodies.
This research has been valuable in providing real-time virology data on emerging SARS-CoV‑2 variants to inform public health policy, including vaccination and treatment guidelines. The findings, for example, were cited by the United State’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shortly after the emergence of the Omicron variant, leading to change in COVID-19 treatment guidelines and practice.
The work performed was a collaboration between NSW Health Pathology and 3 external research institutions. It has resulted in 8 publications in high-impact scientific journals and multiple conference presentations.
Gregory’s hope is the development of more robust therapeutics could provide options for COVID-19 prevention and treatment that, to this point in the pandemic, have been limited.