Updated Clinical Evaluation of the CLUNGENE(®) Rapid COVID-19 Antibody Test

Lamb, Christopher C.; Haddad, Fadi; Owens, Christopher; Lopez-Yunez, Alfredo; Carroll, Marion; Moncrieffe, Jordan

Background: COVID-19 antibody testing has been shown to be predictive of prior COVID-19 infection and an effective testing tool. The CLUNGENE(®) SARS-COV-2 VIRUS (COVID-19) IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassette was evaluated for its utility to aide healthcare professionals. Method: Two studies were performed by using the CLUNGENE(®) Rapid Test. (1) An expanded Point-of-Care (POC) study at two clinical sites was conducted to evaluate 99 clinical subjects: 62 positive subjects and 37 negative subjects were compared to RT-PCR, PPA, and NPA (95% CI). Sensitivity was calculated from blood-collection time following symptom onset. (2) A cross-reactivity study was performed to determine the potential for false-positive results from other common infections. Results: The specificity of subjects with confirmed negative COVID-19 by RT-PCR was 100% (95% CI, 88.4–100.0%). The sensitivity of subjects with confirmed positive COVID-19 by RT-PCR was 96.77% (95% CI, 88.98–99.11%). In the cross-reactivity study, there were no false-positive results due to past infections or vaccinations unrelated to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Conclusion: There is a need for a rapid, user-friendly, and inexpensive on-site monitoring system for diagnosis. The CLUNGENE(®) Rapid Test is a useful diagnostic test that provides results within 15 min, without high-complexity laboratory instrumentation.