Oxford Immunotec’s T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 Test is Used in UK Com-COV Clinical Trial to Investigate the T Cell Response in Different Combinations of Approved COVID-19 Vaccines for the First and Second Doses

OXFORD, United Kingdom and MARLBOROUGH, Mass., April 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oxford Immunotec, a global, high-growth diagnostics company part of PerkinElmer (NYSE: PKI), today announced that its T-SPOT^® Discovery SARS-CoV-2 kit will be used for T cell testing in the UK Com-COV trial. The company is collaborating with the Oxford Vaccine Group, part of the team that developed the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, who is leading the Com-COV trial. The trial will help understanding of the effects on the immune response when different combinations of approved COVID-19 vaccines are administered for the first and second immunization doses. This study is funded by the UK Vaccine Task Force and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

The Com-COV trial aims to understand how well people’s immune systems respond when they are primed with one type of vaccine, then boosted with another and to see how effective the response is when the second dose is separated from the first dose by different periods of time. The study will also examine how common vaccine reactions, such as fever, are after such “mixed” schedules. The first stage of this program has already recruited 830 participants, but has recently been expanded to include a second stage recruiting an additional 1,050, aged over 50, who will have a complete analysis of their immune response to vaccination carried out (including T cells). Combining vaccines might give broader, longer-lasting immunity against the virus and new variants of it. The study will also give useful information about extending the gap between prime and boost as well as a better understanding of whether combining different vaccines creates a more flexible immunization program, potentially allowing more people to be immunized more quickly. The vaccines being examined in the study are AstraZeneca ChadOx1 nCoV-19, Pfizer BioNTech BNT162b2, the Moderna mRNA vaccine and the protein adjuvant vaccine produced by Novavax.

The custom version of the Company’s T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 kit (for research use only) will be used to assess if the vaccination combinations induce a T cell response in study subjects. The kit uses the T-SPOT technology platform, a commercialized, standardized ELISPOT platform, which allows for the reproducible measurement of T cells reactive to SARS-CoV-2. Testing for an immune response using T cells may offer several advantages over conventional antibody testing due to the limitations reported with antibody testing. Of particular importance is that T cells have been shown to be long lived, whereas antibodies can wane over time. This could give an added importance to longer-term T cell testing well after initial infection. The T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 test has also demonstrated in previous studies that a high SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell response may be associated with protection from infection.

Dr. Peter Wrighton-Smith, CEO of Oxford Immunotec said, “We are proud to be partnering with the Oxford Vaccine Group on this critical clinical trial. Measuring the T cell response in a standardized way is vital for a complete understanding of the immune response to vaccines and will help drive the understanding of the most effective immunization program.”

For further information on the Com-COV trial visit: www.comcovstudy.org.uk

For further information visit: www.tspotdiscovery.com

T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 is for research use only, not for use in diagnostic procedures.

About Oxford Immunotec
Oxford Immunotec is a global, high-growth diagnostics company and part of the PerkinElmer group. We bring energy and invention to a world in need of diagnostic truth. We are uniquely placed as the only company in the world offering regulated ELISPOT assays for T cell measurement, with approval around the globe. Our leading product, the T-SPOT.TB test, is used for diagnosing infection with Tuberculosis, the world’s largest cause of death from infectious disease. The Company is an experienced manufacturer of IVD tests, operating under a fully audited Quality Management System, ensuring rigorous batch control. The company has manufactured in excess of 20 million clinical T cell tests for TB infection. The T-SPOT.TB test has been approved for sale in over 50 countries, including the United States (where it has received pre-market approval from the Food and Drug Administration), Europe (where it has obtained a CE mark), as well as Japan and China. The recently released T-SPOT.COVID test is CE marked in Europe for clinical use to understand the T cell immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and has been submitted to the FDA for emergency use authorization in the US (www.tspotcovid.com). The Company is headquartered near Oxford, U.K. and in Marlborough, MA. Additional information can be found at www.oxfordimmunotec.com.

About the Oxford Vaccine Group
The Oxford Vaccine Group (OVG) conducts studies of new and improved vaccines for children and adults and is based in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oxford. The group is led by Professor Andrew J Pollard. OVG was founded in 1994 by Professor E. Richard Moxon. The multidisciplinary group, led by Professor Pollard since 2001, includes consultants in vaccinology, a Director of Clinical Trials, a Senior Clinical Trials Manager, adult and pediatric clinical research fellows, adult and pediatric research nurses, project managers, statisticians, QA manager, Clinical Trials IT and Development Lead, and an administration team. Our team also includes post-doctoral scientists, research assistants and DPhil students and we work together with professionals from a range of specialties such as immunologists, microbiologists, epidemiologists, health communicators, and a sociologist, a community pediatrician, the local Health Protection team and a bioethicist. OVG is a UKCRC registered clinical trials unit working in collaboration with the Primary Care Trials Unit at the University (registration number: 52). For more information see: http://www.ukcrc-ctu.org.uk/

About PerkinElmer
PerkinElmer enables scientists, researchers and clinicians to address their most critical challenges across science and healthcare. With a mission focused on innovating for a healthier world, we deliver unique solutions to serve the diagnostics, life sciences, food and applied markets. We strategically partner with customers to enable earlier and more accurate insights supported by deep market knowledge and technical expertise. Our dedicated team of about 14,000 employees worldwide is passionate about helping customers work to create healthier families, improve the quality of life, and sustain the wellbeing and longevity of people globally. The Company reported revenue of approximately $3.8 billion in 2020, serves customers in 190 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Additional information is available through 1-877-PKI-NYSE, or at www.perkinelmer.com.

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