About us
About ViraxImmune™
The goal of ViraxImmune™ is to provide early diagnosis for post viral syndromes and indications associated with chronic inflammation and T-Cell exhaustion to enable early treatment interventions.
In order to achieve this, ViraxImmune™ is developing an adaptable test that is intended to detect the body’s adaptive immune response to a range of infections and other conditions associated with chronic inflammation. The platform is built around peptide pools designed to activate memory T-Cells and measuring the cytokine release profile specific to the infection. The platform is not restricted to a single disease or condition allowing the platform to address a wide range of research and diagnostic needs within indications associated with chronic inflammation and T-Cell exhaustion including post viral syndromes.
Unlike existing technologies that confine cytokine assessment to a limited range, ViraxImmune™ will offer an expanded panel, while relying on the established FluoroSpot detection method. The panel will include combinations of cytokines associated with T-Cell exhaustion and chronic fatigue such as IL-2, IL-6, IL-1β, IFN-γ, and TNF-α which will be available initially for research use only (RUO) prior to IVD approval. Additionally, this platform is able to observe the activation of a variety of different cells involved in the immune response beyond just T-Cells providing unparalleled insights into complex diseases and infections, delivering a potential level of information unmatched by competitors.
Immune Profiling is the detailed study and characterization of both the innate and adaptive immune responses to provide crucial insights into disease mechanisms and aiding in the development of novel therapeutic strategies. The innate immune system serves as the body’s first line of defense, employing various cells (macrophages, neutrophils, and natural killer cells) and mechanisms to recognize and swiftly respond to pathogens. On the other hand, the adaptive immune system is highly specialized and tailored to specific pathogens. It consists of T-Cells and B-Cells that undergo a process of activation, proliferation, and differentiation to produce targeted responses through the generation of antibodies (from B-Cells) and the coordination of cellular immune responses.
T-Cells also act to coordinate cytokines and immune cells to fight viruses and other foreign intruders, protecting the body from these threats and fighting off infection. A proportion of these T-Cells remain in the body for many years after recovery, as memory cells, to protect the body if it was to come in contact with the same, or similar viruses in the future. Detecting the cytokines associated with conditions involved with T-Cell exhaustion and chronic fatigue such as Long COVID can be useful in determining cellular responses.
FluoroSpot T-Cell Technology is an established technology for the detection and quantification of multiple cytokine-secreting cells, providing higher resolution of cellular immune responses and easier adoption for laboratories. It is distinct from ELISA and flow cytometry techniques which are limited to either not knowing the cellular origin of the cytokine release or are limited in its ability to elucidate the complex immune dynamics.
Our ViraxImmune™ FluoroSpot IVD platform is built around developing peptide pools designed to activate memory T-Cells and measuring the cytokine release profile specific to the infection. The platform is not restricted to a single disease or condition allowing the platform to address a wide range of research and diagnostic needs within indications associated with chronic inflammation and T-Cell exhaustion including post-viral syndromes.
Immune Profiling
T-Cell Testing
T-Cells are a key part of the adaptive immune system. They are activated in response to infection, and can kill viruses in the body. They also act to coordinate cytokines and immune cells to fight viruses and other foreign intruders, protecting the body from these threats and fighting off infection. A proportion of these T-Cells remain in the body for many years after recovery, as memory cells, to protect the body if it was to come in contact with the same, or similar viruses in the future.
Each person has a unique immunological profile consisting of memory cells that have been built up over a lifetime of exposure to different viruses and immune threats throughout life, in addition to a mother’s exposure during pregnancy. Re-exposure to a virus or exposure to a similar virus can be recognised by the memory T-Cells so that a rapid response can occur to neutralise the viral threat.
Function of the immune system is also dependent on other factors such as vaccination history, diet, lifestyle, age, genetic, environmental and disease factors. During the COVID-19 pandemic is was discovered that T-Cells can provide protection from re-infection and serious disease long after the initial antibody responses in the body have disappeared. Moreover, the presence of T-Cells to a specific virus can be used to check for prior infection and long-term vaccine efficacy.
People who recovered from SARS-CoV (the original COVID virus) 17 years ago still have protection through their T-Cells against SARS. These memory T-Cells have been shown to protect against COVID-19, through cross-reactivity with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that caused the 2019 pandemic.
Viral threats to our health and lifestyle will never go away and are likely to become more prevalent than ever over the coming years. The risk of serious disease when there is a new outbreak is dependent on the level of adaptive immunity you have to the current viral threat. This immunity is built up by vaccination and exposure to previous similar viruses or variants. Until now it has been very difficult to tell if your immune system will react to, and provide protection from, a virus if you were to be exposed.
The ViraxImmune™ T-Cell test in intended to let you test for immunity to a disease before you come in contact with it. Giving you the information you need to make informed decisions about social distancing, seeing vulnerable relatives, wearing PPE, travel and vaccination.
With ViraxImmune™, we want to encourage a move away from event driven diagnostics to pre-emptive assessments of immune risk. The ViraxImmune™ test will be a good step in this direction.