SWAT Team Description: Provide cross-cutting support to COVID-19 vaccine developers in the area of diagnostics, standards, assays and animal models.

Co-Leads: Paul Kristiansen (CEPI) and Ivana Knezevic (WHO)

         

Standards & Assays

73rd meeting of the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization (ECBS)

The 73rd meeting of the WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardization (ECBS) was held on 9 and 10 December 2020. Following its annual October meeting, this second exceptional meeting in 2020 focused on addressing a number of urgent biological standardization issues related to COVID-19. The ECBS established 3 new WHO international reference materials for COVID-19, namely, SARS-CoV-2 RNA for NAT-based assays, Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin and Anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin panel. In addition, it endorsed a proposal to develop a standard for SARS-CoV-2 antigens to support the development, assessment and comparability of antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests. Executive Summary of the meeting as well as reports from collaborative studies are available here.

Considerations for Diagnostic Assays in Phase IIB/III Vaccine Trials for SARS-CoV-2 (October 2020) Link

The note provides an overview of the available molecular and serological assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 as of October 2020, and provide considerations for use in Phase IIB/III efficacy trials.

 

Workshops