RE: New Delta variant with mutation could dodge vaccines found in UK19 Sep 2021 09:52
'As LFAs are typically antibody-based, one of the barriers to rapid creation of a test against a novel pathogen can be the well-documented limitations of these large, complex molecules. These include high development costs, time to manufacture, and poor specificity against certain targets, with some targets too difficult to generate antibodies for using traditional processes. The development of diagnostics, including LFAs, that use non-antibody protein scaffolds, such as Affimer proteins, therefore offers an attractive, rapid and robust alternative to both PCR and antibody-based methods, expanding the options available to develop diagnostic tests. '