T-Cell Screening Launched to Detect Prior Covid Infections (1)

Adaptive Biotechnologies Corp. launched a test that uses machine-learning technology from Microsoft Corp. to detect prior Covid-19 infections, aiming to fill an important gap left by standard antibody screening.

The screening, called T-Detect Covid, searches for T-cell responses against the disease, rather than the immune proteins detected by conventional tests. Seattle-based Adaptive says its product may help people who believe they’ve been infected but haven’t tested positive with currently available analyses. That includes long-haulers -- patients who suffer lingering Covid symptoms, often for months.

“Some of these people were never diagnosed,” Lance Baldo, Adaptive’s chief medical officer, said in...