Assessment of the Abbott BinaxNOW SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test against viral variants of concern
Anuradha Rao,
Leda Bassit,
Jessica Lin,
Kiran Verma,
Heather B. Bowers,
Kimberly Pachura,
Morgan Greenleaf,
Julie Sullivan,
Eric Lai,
Richard S. Creager,
Thomas Pribyl,
John Blackwood,
Anne L. Piantadosi,
Raymond Schinazi,
Greg S. Martin,
Wilbur A. Lam
Affiliations
Anuradha Rao
Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Room 448, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Leda Bassit
Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Room 448, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Jessica Lin
Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Room 448, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
Kiran Verma
Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Room 448, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Heather B. Bowers
Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Room 448, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Kimberly Pachura
Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Room 448, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Morgan Greenleaf
Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Room 448, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Julie Sullivan
Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Room 448, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Eric Lai
Personalized Science, LLC, Burlington, VT, 05403
Richard S. Creager
NaviDx, LLC, Newport Beach, CA 92660
Thomas Pribyl
BiocomX, Dana Point, CA 92629, USA
John Blackwood
BiocomX, Dana Point, CA 92629, USA
Anne L. Piantadosi
Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Room 448, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Raymond Schinazi
Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Room 448, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Greg S. Martin
Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Room 448, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Corresponding author
Wilbur A. Lam
Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University, Room 448, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; Corresponding author
Summary: As the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants brings the global pandemic to new levels, the performance of current rapid antigen tests against variants of concern and interest (VOC/I) is of significant public health concern. Here, we report assessment of the Abbot BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test. Using genetically sequenced remnant clinical samples collected from individuals positive for SARS-CoV-2, we assessed the performance of BinaxNOW against the variants that currently pose public health threats. We measured the limit of detection of BinaxNOW against various VOC/I in a blinded manner. BinaxNOW successfully detected the Omicron (B.1.1.529), Mu (B.1.621), Delta (B.1.617.2), Lambda (C.37), Gamma (P.1), Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Eta (B.1.525), and P.2 variants and at low viral concentrations. BinaxNOW also detected the Omicron variant in individual remnant clinical samples. Overall, these data indicate that this inexpensive and simple-to-use, FDA-authorized and broadly distributed rapid test can reliably detect Omicron, Delta, and other VOC/I.
