Montgomery County Community College Biotechnology Program alumni who are working as researchers at the Limerick Township-based Rockland Immunochemicals are on the front line of the battle against COVID-19.

Amber Sawyer, Sean Heron, and Seethal Meda have helped develop the Anti-SARS-CoV Nucleocapsid Protein antibody that is used to detect the virus in patient testing samples.

“This antibody is invaluable for the highly accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 and subsequently COVID-19 disease in various types of patient samples, including nasal and throat swab extracts and saliva,” said Dr. Carl Ascoli, Chief Science Officer for Rockland Immunochemicals.

The knowledge that their work was helping speed up the process of finding a vaccine for the deadly virus made the three alumni double their efforts.

“I realized we were making a big impact,” said Heron. “Several countries are using our antibodies.”

Meanwhile, MCCC alumna Carla Campbell, who works at Abzyme Therapeutics, has helped create a test kit for the virus.

All four alumni studied biotechnology at MCCC under the tutelage of Dr. Margaret Bryans, Biotechnology Associate Professor and Program Coordinator.

“It’s a great testament to the program to hear how Sean, Amber, Seethal, and Carla are contributing to the COVID-19 response at Rockland and Abzyme,” said Bryans.

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