In this video for Spear Bio, we show how neutralizing antibodies help protect the body by blocking viruses from entering cells. It’s a key part of how our immune system fights off infections.

Normally, testing for these antibodies means working with live viruses in specialized labs. It’s complex, hard to scale, and results can vary. Spear Bio’s NAB-Sure™ test changes that.

Powered by the SPEAR DNA proximity immunoassay platform, NAB-Sure™ takes a different approach. It uses the SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein and the human ACE2 receptor, each labeled with a unique DNA tag. When they get close, a DNA reaction kicks off—unless neutralizing antibodies are there to block it. If they’re present, the reaction is blocked, and the signal drops. That drop tells us antibodies are doing their job.

This method is more sensitive than traditional cell-based assays and works with just a small blood or dried blood spot sample. Plus, it runs on standard qPCR instruments and liquid-handling systems, making it easy to scale and consistent across labs.

Learn more at spear.bio.

Behind the scenes: visualizing the Nabsure SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies workflow

How do you visualize a diagnostic workflow involving robotic liquid handlers, custom plates, and qPCR in a way that is both scientifically precise and easy to understand?

That was the core challenge when Spear Bio approached us to create a workflow animation for their Nabsure SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody test. It needed to show the real-life steps, equipment, reagents, and logic of the assay while staying aligned with Spear’s branding and technical accuracy.

What made this project unique?

From the beginning, we realized that clarity around physical interactions – what goes where, how much, and when – would be key. The FAST liquid handler moves tips and liquids across a series of plates and instruments. To animate this properly, we needed:

  • Exact information on what pipette tips pick up and where they go.

  • Photos and side views of custom plates and instruments (like the BioShake and the Fisher Microplate Centrifuge).

  • A breakdown of reagent colors—including brand-specific hex codes for qPCR mix, assay diluent, positive controls, and more.

  • A diagram showing the dilutions across wells for the calibration curve.

  • A visual of the software output, including how to depict the calibration curve on the laptop screen.

The production challenge

Even with a written script, we couldn’t start design until each fluid and instrument was mapped. We asked the Spear team for highly specific data like:

  • Plate layouts with well-by-well contents

  • Screenshots of the software interface

  • Color definitions for each reagent

  • Fluid levels (e.g. overflowing wells for visual realism)

  • Consistency between voiceover and on-screen text

Other small things mattered: Should we view the plates from the side or top? Which wells contain diluted samples vs. controls? What color is the qPCR positive control? Is “customer plate” the same as “custom plate”?

These details took weeks of back-and-forth, including calls, visual markups, and updated diagrams.

Our solution

Through close collaboration, we refined every visual cue to match the lab reality, down to the position of each well and the varying intensities of color to show dilution gradients. We:

  • Aligned every plate scene with the revised script

  • Used brand colors to ensure consistency across visuals and software UI

  • Created an accurate, isometric visual of the FAST machine, laptop interface, and technician

  • Added calibration curves and color-matched plots to reflect real data output

  • Built a storyboard that clearly showed reagent volumes, steps, and logic

This allows Spear to use the video for training, internal explanation, and investor clarity.

Why it matters

This project was about helping Spear Bio show exactly how their technology works, in a format that saves time and builds trust.

If you’re developing a complex diagnostic assay, therapeutic workflow, or lab automation platform: we’re ready to help you explain it clearly and visually.