Seegene Significantly Reduces COVID-19 Diagnosis Time "Up to 8,000 Tests Per Day"

Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT visited Seegene, a COVID-19 diagnostic reagent manufacturer located in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 26th and is receiving an explanation at the research facility.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] "No matter what costs are involved, we are doing our best to ensure there are no defects, even if it means discarding diagnostic reagents." (Chun Jong-yoon, CEO of Seegene)

Amid nationwide concerns over the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), there is a company leading the development of diagnostic kits. On the afternoon of the 26th, CEO Chun stated at an on-site meeting held at Seegene headquarters in Songpa-gu, Seoul, attended by Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT, "We are putting all our efforts into this company-wide."

Seegene, a developer of COVID-19 diagnostic kits, is currently conducting up to 8,000 tests per day (based on an 8-hour workday). The previous day, they processed 11,000 tests within 24 hours. Unlike the existing two-step testing method where samples from health centers or hospitals were transported to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Seegene succeeded in reducing the diagnosis time, which usually took 24 hours, to under 6 hours through a gene amplification testing method. On the 12th, they obtained the second emergency use authorization for diagnostic kits in Korea.

Lee Dae-hoon, head of Seegene’s research institute, explained the COVID-19 diagnostic method: "Molecular diagnostics, the most accurate diagnostic method in the world, is used for confirmatory testing," and introduced, "The only diagnostic method for COVID-19 is the gene amplification test." He added, "Genes are extracted and tested within 2 hours using automated equipment, reacting with reagents approved for emergency use in a nucleic acid amplification device to analyze results. Our system automatically delivers results to hospitals. The program allows for rapid processing."

In the urgent situation of COVID-19 spreading nationwide, Seegene initially secured 68 research and development personnel. The maximum daily reagent production capacity is 100,000 tests. The research director said, "If production of other products is halted, we can produce 20,000 tests per day." Currently, with 260 testing devices set up, expanding to a total of 315 devices would enable up to 25,000 tests daily.

Seegene, which started as an in-house venture at Ewha Womans University in 2000, is a company specializing in the development of gene diagnostic reagents and devices, with 81% of its 120 billion KRW sales last year coming from overseas markets. Respiratory infection diagnostics account for 26% of total sales.

Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT visited Seegene, located in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 26th, and received an explanation of the COVID-19 diagnostic reagent products from CEO Cheon Jong-yoon.

The meeting was urgently convened to directly hear field requests and discuss corporate support measures through the 'Infectious Disease Medical Device Research Council.'

At this meeting, Seegene requested, "We want to effectively utilize government facility resources," and "It was difficult to import standard materials during the COVID-19 diagnostic reagent development process because there was no Bio Safety Level 3 (BSL3) laboratory available." They also proposed improvements in work processes during reagent development such as utilizing biobank companies under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, clinical evaluations, and expanding opportunities for industry-academia-research collaboration.

The Infectious Disease Medical Device Research Council, involving seven institutions including the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology and the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, plans to support related companies' technical difficulties through ▲industry-academia-research-hospital collaborative research with excellent companies ▲technical and clinical consultation for corporate R&D outcome creation ▲provision of equipment and facilities.

Minister Choi Ki-young said, "As the domestic and international spread of COVID-19 continues and public concern grows, the successive successes of domestic companies in developing diagnostic reagents are a great strength in the national infectious disease crisis response," and added, "We will build a platform to predict, proactively prepare for, and respond to infectious diseases that may occur in the future, and support research on methods to quickly respond when new infectious diseases emerge."