[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The Armed Forces Medical Command's Armed Forces Medical Research Institute is promoting the export of a diagnostic kit for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) developed using a rapid molecular diagnostic method.
On the 26th, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the Armed Forces Medical Research Institute registered a patent with the Korean Intellectual Property Office and completed technology transfer to a private diagnostic kit company, which is currently promoting exports. The diagnostic kit applies the rapid molecular diagnostic method. This method uses loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) technology, reducing the testing time by about 3 hours compared to the existing standard real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.
In South Korea, diagnostic kits capable of completing COVID-19 testing within one hour will become available. Some domestic in vitro diagnostic medical device companies, including Siseon Biomaterials, plan to apply for emergency use authorization of the COVID-19 diagnostic kit to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) early next month. The KDCA will accept emergency use authorization applications for COVID-19 emergency screening diagnostic kits from June 1 to June 5.
The introduction of emergency diagnostic kits to quickly confirm COVID-19 infection status in patients facing urgent surgeries or childbirth has become a reality. Until now, COVID-19 diagnostic kits approved for emergency use in South Korea took about six hours from testing to result, making them difficult to use in time-sensitive emergency situations. Accordingly, the KDCA and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety have separately established an emergency use authorization procedure for emergency COVID-19 diagnostic kits and decided to accept applications.
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