KPS Enters CTC Liquid Biopsy Diagnostic Market

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] KPS is entering the CTC (circulating tumor cell)-based liquid biopsy diagnostic market in collaboration with Professor Choi Jinwoo's team at Kyung Hee University College of Pharmacy. Leveraging its ultra-precision OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display process equipment manufacturing technology, the company aims to expand into the next-generation diagnostic equipment market.

On the 11th, KPS Bio Division formed a task force (TF) team centered on in-house engineers to review CTC detection and separation technologies. Additionally, they signed an advisory contract for CTC research with Professor Choi Jinwoo's team at Kyung Hee University College of Pharmacy and agreed to conduct joint research. The TF will operate until the development of an automated CTC separation platform is completed.

CTCs are cancer cells circulating in the blood and are known to be closely related to cancer metastasis. Approximately 90% of cancer patients die from metastasis. CTC-based liquid biopsy is an essential diagnostic method, especially for patients for whom tissue biopsy is difficult.

KPS's in-house TF is led by Executive Director Lee Jaehang. Director Lee majored in biotechnology at Korea University and has experience in the oncology divisions of Sanofi Aventis and Pfizer, as well as establishing the oncology business team at Celltrion Pharm. Before joining KPS last year, he worked at IQVIA, a global clinical and consulting company.

Furthermore, to accurately understand the diverse characteristics of CTCs during the cancer metastasis process, joint research will be conducted with Professor Choi Jinwoo's team. Professor Choi is an expert in cancer metastasis and CTC research and has published research results on circulating tumor cells in overseas SCI journals with impact factors over 10 (such as Cancer Research, Journal of Hematology and Oncology, Small Methods) over the past decade.

KPS CEO Kim Hayong stated, "Liquid biopsy is important not only for diagnosis itself but also plays a crucial role in new drug development," adding, "Alongside CTC research and analysis for entering the liquid biopsy market with Professor Choi Jinwoo's team at Kyung Hee University, we are also considering acquiring a specialized company that can lead future clinical strategies."

CTC-based liquid biopsy enables the identification of cancer-causing mutations from DNA to proteins and allows for repetitive monitoring, leading to market growth.

According to global market research firm Grand View Research, the worldwide liquid biopsy market size is expected to grow from $1.06371 billion in 2019 to $5.02746 billion by 2027, recording a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.1%. The CTC segment was valued at approximately $8.9 billion in 2020 and is projected to reach about $23.9 billion by 2027, with a CAGR of 13.2%.