NSN Signs Exclusive Distribution Agreement for Real-Time On-Site COVID-19 PCR with Aram Bio System

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] NSN announced on the 29th that it has signed an exclusive domestic and overseas distribution agreement with Aram Bio System for real-time on-site COVID-19 PCR testing.

The new on-site PCR diagnostic device is a portable, lithium-ion battery-powered small PCR diagnostic device developed to allow immediate testing at the specimen collection site rather than in laboratories or diagnostic centers. The time required for coronavirus diagnosis, which previously took at least 4 hours, is reduced to 27 minutes. By conducting real-time testing of suspected confirmed cases directly at airports or one-stop respiratory clinics, the current quarantine system, which allows activities before confirmation, is changed to a method where confirmed patients are immediately isolated after real-time on-site test results, minimizing contact rates before confirmation. After assigning IP addresses to each testing site, a new scientific quarantine real-time testing system can be established through a real-time infected big data system.

COVID-19 variants such as BA.5 and BA.2.75 have 12-13% higher transmissibility than previous Omicron variants, and variant viruses that evade natural and vaccine immunity are becoming dominant strains. With the relaxation of controlled social distancing policies, the influx of variant viruses from overseas and contact rates among domestic reinfected individuals have significantly increased. The infection reproduction number has reached 1.58, showing a weekly doubling of cases and a rapid increase in the speed of re-spread. To reduce the number of patients, the infection reproduction rate must be lowered below 1.0, which requires minimizing contact rates of confirmed cases. Minimizing free activities of confirmed cases through real-time PCR confirmation is effective.

By utilizing the new PCR diagnostic system as an answer to the government's scientific quarantine policy, which declared scientific quarantine, overseas arrivals can complete testing immediately instead of the current one-day delay, and one-stop respiratory clinics can minimize contact rates of potential infected individuals through real-time world-standard PCR testing, thereby lowering the infection reproduction rate below 1.0.

PCR diagnostics are molecular diagnostic tests applied not only for coronavirus diagnosis but also for various tests in medical institutions. According to the ‘Global In Vitro Diagnostics Market Status and Outlook’ bioindustry report published by a researcher at the Biotechnology Policy Research Center in 2021, the molecular diagnostics market is expected to grow from $22.94 billion in 2020 to $30.42 billion by 2025, with an average annual growth rate of 5.8%.

An NSN official stated, “The currently conducted rapid antigen test (RAT) is a diagnostic system that cannot fundamentally prevent increased contact rates due to its high false-negative rate, so we found the answer in the portable real-time PCR diagnostic device and reagents,” adding, “By realizing real-time on-site diagnosis, we will lead the global market and widely promote the excellence of K-quarantine worldwide.”