BNT Completes Development of Rapid In Vitro Diagnostic Platform for Livestock Infectious Viruses

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hyowon] BNGT announced on the 20th that it has completed the development of an in vitro rapid on-site diagnostic technology platform for various livestock infectious disease viruses. Based on this platform technology, BNGT is currently in the process of obtaining product approval for the African Swine Fever (ASF) rapid on-site diagnostic kit and plans to expand its business area to companion animals.

A company representative emphasized, "In particular, the African Swine Fever rapid molecular on-site diagnostic kit is a molecular diagnostic-based method that enables simple and accurate diagnosis on-site with just one kit, without the need for expensive PCR diagnostic equipment."

This kit has the advantage of higher accuracy compared to existing rapid diagnostic kits based on antigen-antibody reactions. He said, "Once performance evaluation and product approval are completed, we plan to proceed with export procedures targeting countries where African Swine Fever frequently occurs, such as China and Vietnam," adding, "In addition, we will also develop on-site diagnostic kits for other infectious disease viruses."

He continued, "Since we have long conducted xenotransplantation research using gene-editing technology, we expect it to be easier to enter the diagnostic market for animals," and added, "We plan to expand our business area to rapid diagnostic kits related to companion animal diseases in the domestic companion animal market."

According to BNGT, the companion animal diagnostic market is growing as the number of companion animals has recently increased along with the owners' awareness of health management. BNGT plans to develop products in the form of simple kits that enable easy and rapid disease diagnosis at animal hospitals and homes.

Meanwhile, according to nationwide statistical surveys last year, the number of companion animal owners in Korea was 15 million, accounting for about 28.9% of the Korean population. Additionally, according to the Korea Research & Development Foundation, the global companion animal diagnostic market is expected to grow from $1.8492 billion (approximately KRW 2.3438 trillion) in 2020 to $2.9523 billion (approximately KRW 3.7367 trillion) in 2025, increasing at an average annual rate of 9.8%.