HLB Panagen's 'PNA Clamp' Registered as a Patent in China

HLB Panagen announced on the 18th that it has completed patent registration in China for its independently developed technology, 'PNAClamp™'.

PNAClamp is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology developed in-house that utilizes the strong binding affinity of PNA (Peptide Nucleic Acid). By adding a PNA clamping probe (navigator) that binds complementarily to normal DNA, it selectively amplifies and detects only mutant DNA without amplifying normal DNA.

HLB Panagen believes that the patent registration has laid the foundation for entering the Chinese market. The company is currently discussing collaboration with leading Chinese companies regarding PNA materials and PNA-based diagnostic kits. The molecular diagnostics market in China is estimated to be worth 3.5 trillion KRW.

Previously, HLB Panagen completed patent registrations related to this technology in South Korea, the United States, Europe, Japan, India, and other regions, targeting the global market. Leveraging competitive advantages in mass production of PNA and application patents, the company supplies research-use PNA materials and PNA-based diagnostic kits to over 700 institutions and companies across more than 50 countries worldwide. In particular, PNA-based molecular diagnostics are expected to see increased sales this year compared to last year, driven by growing interest in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The company is currently in discussions to supply diagnostic products to various countries including South America and Europe.

HLB Panagen has also secured respiratory diagnostic products such as Influenza A/B and COVID-19 diagnostic devices, which incorporate Biosquare’s Quantum Dot (QD) technology to achieve high precision. The company is already prepared to sell diagnostic reagents for flu, COVID-19, and other diseases this winter.

Jang In-geun, CEO of HLB Panagen, stated, "We will strengthen our profitability-focused business portfolio and accelerate overseas market expansion, including China, to maintain a positive operating profit trend." He added, "Starting with turning a profit this year, we will solidify management fundamentals alongside business expansion."