DYD Partners with Montgomery County, USA on 'Diabetes Diagnostic Kit' Project

From the left, Ahn Se-young, Director of DYD Technology Research Institute; Mark Elrich, Montgomery County Executive; Kim Young-duk, CEO of DYD. Provided by DYD

DYD announced on the 6th that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Montgomery County, USA, to promote the 'Semiconductor-based Biosensor Project for Diabetes.'

Through this agreement, Montgomery County decided to provide support as part of 'International Soft-Landing' assistance by introducing business networks and resources that can help DYD successfully achieve its business goals in Montgomery County and the United States.

Montgomery County, a city known for its immunity and biotechnology industries in the U.S., is home to many multinational pharmaceutical companies. The county has committed to actively supporting DYD's groundbreaking and innovative project within the county and to subsidizing project-related costs, seeing it as a contribution to regional development. It also spares no effort in promoting and supporting the multinational pharmaceutical companies already established there.

Mark Elrich, Montgomery County Executive, stated, “We expect that Korea's cutting-edge technology, starting in Montgomery County, Maryland, will make a significant contribution to regional development,” and emphasized, “We will actively support DYD’s project by promoting it to global pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. and subsidizing the costs of its liaison office.”

Montgomery County, Maryland, is a life sciences city home to world-leading pharmaceutical companies such as AstraZeneca, famous for its coronavirus vaccine, Amgen, and Novavax. Additionally, the U.S. FDA headquarters is located in Maryland, which is why many pharmaceutical companies have their headquarters here to facilitate smooth Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals.

DYD recently completed the development of a semiconductor for glycated albumin diagnostic kits and is preparing to establish a production base for the product and obtain FDA approval in the U.S. The company plans to apply to the FDA in Maryland, where Montgomery County is located, soon. At the same time, it intends to promptly initiate procedures for launching the diagnostic kit product.

This product is a core component that combines next-generation technologies such as semiconductor surface technology and antibody conjugation technology to measure glycated albumin through saliva in just one minute. While existing diagnostic kits adhered antibodies to membranes, DYD’s diagnostic kit adheres them to semiconductor wafers.

A DYD official said, “Our developed glycated albumin diagnostic kit enables diabetes diagnosis with a simple test, greatly reducing patient inconvenience and minimizing errors that occur with existing blood glucose measurement methods, so we are confident in obtaining U.S. FDA approval.” The official also noted, “Many disciples of An Se-young, head of DYD’s Technology Research Institute, are positioned in major Maryland institutions and research organizations, which is also a positive factor for FDA approval.”