Seegene Launches New COVID-19 PCR Test with Reduced Turnaround Time Optimized for Mass Testing
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 20 Jan 2022 |

Seegene, Inc. (Seoul, Korea) has launched the new Allplex SARS-CoV-2 Fast PCR Assay that can deliver PCR results in just 60 minutes.
The assay is expected to reduce the total turnaround time to a third and expand testing capacity up to three times for hospitals and laboratories without additional instruments or compromise on accuracy, according to the company. The Allplex SARS-CoV-2 Fast PCR Assay targets three COVID-19 genes - E, RdRP, and N - to reliably detect COVID-19 regardless of the variants.
Reduction of the turnaround time can be attributed to the application of a novel enzyme developed by Seegene, which reduces PCR process time to half, as well as the company’s innovative extraction-free method that makes the Allplex SARS-CoV-2 Fast PCR Assay be available without the extraction of the sample preparation in PCR-based tests. This drastically reduces the total turnaround time for each result. As such, the new assay lessens the amount of hands-on processing time required, allowing facilities to triple their testing capacity in the same hour.
"This assay will be the optimized choice for laboratories and hospitals where they conduct large-scale testing as it helps them immediately expand the testing capacity with lessening the burden of healthcare workers," said Ho Yi, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Seegene. "For the time being, we plan to target large-scale testing markets in more than 60 countries all across the globe. The next step in our journey is to develop a new gold-standard molecular diagnostic assay that fully matches the speed of antigen tests with the same degree of accuracy as PCR test."
Related Links:
Seegene, Inc.
Latest COVID-19 News
- New Immunosensor Paves Way to Rapid POC Testing for COVID-19 and Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Long COVID Etiologies Found in Acute Infection Blood Samples
- Novel Device Detects COVID-19 Antibodies in Five Minutes
- CRISPR-Powered COVID-19 Test Detects SARS-CoV-2 in 30 Minutes Using Gene Scissors
- Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis Linked to COVID-19
- Novel SARS CoV-2 Rapid Antigen Test Validated for Diagnostic Accuracy
- New COVID + Flu + R.S.V. Test to Help Prepare for `Tripledemic`
- AI Takes Guesswork Out Of Lateral Flow Testing
- Fastest Ever SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test Designed for Non-Invasive COVID-19 Testing in Any Setting
- Rapid Antigen Tests Detect Omicron, Delta SARS-CoV-2 Variants
- Health Care Professionals Showed Increased Interest in POC Technologies During Pandemic, Finds Study
- Set Up Reserve Lab Capacity Now for Faster Response to Next Pandemic, Say Researchers
- Blood Test Performed During Initial Infection Predicts Long COVID Risk
- Low-Cost COVID-19 Testing Platform Combines Sensitivity of PCR and Speed of Antigen Tests
- Finger-Prick Blood Test Identifies Immunity to COVID-19
- Quick Test Kit Determines Immunity Against COVID-19 and Its Variants
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
VOCs Show Promise for Early Multi-Cancer Detection
Early cancer detection is critical to improving survival rates, but most current screening methods focus on individual cancer types and often involve invasive procedures. This makes it difficult to identify... Read more
Portable Raman Spectroscopy Offers Cost-Effective Kidney Disease Diagnosis at POC
Kidney disease is typically diagnosed through blood or urine tests, often when patients present with symptoms such as blood in urine, shortness of breath, or weight loss. While these tests are common,... Read moreMolecular Diagnostics
view channel
Portable Label-Free Device Tracks Alzheimer's Disease in Real Time
Alzheimer’s disease is marked by the accumulation of toxic protein fragments in the brain that damage nerve cells and impair memory. Detecting and tracking these early changes remains a major challenge,... Read more
Liquid Biopsy Test Enables Early Detection of ICI-Related Myocarditis
Cancer treatments have advanced significantly in recent years, but they can still trigger severe and sometimes fatal side effects. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), which have transformed cancer therapy,... Read moreHematology
view channel
Viscoelastic Testing Could Improve Treatment of Maternal Hemorrhage
Postpartum hemorrhage, severe bleeding after childbirth, remains one of the leading causes of maternal mortality worldwide, yet many of these deaths are preventable. Standard care can be hindered by delays... Read more
Pioneering Model Measures Radiation Exposure in Blood for Precise Cancer Treatments
Scientists have long focused on protecting organs near tumors during radiotherapy, but blood — a vital, circulating tissue — has largely been excluded from dose calculations. Each blood cell passing through... Read more
Platelets Could Improve Early and Minimally Invasive Detection of Cancer
Platelets are widely recognized for their role in blood clotting and scab formation, but they also play a crucial role in immune defense by detecting pathogens and recruiting immune cells.... Read more
Portable and Disposable Device Obtains Platelet-Rich Plasma Without Complex Equipment
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) plays a crucial role in regenerative medicine due to its ability to accelerate healing and repair tissue. However, obtaining PRP traditionally requires expensive centrifugation... Read moreImmunology
view channel
Blood Test Tracks Treatment Resistance in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer
High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is often diagnosed at an advanced stage because it spreads microscopically throughout the abdomen, and although initial surgery and chemotherapy can work, most... Read more
Luminescent Probe Measures Immune Cell Activity in Real Time
The human immune system plays a vital role in defending against disease, but its activity must be precisely monitored to ensure effective treatment in cancer therapy, autoimmune disorders, and organ transplants.... Read more
Blood-Based Immune Cell Signatures Could Guide Treatment Decisions for Critically Ill Patients
When a patient enters the emergency department in critical condition, clinicians must rapidly decide whether the patient has an infection, whether it is bacterial or viral, and whether immediate treatment... Read moreMicrobiology
view channel
Fast Noninvasive Bedside Test Uses Sugar Fingerprint to Detect Fungal Infections
Candida bloodstream infections are a growing global health threat, causing an estimated 6 million cases and 3.8 million deaths annually. Hospitals are particularly vulnerable, as weakened patients after... Read more
Rapid Sepsis Diagnostic Device to Enable Personalized Critical Care for ICU Patients
Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body’s response to infection spirals out of control, damaging organs and leading to critical illness. Patients often arrive at intensive care... Read morePathology
view channel
AI Improves Cervical Cancer Screening in Low-Resource Settings
Access to cervical cancer screening in low- and middle-income countries remains limited, leaving many women without early detection for this life-threatening disease. The lack of access to laboratories,... Read more
New Multi-Omics Tool Illuminates Cancer Progression
Tracking how cancers evolve into more aggressive and therapy-resistant forms has long been a challenge for researchers. Many current tools can only capture limited genetic information from tumor samples,... Read moreTechnology
view channel
Acoustofluidic Device to Transform Point-Of-Care sEV-Based Diagnostics
Rapid and sensitive detection of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs)—key biomarkers in cancer and organ health monitoring—remains challenging due to the need for multiple preprocessing steps and bulky... Read more
AI Algorithm Assesses Progressive Decline in Kidney Function
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects more than 700 million people worldwide and remains a major global health challenge. The condition often progresses silently, and many patients remain undiagnosed until... Read more
Taste-Based Influenza Test Could Replace Nasal Swabs with Chewing Gum
Influenza is one of the most dangerous infectious diseases worldwide, claiming around half a million lives each year. What makes it particularly insidious is that flu viruses are contagious even before... Read more
3D Micro-Printed Sensors to Advance On-Chip Biosensing for Early Disease Detection
Early-stage disease diagnosis depends on the ability to detect biomarkers with exceptional sensitivity and precision. However, traditional biosensing technologies struggle with achieving this at the micro-scale,... Read moreIndustry
view channel
Hologic to be Acquired by Blackstone and TPG
Hologic (Marlborough, MA, USA) has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by funds managed by Blackstone (New York, NY, USA) and TPG (San Francisco, CA, USA) in a transaction valued at up to... Read more
Bio-Techne and Oxford Nanopore to Accelerate Development of Genetics Portfolio
Bio-Techne Corporation (Minneapolis, MN, USA) has expanded its agreement with Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK) to broaden Bio-Techne's ability to develop a portfolio of genetic products on Oxford... Read more
Terumo BCT and Hemex Health Collaborate to Improve Access to Testing for Hemoglobin Disorders
Millions of people worldwide living with sickle cell disease and other hemoglobin disorders experience delayed diagnosis and limited access to effective care, particularly in regions where testing is scarce.... Read more