We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

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

Image: Allplex SARS-CoV-2 Fast PCR Assay (Photo courtesy of Seegene, Inc.)

Image: Allplex SARS-CoV-2 Fast PCR Assay (Photo courtesy of Seegene, Inc.)

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.

Visit expo >

Gold Member

Multiplex Genetic Analyzer

MassARRAY Dx Analyzer (Europe only)

Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels

New

Total 25-Hydroxyvitamin D₂ & D₃ Assay

Total 25-Hydroxyvitamin D₂ & D₃ Assay

New

Malaria Test

STANDARD Q Malaria P.f/Pan Ag

Latest COVID-19 News

Channels

Clinical Chemistry

view channel

Carbon Nanotubes Help Build Highly Accurate Sensors for Continuous Health Monitoring

Current sensors can measure various health indicators, such as blood glucose levels, in the body. However, there is a need to develop more accurate and sensitive sensor materials that can detect lower... Read more

Image: The paper-based device generates high-quality samples of dried plasma, enabling accurate measurements of HIV viral load (Photo courtesy of Charlie Mace/Tufts)

Paper-Based Device Boosts HIV Test Accuracy from Dried Blood Samples

In regions where access to clinics for routine blood tests presents financial and logistical obstacles, HIV patients are increasingly able to collect and send a drop of blood using paper-based devices... Read more

AI-Powered Raman Spectroscopy Method Enables Rapid Drug Detection in Blood

Accurately monitoring drug levels in the blood is essential for effective treatment, particularly in the management of cardiovascular diseases. Traditional techniques for monitoring blood drug levels often... Read more

Image: The LC-MS/MS assay can serve as a reference method to validate emerging biosensors for renal function monitoring (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel LC-MS/MS Assay Detects Low Creatinine in Sweat and Saliva

Timely and accurate monitoring of renal function is essential for managing patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI), which affects about 12% of hospitalized patients and up to 57% of ICU patients.... Read more

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel

Image: The Mirvie RNA platform predicts pregnancy complications months before they occur using a simple blood test (Photo courtesy of Mirvie)

RNA-Based Blood Test Detects Preeclampsia Risk Months Before Symptoms

Preeclampsia remains a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality, as well as preterm births. Despite current guidelines that aim to identify pregnant women at increased risk of preeclampsia using... Read more

Image: The test is the first of its kind to use microRNAs to predict toxicity from cancer therapy (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

First Of Its Kind Test Uses microRNAs to Predict Toxicity from Cancer Therapy

Many men with early-stage prostate cancer receive stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), a highly precise form of radiation treatment that is completed in just five sessions. Compared to traditional radiation,... Read more

Novel Cell-Based Assay Provides Sensitive and Specific Autoantibody Detection in Demyelination

Anti-myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) antibodies serve as markers for an autoimmune demyelinating disorder that affects the peripheral nervous system, leading to sensory impairment. Anti-MAG-IgM antibodies... Read more

Image: The low-cost test builds on existing platform that assesses COVID-19 and water quality (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Point-of-Care Technology Delivers Accurate HIV Results in Minutes

HIV diagnostic methods have traditionally relied on detecting HIV-specific antibodies, which typically appear weeks after infection. This delayed detection has hindered early diagnosis, complicating patient... Read more

Hematology

view channel

Image: The 3-parameter CCRS model was devised specifically for patients diagnosed with clonal cytopenia (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

New Scoring System Predicts Risk of Developing Cancer from Common Blood Disorder

Clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS) is a blood disorder commonly found in older adults, characterized by mutations in blood cells and a low blood count, but without any obvious cause or... Read more

Image: The technology has the unique ability to detect challenging RhD variants that are typically excluded by other commercial tests (Photo courtesy of BillionToOne)

Non-Invasive Prenatal Test for Fetal RhD Status Demonstrates 100% Accuracy

In the United States, approximately 15% of pregnant individuals are RhD-negative. However, in about 40% of these cases, the fetus is also RhD-negative, making the administration of RhoGAM unnecessary.... Read more

Image: Leukocyte count represents an easily accessible, inexpensive clinical marker (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

WBC Count Could Predict Severity of COVID-19 Symptoms

The global health crisis caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to impact millions of people worldwide, with many experiencing persistent symptoms months after the initial diagnosis. Cognitive impairment... Read more

Image: The high precision platelet counting technology reduces risks that can lead to errors in cancer diagnoses (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

New Platelet Counting Technology to Help Labs Prevent Diagnosis Errors

Accurate platelet count testing is a significant challenge for laboratories. Inaccurate results can lead to misdiagnosis, missed diagnoses, and delayed treatment for a variety of potentially fatal conditions,... Read more

Immunology

view channel

Image: The cancer stem cell test can accurately choose more effective treatments (Photo courtesy of University of Cincinnati)

Stem Cell Test Predicts Treatment Outcome for Patients with Platinum-Resistant Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer frequently responds to chemotherapy initially, but eventually, the tumor develops resistance to the therapy, leading to regrowth. This resistance is partially due to the activation... Read more

Machine Learning-Enabled Blood Test Predicts Immunotherapy Response in Lymphoma Patients

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has emerged as one of the most promising recent developments in the treatment of blood cancers. However, over half of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients... Read more

Post-Treatment Blood Test Could Inform Future Cancer Therapy Decisions

In the ongoing advancement of personalized medicine, a new study has provided evidence supporting the use of a tool that detects cancer-derived molecules in the blood of lung cancer patients years after... Read more

Cerebrospinal Fluid Test Predicts Dangerous Side Effect of Cancer Treatment

In recent years, cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising approach where the patient's immune system is harnessed to fight cancer. One form of immunotherapy, called CAR-T-cell therapy, involves... Read more

Microbiology

view channel

Image: The lab-in-tube assay could improve TB diagnoses in rural or resource-limited areas (Photo courtesy of Kenny Lass/Tulane University)

Handheld Device Deliver Low-Cost TB Results in Less Than One Hour

Tuberculosis (TB) remains the deadliest infectious disease globally, affecting an estimated 10 million people annually. In 2021, about 4.2 million TB cases went undiagnosed or unreported, mainly due to... Read more

Image: The AI-based method can more accurately detect antibiotic resistance in deadly bacteria such as tuberculosis and staph (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

New AI-Based Method Improves Diagnosis of Drug-Resistant Infections

Drug-resistant infections, particularly those caused by deadly bacteria like tuberculosis and staphylococcus, are rapidly emerging as a global health emergency. These infections are more difficult to treat,... Read more

Breakthrough Diagnostic Technology Identifies Bacterial Infections with Almost 100% Accuracy within Three Hours

Rapid and precise identification of pathogenic microbes in patient samples is essential for the effective treatment of acute infectious diseases, such as sepsis. The fluorescence in situ hybridization... Read more

Innovative ID/AST System to Help Diagnose Infectious Diseases and Combat AMR

Each year, 11 million people across the world die of sepsis out of which 1.3 million deaths are due to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to weigh heavily,... Read more

Pathology

view channel

Advanced Imaging Reveals Mechanisms Causing Autoimmune Disease

Myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease, leads to muscle weakness that can affect a range of muscles, including those needed for basic actions like blinking, smiling, or moving. Researchers have long... Read more

AI Model Effectively Predicts Patient Outcomes in Common Lung Cancer Type

Lung adenocarcinoma, the most common form of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), typically adopts one of six distinct growth patterns, often combining multiple patterns within a single tumor.... Read more

Image: The new AI model personalizes bladder cancer treatment (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

AI Model Predicts Patient Response to Bladder Cancer Treatment

Each year in the United States, around 81,000 new cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed, leading to approximately 17,000 deaths annually. Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is a severe form of bladder... Read more

Image: The new method can help accelerate the diagnosis of oncological diseases (Photo courtesy of Vilnius University)

New Laser-Based Method to Accelerate Cancer Diagnosis

Researchers have developed a method to improve cancer diagnostics and other diseases. Collagen, a key structural protein, plays various roles in cell activity. A novel multidisciplinary study published... Read more

Technology

view channel

Image: Schematic illustration of the chip (Photo courtesy of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2025.117401)

Pain-On-A-Chip Microfluidic Device Determines Types of Chronic Pain from Blood Samples

Chronic pain is a widespread condition that remains difficult to manage, and existing clinical methods for its treatment rely largely on self-reporting, which can be subjective and especially problematic... Read more

Image: Pictorial representation of the working principle of a functionalized Carbon Dots CDs and EB based Func sensor (Photo courtesy of Toppari/University of Jyväskylä)

Innovative, Label-Free Ratiometric Fluorosensor Enables More Sensitive Viral RNA Detection

Viruses present a major global health risk, as demonstrated by recent pandemics, making early detection and identification essential for preventing new outbreaks. While traditional detection methods are... Read more

Image: In ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, light bounces off a crystal and briefly touches the sample, enabling researchers to take measurements (Photo courtesy of Georgia State University)

Smartphones Could Diagnose Diseases Using Infrared Scans

Rapid advancements in technology may soon make it possible for individuals to bypass invasive medical procedures by simply uploading a screenshot of their lab results from their phone directly to their doctor.... Read more

Image: A spectroscopic image shows on-electrode molecules that drive metabolite-sensing reactions (Photo courtesy of Xuanbing Cheng and Zongqi Li/Emaminejad Lab)

Novel Sensor Technology to Enable Early Diagnoses of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Disorders

Metabolites are critical compounds that fuel life's essential functions, playing a key role in producing energy, regulating cellular activities, and maintaining the balance of bodily systems.... Read more

Industry

view channel

$Image: The collaboration aims to leverage Oxford Nanopore\'s sequencing platform and Cepheid\'s GeneXpert system to advance the field of sequencing for infectious diseases (Photo courtesy of Cepheid)$

Cepheid and Oxford Nanopore Technologies Partner on Advancing Automated Sequencing-Based Solutions

Cepheid (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a leading molecular diagnostics company, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK), the company behind a new generation of sequencing-based molecular analysis technologies,... Read more

Image: The Grifols-IBL partnership will initially focus on biomarker panels for neurological and oncological conditions (Photo courtesy of Grifols)

Grifols and Tecan’s IBL Collaborate on Advanced Biomarker Panels

Grifols (Barcelona, Spain), one of the world’s leading producers of plasma-derived medicines and innovative diagnostic solutions, is expanding its offer in clinical diagnostics through a strategic partnership... Read more

Image: BIOTIA-ID is an NGS platform that accurately and sensitively diagnoses infectious disease-causing pathogens (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

New Collaboration to Advance Microbial Identification for Infectious Disease Diagnostics

With the rise of global pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, and emerging pathogens, healthcare systems worldwide are increasingly dependent on advanced diagnostic tools to guide clinical decisions.... Read more

Image: The Procollagen-III-peptide (PIIINP) ELISA kit (Photo courtesy of Cisbio Bioassays)

Tecan Acquires ELISA Immunoassay Assets from Revvity's Cisbio Bioassays

Tecan Group (Männedorf, Switzerland) has entered into an agreement to acquire certain assets relating to key ELISA immunoassay products from Cisbio Bioassays SAS (Codolet, France), a subsidiary of the... Read more