Molecular Diagnostics Being Developed for Underserved Diagnostic Markets

Two companies are collaborating to develop novel molecular diagnostics (MoDx) for autoimmune, cancer, and infectious diseases, among others.

Seegene (Seoul, Korea) and Selventa (Cambridge, MA, USA) together are developing MoDx for underserved diagnostic markets including autoimmune, cancer, and infectious diseases. The synergistic combination of Selventa's Systems Diagnostics (SysDx) multi-omic analytics platform and Seegene's TOCE and DPO multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology should result in new MoDx that accelerate the adoption of personalized medicine in major classes of disease.

SysDx analyzes a holistic range of a patient's molecular information (e.g., genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic, and electronic medical record information) to identify a panel of "multi-omic" biomarkers that can accurately diagnose a patient's disease and response or nonresponse to a specific therapy. By leveraging multiplexing technology, SysDx's multi-omic biomarker approach will be the basis for a range of high value MoDx.

SysDx testing is a progression from “single-omic tests that today are largely limited to the analyses of genetic aberrations in a patient's disease. As the molecular drivers of disease are intertwined across thousands of interrelated biochemical pathways, it is vital that a diagnostic be able to test for a more comprehensive set of disease-relevant biomarkers.

Quantitative TOCE (qTOCE) technology provides real-time simultaneous detection and quantification of multiple targets in a single channel ("one channel–many targets"). This technology can work with any qPCR instrument to differentiate as many as 7 targets per channel from a single sample, in a single reaction. qTOCE enables multiplex assay development across a wide range of applications, including high-multiplex quantitative real-time PCR and highly selective mutational analysis.

"We are excited to collaborate with Seegene, a leading molecular diagnostic technology innovator," said Dr. David de Graaf, president and CEO, Selventa. "Seegene's world-class detection technology and assay development in combination with our SysDx platform can result in a wide range of novel MoDx with high clinical utility."

Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, founder, CTO and CEO of Seegene added, "Selventa's SysDx platform is a breakthrough approach to biomarker identification that has the potential to vastly improve patient diagnosis and care," said "Our multiplex PCR technology detecting a wide range of SysDx-derived biomarkers can facilitate better patient diagnostics, improved patient care, and reduced healthcare costs."

Related Links:
Seegene
Selventa