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| Lee Seung-il, right, CEO of Management at BioTNS and Kim Bong-suk, CEO of R&D at BioTNS / Courtesy of BioTNS |
By Baek Byung-yeul
Molecular diagnostics using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology has become a popular diagnostic method due to the outbreak of COVID-19.
Lee Seung-il, CEO of Management at BioTNS, a domestic digital PCR Company, said on May 12 that its advanced PCR technology is able to diagnose various diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease, and that this technology will lead to more people being able to learn more quickly about their illnesses and to treat them appropriately.
"We are focusing on developing the business of digital PCR technology and products, the next generation PCR technology. This enables ultra-precise diagnosis of high-risk respiratory diseases, as well as cancer and Alzheimer's disease diagnosis. We believe this technology will eventually contribute to the improvement of human health," Lee told The Korea Times in an email interview.
Established in 2011, the Daejeon-based company develops, produces and sells droplet-based appliances, which are the mainstream in the digital PCR market.
"BioTNS is one of the top three companies in the global digital PCR market that develop and sell both digital PCR appliances and diagnostics kits," Lee said.
What has made the company stand out from other companies in the market is its full digital PCR lineup, the CEO said.
"In 2021, we launched the full line-up of digital PCR system and received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. This includes a droplet generator that creates droplets from the specimen to be diagnosed, a droplet analyzer that amplifies these droplets and other equipment and consumables such as cartridges, standard oil and standard premixes," the CEO said.
"The creation of full-scale digital diagnostic equipment that can diagnose 96 samples at the same time is of great significance. This will serve as a platform that can be used as a basis for diagnosis and treatment and drug development in both home and overseas medical markets in the future," he added.
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| BioTNS's digital PCR device TA-100 / Courtesy of BioTNS |
Currently, BioTNS is looking to sell its technology overseas, specifically in Europe and the United States.
"We plan to expand to overseas markets by developing more upgraded products as well as our current products. We plan to collaborate with overseas partners to conduct joint research and sales in the second half of this year," Lee said.
He added some of its equipment already won certification in the EU and the company is set to apply for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) approval in the second half of 2023.
In addition, BioTNS is developing reagents to determine the suitability of targeted anti-cancer drugs.
"No one has yet developed a cancer diagnostic reagent based on Digital PCR equipment. We will be the first in the industry to do so," the CEO said.
