Seegene to Feature Extended Mutation Detection Technology for Companion Diagnostics at AACC 2013

Seegene Inc., a leading developer of multiplex molecular diagnostic technologies and tests, today announced it would be unveiling its multiple mutation detection technology to accelerate the development of companion diagnostic (CDx) tests at the 2013 American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) annual meeting, held in Houston, from July 30 - August 1.

A major benefit of this technology is that it successfully transforms existing, conventional real-time instruments into powerful systems for simultaneous detection of multiple mutation targets in a single channel. Seegene has now extended the capabilities of its real-time PCR technology to simultaneously detect more than 20 different mutations, including insertions, deletions, and point mutations, in a single tube and single reaction.

"The extended capability of real-time PCR for mutation detection is a natural progression of our technology. The ability to detect and differentiate mutations is critical, but the ability to detect those mutations without any wild-type signal on current real-time instrumentation is a significant advancement in molecular diagnostics, and in particular companion diagnostics," said Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, founder, CTO and CEO of Seegene.

Key features of this technology include:
• Detection of minority mutation or species when wild-type is in excess of 10,000 fold higher (0.01%)
• Robust chemistry across the wide-range of annealing temperature (50-65°C)
• Elimination of wild-type signal even at high concentration of wild-type DNA (~1000 ng) in an assay
Dr. Chun added, "We want to make the technology widely available on the market. We believe that this mutation detection technology has the potential to strengthen the businesses of traditional diagnostic companies, and 'wake up' a large portion of the market to new opportunities. That is why we are initiating an aggressive licensing and OEM campaign to make this technology broadly available."