Seegene said it launched Novaplex SARS-CoV-2 Variants V Assay, a new concept diagnostic reagent that detects the Delta and Lambda variants.

"We have been leading the world's prevention of Covid-19 by developing diagnostic reagents for each mutant virus since the early days of the outbreak," the company said.

It is well known that the company played a key role in preventing the spread of Covid-19 in the early stages by developing a diagnostic reagent two weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO) disclosed the virus' base sequence based on its proprietary technology in February last year, according to Seegene.

The company has since used its AI-based mutant virus monitoring system to diagnose Covid-19, flu, and RSV viruses at once, as well as reagents for diagnosing all reported mutant viruses of concern, such as Alpha and Beta, it added.

Seegene stressed that the new product is in line with such efforts, as Delta and Lambda variants are highly likely to become the main strains of Covid-19 in the second half of this year.

"The Delta variant has spread to 163 countries around the world as of the end of August due to its short incubation period and rapid spread, and also neutralizes the vaccine effect," the company said. "According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the effectiveness of the vaccine decreased from 91 to 66 percent as the Delta variant became the dominant species."

Concerns about the Lambda variants are also high. The variant, first identified in Peru in October last year, has spread to 31 countries, including Japan and the U.S.

Seegene pointed out that while more than 60 percent of the population has received the vaccine in Chile, a third of all recently confirmed cases have been the Lambda variant.

"There have been reports of research results suggesting that Lambda variant also lowers the preventive effect of the vaccine," the company said.

Seegene stressed that researchers could use the new product to test saliva (saliva) and the existing nasal sample collection method.

"This can relieve the discomfort of those undergoing the test. According to the medical guidelines of each country, the subject can collect a sample on their own without a medical professional, making it suitable for large-scale tests," the company said. "It also has the advantage of significantly shortening the period of checking for variant virus infection."

However, another company official added that Novaplex is for research use only.

"It cannot be used for diagnosing Covid-19 in the field, such as medical institutions or screening clinics," the company official told Korea Biomedical Review on Monday. "This is because the reagent can only identify Delta and Lambda variants, which, in turn, means that researchers can only use it for secondary identification."

As it is for research use, the reagent requires no separate permission. The company plans to export overseas immediately, she added.