Seegene said Tuesday that it plans to introduce Seegene Sameday Test and Report (SGSTAR) kit, a molecular diagnostic combination test system, at the 28th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2018) in Madrid, from April 21-24.

The combination system is an efficient testing method that can accurately detect pathogens for syndromic infectious diseases in one day by simultaneously performing all possible tests for pathogens sharing similar symptoms from the same type of specimen. Regarding patients with respiratory symptoms, the combination test can accurately reveal the cause of the disease by simultaneously diagnosing whether tubercle bacillus or pneumococcus cause the relevant symptoms.

The company has proved the efficacy of the device after analyzing 325 patient samples suspected of having tuberculosis. The research showed over one-third of the patient's group had either tubercle bacillus and pneumococcus or just pneumococcus.

A patient found with tubercule bacillus and pneumococcus requires integrated medical treatment. If the patient misses the treatment period, the symptoms can progress further.” Therefore, finding the exact cause of similar signs of infectious disease is critical, while several medical journal articles have also outlined the need for such a combination test,” Seegene said.

However, in many cases, medical professionals only prescribe one of the criteria, for either tubercule bacillus or pneumococcus. The extensive use of combined diagnostics has not progressed due to non-clinical factors such as lack of reimbursement or cost of the tests.

“To achieve on-time customized patient care and to foster a comprehensive delivery medical care to patients, a more objective and accurate testing method based on symptoms and samples is necessary,” Seegene CEO Chun Jong-Yoon said. “We believe that Seegene’s combination test will not only contribute to the improvement in patient care but also medical institutions and reimbursement system can save time and costs, which could create new value-added to the molecular diagnostic industry.”

If the combination test is broadly applied, it can accurately identify and treat infectious diseases, he added.

The combination test is not only limited to tuberculosis and pneumonia but available for HPV and sexually-transmitted infections (STI) as well as full panel tests for gastrointestinal infections (GI).

The company also plans to hold a symposium on the subject, “Expansion of the All-in-one platform, a solution for diagnosis of infectious diseases” during the conference.

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