In response to global concerns following the World Health Organization's (WHO) recent declaration of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), Genolution, a Korean molecular diagnostics company, said Tuesday that it has more than tripled the production capacity of its mpox diagnostic kit.

However, the company did not disclose the exact volume of the current production. 

This expansion comes with the completion of its new office building in Songdo, Incheon.

Genolution, known for its work in nucleic acid extraction reagents and equipment for detecting viral and bacterial infections, including Covid-19, developed the NX Viral DNA Kit, a nucleic acid extraction kit for mpox testing, in 2022.

The NX Viral DNA Kit is used in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to determine viral infections by analyzing viral DNA extracted from human samples. Genolution's nucleic acid extraction equipment is currently employed in over 50 countries.

Genolution completed the construction of the molecular diagnostics research and production facility and a molecular diagnostics experience center in Songdo, Incheon, in August. 

The company's mpox diagnostic kit has already received approvals from the U.S. FDA, Conformite Europeenne (CE) marking, and Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), and is now ready for in-house production.