NEW YORK ─ Oxford Immunotec said on Monday that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Green Cross Medical Science (GCMS) and Mesdia to market its research-use-only T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 kit in South Korea.
Under the agreement, GCMS will market and sell the kit, Mesdia will import it, and Oxford Immunotec Korea will provide overall support.
Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 adds a research test for measuring the T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 infection to GCMS' portfolio, which already consists of six diagnostic tests for COVID-19.
"This MOU means that the T-SPOT Discovery SARS-CoV-2 kit will be available to more researchers and multiple biopharmaceutical companies that are developing innovative treatments and vaccines across South Korea, which we believe will make a significant contribution towards informing how we can better manage the ongoing pandemic in the country," Walt Ling, VP commercial APAC for Oxford Immunotec, said in a statement.
The T-Spot Discovery SARS-CoV-2 kit, based on the Oxford, UK-based firm's T-Spot technology, is already available for research use in Europe and the US. The test is being used in studies in the UK for COVID-19 vaccine development and for clinical evaluation, the firm said.
Study data recently released by Public Health England using the kit suggests that individuals with a SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell response, but without detectible antibodies, may be protected from infection, Oxford Immunotec said. As a result, the T-cell response to SARS-CoV-2 may be an important adjunct to serological analysis, it added.