This article has been updated to correct the timing of US approval for Seegene's first molecular diagnostic.
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Seegene announced today that it has formed a cancer diagnostics research and development alliance with Spain's Institut Català d'Oncologia (ICO).
Under the terms of the deal, ICO will help Seegene conduct studies of its molecular diagnostic products using clinical specimens, and develop new cancer diagnostic products. According to the company, the partnership marks the first step in its so-called Project 100: One platform MDx Solution — a plan to develop 100 new molecular diagnostics within the next two years.
Last year, Seegene received US approval for its first molecular diagnostic — an assay for herpes simplex virus I and II that uses the company's TOCE primer technology for multiplexed real-time PCR.
"It is very encouraging to build [a] partnership with the ICO for clinical evaluation of Seegene's products as the first step toward successful implementation of Project 100," Seegene CEO Jong-Yoon Chun said in a statement. "It is expected to reduce the period of product development and clinical research that have demanded considerable costs and research manpower for a long time."
The South Korean company said that it is actively looking for additional clinical research partners around the world.