Theragen Etex said Monday that its Bio
Institute has developed a system that uses next-generation sequencing to the
RNA sequence of Covid-19 and begun its service.
Unlike the existing diagnostic kits that
detect three genes from the Covid-19 virus, Theragen Etex’s newly developed
system can reveal 30,000 ribonucleic acid sequences of Covid-19, the company
said. SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19, frequently mutates due to
its instability, but the company’s technique can confirm mutation, replication,
and formation of RNA in the virus, it added.
“Experts can use the
technique not only for diagnosis but also for the development of therapeutics,
vaccines, and complementing epidemiological investigations,” the company said
in a news release.
It also allows testing thousands of samples
at once, where the diagnosis requires high sensitivity and accuracy as many
infected people are asymptomatic or reactivated after recovery. The analysis
takes only two to three days to see the result, and it can be done with very
small samples, it said.
Theragen Etex recently acquired
satisfactory results by conducting an accuracy test with a Covid-19 sample by
using its newly developed RNA sequencing system.
“The company will
first conduct joint services with universities and medical institutions, here
or abroad, and apply it to develop antiviral vaccines based on the results of
the studies that read Covid-19 genome and RNA transcriptome,” an official of
Theragen Etex said.
To develop its antiviral vaccines, Theragen
Extex has developed a method and program for predicting immunogens for virus
treatment and has recently applied for a patent, it said.
The technology is based on a customized
vaccine mechanism for cancer that Theragen Etex has been researching. It can
predict candidate peptides (amino acid conjugation) suitable for developing
therapeutic antibodies, including the Covid-19.
Theragen Etex said it would be reborn as an
independent company with a new name, Theragen Bio, from early May.
