South Korean molecular diagnostics company Seegene Inc. has won a 10 billion won ($9 million) worth contract to supply diagnostic kits for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and human papilloma virus (HPV) to state-run hospitals in Italy for five years after beating 12 other strong contestants, the company announced on Monday.

The company said that technological prowess and the reliable performance of its products were highly rated during the bid. Its diagnostic kits allow physicians to accurately detect HPV genotypes that are associated with cervical cancer at relatively low costs. “Seegene’s HPV DNA assay is the world’s only product that provides accurate detection of HPV genotypes,” said an official from the company.

Seegene is also a developer of multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kits. Real-time PCR technology enables confirmation of multiple (five or more) target genetic detection and genetic variation, and is a gold standard in molecular diagnostics because of its versatility, speed and ease of use.

Starting November, Seegene will supply its STI detector Anyplex Ⅱ STI-7 and HPV detector Anyplex Ⅱ HPV28 to the Italian hospitals located in Toscana region. STI-7 detects seven major pathogens causing STIs and HPV28 is a semi-quantitative real-time multiplex PCR assay for screening and genotyping 28 HPVs, the company said.

By Shin Chan-ok

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