December 08, 2021 – With the recent discovery of Omicron, the newest Variant of Concern (VOC) of SARS-CoV-2, the market is paying attention to the Whole Genome Analysis Service and Comprehensive Respiratory Virus Panel (CRVP) of Celemics (CEO Yong Hoon Lee, Hyoki Kim), an NGS-based sequencing technology company.

Since the first report of Omicron (B.1.1.52_9), designated as a VOC by WHO, on November 24, 2021, the need for enhancing surveillance and accurate sequencing of the variant have drastically increased. The Omicron variant reportedly has over 40 mutations, which make it challenging to accurately detect and identify the variant with current testing methodologies.

According to a report from ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control), vaccine efficacy against Omicron is also expected to be significantly reduced, thus increasing the risk of reinfection. The comprehensive understanding of this new variant is essential, and a specific sequencing technology is required for the accurate whole genome sequencing of Omicron.

Celemics has created both the CRV Panel (Comprehensive Respiratory Virus Panel), a target enrichment panel for the analysis of multiple respiratory viruses, and the BTSeq™ SARS-CoV-2 Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) service, which analyzes the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 variants, to provide clinicians and researchers with new tools for viral analysis. The CRV Panel is designed to detect and sequence multiple respiratory pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2 variants such as Omicron and Delta, with results providing 100x coverage of 99% of the viral genome. It is currently being provided to the Korean Center for Disease Control (KCDC), and Celemics has received orders from overseas customers in countries such as India, Finland, and UAE since last October.

BTSeq™ (Barcode-Tagged Sequencing) is a proprietary NGS-based technology developed by experienced researchers from Celemics. Since March 2020, the technology has been utilized for whole genome sequencing of new SARS-CoV-2 variants by request of KCDC. BTSeq™ not only detects the presence of viral genome, but also provides the complete sequence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with high success rate even from poor-quality samples.

Unlike conventional molecular tests, successful detection of a target gene is not restricted to primer sites, and the false positive and false negative results are minimized by amplifying the RNA virus from host RNA, along with validation from sufficient amount of read depths and multiple alignment through Celemics’ proprietary technologies.

Yong Hoon Lee, co-CEO of Celemics, said, “I believe Celemics is beginning to gain recognition in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic through our focus on sectors where our greatest strengths lie and diversification of our product line-up. We have applied for European CE-IVD accreditation using our CRV Panel, which will be used to expand our influence in the respiratory virus and infectious disease markets.

About Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is a technology that divides a genome into several thousands or millions of pieces, then utilizes the sequences obtained from simultaneously reading those DNA fragments for clinical diagnostic purposes.

About BTSeq™ (Barcode-Tagged Sequencing)

Unlike existing sequencing methods, BTSeq™ places no restrictions on the shape or length of the DNA sample to be analyzed, and it is a self-developed technology that reduces costs and improves accuracy by simplifying the procedure required for NGS-based DNA analysis.

About Sanger Sequencing

Developed by British biochemist Frederick Sanger (1918-2013) in 1975, Sanger sequencing is currently the most widely used sequencing method. Based on the DNA polymerase reaction that occurs during DNA replication, it is a method of individually reading the process of binding complementary bases paired to a template DNA sequence to a new DNA strand during replication. In recent years, large-scale automated genome analysis has been replaced by “NGS” methods which offer greater economical-efficiency and accuracy.

About Celemics

Founded in 2010, Celemics is a NGS-based biomaterial technology company based in South Korea that has developed a wide range of innovative biomaterials and sequencing methods based on its proprietary Massively Separated and Sequence Identified Cloning (MSSIC™) technology for use in the medical, pharmaceutical, microbiome, synthetic biology, and breeding fields. The company has been listed on the KOSDAQ market since August 2020, and has also developed technologies such as Barcode-Tagged Sequencing (BTSeq™), a novel sequencing methodology established as a high-quality alternative to Sanger Sequencing, and TrueRepertoire™, which aims to help vaccine developers accelerate antibody excavation. Celemics is currently the only NGS-based Target Capture Kit manufacturer in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

For more information, visit www.celemics.com

Media Contact
Company Name: Celemics, Inc.
Contact Person: Marketing Team
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Address:20F, Bldg. A, BYC Highcity, 131, Gasandigital 1-ro
City: Geumcheon-gu
State: Seoul, 08506
Country: South Korea
Website: https://www.celemics.com/