UAE-based healthtech company Group 42 (G42) and South Korean in vitro diagnostic products manufacturer Seegene signed a memorandum of understanding at Medlab Middle East recently, which cements a partnership to bring mass COVID-19 testing to the region. Seegene's latest innovation is a fully equipped mobile diagnostics and testing station, also marketed as a ‘lab on wheels’.
The mobile station is optimised for all multiplex real-time PCR testing, which helps technicians easily differentiate COVID-19 and variants. This is the first time a mass testing solution has been delivered on such a scale for real-time and accuracy. According to Seegene, the solution is adaptable for post-pandemic uses as well.
The MoU was signed by Ashish Koshy, CEO of G42 Healthcare, and James Park, Seegene Executive Director at Medlab Middle East on Monday.
“The mobile testing services will further augment our business portfolio across the MENA region and help in reaching out to various markets, ensuring swift detection, and allowing patients to benefit from the most informed decision possible, regardless of the location,” Koshy said.
The Mobile Station also includes an equipment room and an extraction room, and provides optimised molecular diagnosis and tests at any location to safeguard the health of communities.
“The Mobile Station will significantly contribute to the mitigation efforts as it will help governments to control areas where epidemics spread easily and to place the laboratory near crowded places, such as community events,” James Park, Seegene Executive Director, said.
The MoU signed means the UAE, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Yemen will all have access to mobile testing.
The all-in-one platform enables 2,000 tests per day including 225 pathogens in 10 different criteria and offers a streamlined automated workflow from pre-extraction to data analysis.