Seegene, Inc. Introduces Fast and Accurate Diagnostic Test for Meningitis

DAYTONA, FL--(Marketwire - April 20, 2009) - 25th Clinical Virology Symposium -- Seegene's Seeplex® Meningitis ACE Detection test introduced today at the 2009 Clinical Virology Symposium brings a novel and fast-acting multiplex PCR diagnostic technique to simultaneously verify a complex range of pathogens that indicate meningitis, a severely debilitating infection that if not diagnosed and treated quickly can result in death.

Meningitis is an inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, in which patients have flu like symptoms of fever and aches/pains at the initial stage of infection. Early diagnosis to identify whether meningitis is caused by a viral or bacterial infection at this early stage is critical for determining the correct course of treatment. Bacterial meningitis is usually more severe than the viral meningitis and can cause brain damage, hearing loss, limb amputation, learning disabilities and even death.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1.2 million cases of bacterial meningitis occur every year around the world, out of which 135,000 are fatal. The WHO postulates that a significant number of viral meningitis infections go undiagnosed in the absence of a standard diagnostic tool to determine the infections.

The Seeplex Meningitis ACE Detection tests for 12 meningitis-causing pathogens: five bacteria (S. pneumoniae, N. meningitidis, H. influenzae type b, L. monocytogenes, and S. agalactiae); and seven viruses (HSV1, HSV2, VZV, EBV, CMV, HHV6, and enteroviruses) from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Traditional methods of diagnosing meningitis rely on Culture and Gram Staining, both of which have notable performance limitations that can result in inaccurate diagnosis of meningitis. For example, culture of CSF takes more than three days to obtain test results that can be muddied by recent antibiotic use, contamination or fastidious bacteria.

Gram Staining, on the other hand, is one of the oldest microbiological tests that differentiates between Gram (+) and Gram (-) bacteria. However, Gram Staining is not able to identify the individual strain of bacteria. This type of detailed information is necessary applying the correct antibiotics that are capable of knocking-out certain meningitis causing bacteria, and prevent its spread to other people.

"Seeplex® Meningitis ACE Detection provides accurate, rapid and cost-effective meningitis diagnostics. The test is a clear break from traditional methods of diagnosing meningitis, taking only six hours to detect either bacterial or viral meningitis infection in an easy to use testing format," said Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, Founder and CEO of Seegene. "This test will help to save lives and prevent unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions by providing precise information of meningitis causing pathogens at the earliest possible stage."

About Seegene

Seegene, Inc. is a biotechnology company specialized in molecular diagnostics and research applications. It holds a novel detection platform named "Seeplex," which sets a standard in high-throughput and simultaneous multi-pathogen detection called "multiplexing." Seeplex technology accurately detects multi-pathogens with high-throughput speed, ultimately providing the most economical basis for saving time, labor and cost. Seegene develops, manufactures and markets innovative molecular diagnostic products and services to a worldwide community. Its mission is to maintain leadership in molecular diagnostics for infectious diseases, genetics, pharmacogenetics, and oncology, and chromosomal analyses using innovative proprietary technologies. For more information please visit www.seegene.com or call +301-762-9066.