Singapore: Korean company Seegene, a leading developer of multiplex molecular technologies and multiplex molecular diagnostic tests, has entered into a licensing agreement with Dupont Nutrition & Health. This agreement marks the extension of Seegene's core molecular technologies into the multi-billion dollar food safety testing market.

Specific terms of the licensing agreement have not been disclosed. However, the agreement covers the utilization of Seegene's novel DPO and TOCE technologies in highly multiplexed real-time PCR assays for the Dupont BAX System.

"Our agreement with DuPont opens a significant new market opportunity for our portfolio of multiplex molecular technologies," said Dr Jong-Yoon Chun, founder, CTO and CEO of Seegene. "Leveraging our multiplex molecular technologies, food safety testing can change the current approach of 'one test, one pathogen', to a 'one test, many pathogens' testing paradigm. This can significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of food safety testing, and help reduce the prevalence of food-borne illness."

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food-borne illnesses each year in the US alone affect 48 million people.