South Korea's biotechnology firm Seegene Inc. has announced the launch of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant diagnostic test capable of screening newly emerging virus variants including the Delta and the Delta Plus that have become the dominant version of the virus circulating around the world.

Seegene announced on June 30 that it has received the CE-IVD mark for its 'Allplex™ SARS-CoV-2 Variants II Assay,' a new lineup of the company's variant detection kits capable of detecting the key genetic mutations of SARS-CoV-2 variants such as L452R, W152C, K417T and K417N.

In a single reaction, the variants diagnostic kit identifies a total of six COVID-19 variants that are known to be originated from India such as Delta, Delta Plus, and Kappa, and Gamma(Brazil), Beta(South Africa), and Epsilon(California).

While the number of daily new infections is growing exponentially, the launch of the new assay is expected to play an essential role in monitoring the spread of the Delta and Delta Plus variants that have been largely blamed for the bulk of new infections.

Seegene also said that it has successfully developed a research-use-only diagnostic tests, 'Allplex™ SARS-CoV-2/P681R Assay,' to precisely target the Delta and Delta Plus variants. According to the company, the conjunction use of the two assays will allow researchers to accurately distinguish the Delta and Delta Plus variants from other genetic mutations.

"An increased transmissibility, short incubation period, and a potential reduction in vaccine efficacy are the characteristics of the Delta and Delta Plus variants," said Min-cheol Lee, Seegene's Chief Technology Officer.