- Strategic alliance aims to foster collaboration with researchers working in various disease fields by using best-in-class PCR diagnostic technology

- Companies will facilitate C-level cooperation, strengthening the partnership for the SG OneSystem™ business (Seegene's technology-sharing business)

SEOUL, South Korea, May 16, 2024 -- Seegene Inc. (KQ096530), a leading South Korean company providing a total solution for PCR molecular diagnostics, announced on May 16^th the signing of a strategic alliance agreement with Springer Nature, the publisher of the prestigious scientific journal, Nature.

Sharing common values in Springer Nature's aim to advance discovery and Seegene working towards realizing a world free of diseases provides the basis for a natural alliance.

The new alliance will see the two companies use their joint expertise and knowledge to support researchers across the global scientific community to speed up PCR diagnostic testing of important but various disease areas. 

PCR molecular diagnostics companies develop only a few diagnostic products annually. By leveraging the Springer Nature network, the two companies will provide funding and technology to global scientists and experts in various fields, significantly broadening the range and potential of diagnostic products. This initiative, spearheaded by senior management at both companies, builds upon the success of the Open Innovation Program that was launched by the two companies in 2023 whose goal was to develop innovative diagnostic products with participation of the scientific community.

Both companies will expand their collaboration using the OneSystem™ business by identifying and promoting potential partners as well as co-hosting annual symposiums starting with a joint declaration this year. 

"We are thrilled to deepen our strategic relationship with Springer Nature, an authoritative leader in the global scientific community," said Dr. Jong-Yoon Chun, CEO and Founder of Seegene. "Together, we will work to advance the success of the SG OneSystem^TM business and to realize 'a world free of diseases'."

"Springer Nature applauds Seegene's effort to democratize early diagnosis of multiple diseases to enable timely treatment," said Frank Vrancken Peeters, CEO of Springer Nature. "This noble goal can only be achieved through collaborations. As a trusted partner to the research community, Springer Nature will help to build a global network of experts who, using Seegene's technology, can accelerate the development of new tests for a wide range of conditions."

Seegene and Springer Nature received significant interest from the global scientific community for the inaugural Open Innovation Program launched in 2023. The program, comprising 15 projects, received a total of 281 applications from 47 countries, resulting in a competitive ratio of 11 to 1 for the selection of 26 applicants. Recognizing the potential of technology sharing, the two companies aim to expedite the commercialization of expertise and knowledge across various fields. This year marks the second iteration of the program, which will depart from the 2023 model of predefined product development. Instead, the 2024 program will adopt a more open format, allowing applicants to propose for any product development.

"We have high expectations for the Open Innovation Program to contribute to the democratization of PCR molecular diagnostics," said Marc Spenlé, COO of Springer Nature. "Together with Seegene, we will create an ecosystem that encourages and accelerates the development of new tests to address currently unmet needs."

About Seegene

Seegene has 23 years of dedicated R&D, manufacturing, and business experience around syndromic quantitative PCR technologies, which was highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic when it provided over 340 million COVID-19 tests to more than 100 countries worldwide. The core feature of Seegene's unique syndromic PCR technologies is the ability to simultaneously test 14 pathogens that cause similar symptoms in a single tube and provide quantitative information on the infectivity profile to correlate with the severity of illness.

About Springer Nature

For over 180 years Springer Nature has been advancing discovery by providing the best possible service to the whole research community. We help researchers uncover new ideas, make sure all the research we publish is significant, robust and stands up to objective scrutiny, that it reaches all relevant audiences in the best possible format, and can be discovered, accessed, used, re-used and shared. We support librarians and institutions with innovations in technology and data; and provide quality publishing support to societies.

As a research publisher, Springer Nature is home to trusted brands including Springer, Nature Portfolio, BMC, Palgrave Macmillan and Scientific American.

For more information, please visit springernature.com and @SpringerNature.

FURTHER INFORMATION

SG OneSystem^TM

SG OneSystem^TM business is Seegene's global strategy to share its PCR molecular diagnostics technology and know-how, accumulated over more than 20 years, with leading companies worldwide to create a global consortium that would expand the development pipeline of PCR products. Furthermore, Seegene seeks to harness the collective expertise and knowledge of the global scientific community to advance innovation in the diagnostic field. Through these combined efforts, the commercialization of expertise and knowledge, as well as the development of diagnostic products tailored to meet the needs of the local market, SG OneSystem^TM aims to democratize early access to PCR testing and ultimately contribute to realizing 'a world free of diseases'.

In January 2024, Seegene entered a strategic collaboration with Microsoft to bolster its Seegene Digitalized Development System (SGDDS) using Microsoft's technology including plans for utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in the future. Seegene's collaboration with Microsoft and Springer Nature will advance the SG OneSystem^TM business. These three companies are planning for a declaration event to kick off the collaborative partnerships this year.

Open Innovation Program (OIP)

Open Innovation Program (OIP) is a global PCR reagent development project co-hosted by Seegene and Springer Nature. The inaugural program launched in 2023 September called for application to scientist and experts across the community to conduct research for the 15 designated projects to develop Seegene's syndromic qPCR diagnostics assay reagents.

The open innovation program is part of Seegene's technology-sharing business, SG OneSystem^TM business aimed at realizing 'a world free from all diseases' with the goal of developing products that consolidate knowledge and expertise of science and experts worldwide.

Seegene Digitalized Development System (SGDDS)

Seegene Digitalized Development System (SGDDS) is a system that enables standardized and automated development of diagnostic kits. It is embedded with Seegene's technologies and product expertise and provides support for researchers to easily develop syndromic PCR products, even to those with limited development experience.

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