Acumen Diagnostics, the 51%-owned subsidiary of Q&M Dental Group and 49%-owned by Aoxin Q&M Dental, says its proprietary, locally-manufactured polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test kits are able to detect Covid-19 positive cases with the Omicron variant.
The kits are named Acu-Corona 2.0 and Acu-Corona Duplex.
This is in addition to being able to detect Covid-19 cases infected with the Delta variant, says the group.
"The Acu-Corona 2.0 PCR test targets two COVID-19 genes - RdRp and E, while the Acu-Corona Duplex PCR test targets the E gene and S gene. The portion of the S gene targeted by the Acu-Corona Duplex PCR test does not contain any of the 32 mutations that occurred in the Omicron variant, hence it can detect the Omicron variant without any loss of sensitivity," says the group in a statement on Dec 3.
This proprietary technology used in PCR test kits and laboratory testing is developed and owned by Acumen Diagnostics.
“As the Covid-19 threat continues to evolve with the emergence of a potentially more transmissible variant, Omicron, highly-accurate and cost-effective Covid-19 testing becomes even more important to detect and help curb the spread of the virus,” says Dr Ong Siew Hua, executive director of Aoxin Q&M Dental and CEO and chief scientist of Acumen Diagnostics.
See also: BioNTech beats estimates as vaccine maker pursues more diseases
Ong adds that Acumen Diagnostics remain “well-positioned” to help Singapore tackle the new variant with its “effective and affordable PCR test kits… as well as our laboratory testing capabilities that can run 7000 tests daily”.
As at 9.02am, shares in Q&M Dental are trading 1.5 cents higher or 2.42% up at 63.5 cents, while shares in Aoxin are trading 1.5 cents higher or 6.25% up at 25.5 cents.
Photo: Acumen Diagnostics
