Business
Fulgent Genetics Announces Launch of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Test to Detect Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
Fulgent Genetics will partner with MedScan Laboratory to launch one of the market’s first COVID-19 tests based on comprehensive Next Generation Sequencing
About this update from Fulgent Genetics, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Fulgent Genetics will partner with MedScan Laboratory to launch one of the market’s first COVID-19 tests based on comprehensive Next Generation Sequencing technology\nTEMPLE CITY, Calif., March 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fulgent Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLGT) (“Fulgent Genetics” or the “company”), a provider of comprehensive genetic testing and Next Generation Sequencing (“NGS”) solutions, today announced the launch of a Next Generation Sequencing based test for the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). Fulgent’s NGS test will be one of the market’s first diagnostic tests for the COVID-19 virus developed based on NGS technology. Fulgent and MedScan will begin accepting specimens for testing this week from healthcare providers, clinics and reference labs.\n Built on advanced Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology, Fulgent’s COVID-19 test will be more comprehensive compared to Reverse Transcriptase-Polymerase Chain Reaction (“RT-PCR”) tests on the market. Fulgent’s test will sequence the entire viral genome, creating hundreds of targets versus just a few for RT-PCR tests. In addition, Fulgent’s test will not be limited by a shortage of reagents, which has proven to be a roadblock for large scale processing of RT-PCR based tests in the market currently. Fulgent estimates that its lab will have capacity to process thousands of samples per day. MedScan Laboratories is a CLIA certified lab that will collect samples on behalf of Fulgent and extract RNA for processing. Fulgent will sequence the viral genome, analyze samples and provide comprehensive reports back to healthcare providers. “The surge in cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. and around the world has created an urgent need for accurate diagnostic testing solutions for the viral disease,” said Dr. Harry Gao, Chief Scientific Officer at Fulgent Genetics. “We believe our NGS-based test for COVID-19 will arm healthcare providers with a better solution for accurately diagnosing cases of the disease. In addition, the virus mutation data we collect from this NGS based test could be extremely valuable to researchers in the future to predict the clinical outcome and potentially develop treatment options and vaccines for this virus.” Fulgent Genetics is uniquely well-positioned to develop and offer a Next Generation Sequencing based test for COVID-19 given the company’s presence on the ground...