A newly-developed DNA detection kit specific to tuberculosis /acid-fast bacillus reduces time to the result to half

Kaneka Corporation (Osaka, Japan; President: Mamoru Kadokura) has jointly developed a DNA detection kit specific to acid-fast bacillus*1 (AFB) including tuberculosis with Kyokuto Pharmaceutical Industries Co., Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; President: Hiroshi Kikuchi, hereinafter referred to as Kyokuto Pharmaceutical Industries). Kyokuto Pharmaceutical Industries already submitted the pharmaceutical application to “Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency” (PMDA) in July and the kits will be available on the Japanese market in 2018.

This testing kit incorporates the Kaneka DNA chromatography chip*2 that can detect multiple genes easily and quickly. The product detects genes from low bacteria cell densities cultured in a liquid culture medium and amplify them to show the result on the chromatography chip, allowing easy and quick AFB identification testing with less than a half of time compared with the current method*3.

The market related to molecular diagnosis of infectious diseases such as TB is assumed to have been 380 billion YEN in 2016 and expected to expand to approximately 600 billion YEN in 2021 due to spread of DNA testing and detection kits like this*4. We will strive to expand our business by making use of our advantageous simple and quick DNA detecting technology and increasing a line-up of pathogen testing and detection kits including infectious diseases.

1. A generic name of a bacterial group that belongs to Mycobacterium classified under Gram-positive rods and can survive in an acidic environment. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is well known, in particular.
2. A test paper that visually detects specific DNA derived from bacteria and viruses.
3. In the conventional method, the AFB identification test including TB requires bacteria in the specimen to be cultured in a solid culture medium from 4 to 8 weeks and thus takes one month for the result.
4.  Infectious Disease Molecular Diagnostics Market (Hepatitis, HIV/CT/NG/HPV and Other Tests): Kalorama information (2017)