Seegene Inc. (KQ 096530), a South Korea-based biotechnology company that specialises in molecular diagnostics, announced on Monday the opening of its eighth global subsidiary, named 'Seegene Colombia SAS'.

The subsidiary is situated in Bogota, Colombia and started operations in mid-October. Although the main requirement is for more rapid and accessible COVID-19 testing throughout the region, the subsidiary is also supporting screening for other viruses such as human papillomaviruses.

Dr Jong-Yoon Chun, Seegene founder and CEO, said, 'Geographically, Colombia is located in a really pivotal position at the top of South America, which has struggled immensely with both COVID-19 cases and the emergence of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants. This makes testing and surveillance even more important from a public health perspective. We believe we're uniquely placed to address this need, delivering more rapid and accurate assays to Colombia and neighbouring countries.'