JW Bioscience Obtains World's First Sepsis Diagnostic Technology Patent in China

Patentability Recognized in China Following the US and Japan Last Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] JW Bioscience, a subsidiary of JW Life Science, announced on the 11th that it has obtained a Chinese patent for the core technology of an early sepsis diagnostic kit using 'WRS (tryptophan-tRNA synthetase)', which is currently under development.

WRS is a biomarker confirmed in a 2016 paper published in the international journal Nature Microbiology to be secreted into the bloodstream faster and earlier than major inflammatory substances that cause cytokine storms. At that time, a joint research team led by Professor Kim Sung-hoon, Underwood Distinguished Professor at Yonsei University, and Professor Jin Mi-rim of Gachon University College of Medicine conducted the study. Furthermore, according to research led by Professor Jung Kyung-soo of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Sinchon Severance Hospital, WRS was found to be useful not only for early detection of sepsis but also for mortality prediction, outperforming existing sepsis and inflammation diagnostic biomarkers such as procalcitonin (PCT), C-reactive protein (CRP), and interleukin-6 (IL-6).

In particular, while existing sepsis diagnostic markers can only diagnose infections caused by bacteria, WRS is also activated by viruses and fungi. Because of this, JW Bioscience expects high diagnostic value for viral infections such as COVID-19, along with bacterial sepsis.

JW Bioscience acquired the core technology of WRS from the Medical Bio Convergence Research Group in 2016 and obtained a domestic patent in 2017. Subsequently, patent registration decisions were received in the United States and Japan last year. Currently, a patent application has also been filed in Europe.

Currently, JW Bioscience is preparing clinical trials for regulatory approval with Sinchon Severance Hospital and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for the development of the WRS diagnostic kit, and plans to apply for product approval by the end of this year.

According to the global market research firm Research And Markets, the global sepsis diagnostic market size is expected to grow from $429 million in 2019 to $700 million by 2025, at an average annual growth rate of 8.5%.

A JW Bioscience official stated, “By completing patent registration in China following the United States and Japan, we have been recognized for the competitiveness of sepsis diagnostic technology using WRS,” and added, “We will realize commercialization as soon as possible to strengthen our position in the global high value-added in vitro diagnostics market.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.