Protea Diagnoses 176 Types of Allergies at Once with PLA Technology

Achieving World-Leading Multiplex Diagnostics with PLA Patents

Securing In-House Allergens, Expanding to Veterinary Care, and Lock-in Strategy

Expanding to 100 Countries... "KRW 100 Billion in Sales by 2030"

"With a single test, it is possible to simultaneously diagnose 176 types of allergy-causing substances (allergens)."

Lim Gukjin, CEO of Protea, emphasized the company's proprietary technology while introducing the 'Protea Allergy-Q 192D', its flagship multiplex allergy diagnostic kit. He made these remarks at a press conference hosted by Happy Success at the Protea headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on March 19.

He stated, "German products can only diagnose about 30 items at a time, so multiple tests are needed. In contrast, our product can analyze the world's largest number of items in a single test." The 'Protea Allergy-Q 192D' is Protea's representative allergy diagnostic kit, capable of testing 176 types and up to 192 lines. Since its launch in July last year, it has been expanding its market share in Korea. For overseas markets, Protea has diversified its lineup with 64, 96, and 128-line products, implementing sales strategies tailored to local needs.

Lim Gukjin, CEO of Protea, is explaining the allergy diagnostic kit at a press conference hosted by Happy Success held on the 19th at the Protea headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. Photo by Choi Hokyung

Expansion of Diagnostic Portfolio Based on PLA Method... Lock-in Effect as Well

The core of the technology behind these diagnostic kits is the company's proprietary and globally patented PLA (Parallel Line Array) method. The PLA method is a type of MAST (Multiple Allergen Simultaneous Test) system. The MAST method is a test that simultaneously identifies various allergy triggers through IgE (Immunoglobulin E) reactions in the blood. Multiple allergens are arrayed on a thin strip and reacted with blood drawn from a patient. The intensity of color development is then used to determine the presence of allergies, graded from 0 to 6.

In vitro allergy multiplex diagnostic kit for humans 'Protia Allergy-Q 192D'. Protia

The PLA method deploys two rows of strip arrays instead of one, allowing more allergens to be densely arranged on the same surface area. This enables the simultaneous diagnosis of numerous items with a small amount of blood. It is particularly advantageous for diagnosing infants, young children, or pets, where blood collection is challenging. This core technology is considered a key competitive advantage that is difficult for competitors to imitate. Compared to conventional methods, it delivers greater efficiency and convenience. Lim remarked, "If you compare the price per measurable item, our product is about half the cost of German products." In addition, Protea invests about 20% of its total sales into research and development (R&D) to secure allergens in-house, enhancing its cost competitiveness.

Beyond human allergy diagnostics, Protea is expanding its portfolio to include veterinary allergy, autoimmune, and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) kits. Notably, the company launched Korea’s first multiplex allergy diagnostic kit for pets. The veterinary diagnostic market is considered highly profitable, as it is not covered by medical insurance. The AST kit is also noteworthy for reducing the time from diagnosis to physician prescription from three days to within 24 hours.

Antibiotic Susceptibility Diagnostic Equipment Q-AST 192 Pro. Protea

Protea's lock-in strategy, which vertically integrates proprietary diagnostic devices with its test kits, is also a key driver of the company's growth. Its devices, including the manual Q-Smart, semi-automatic Q-Processor, and fully automatic Q-Station, all utilize Protea's proprietary algorithm-based software and are designed to be compatible exclusively with Protea’s entire diagnostic portfolio, including human and veterinary allergy, food intolerance, and autoimmune tests. Lim stated, "Once you start using our products, you’ll use them for at least five years." Once the devices are installed, sales of diagnostic kits follow automatically, creating a stable revenue structure.

KRW 100 billion in sales by 2030..."A company where employees and shareholders are all happy"

Protea is also accelerating its push into the global market. Executive Director Son Sunjin noted, "The domestic market alone is only at the breakeven point (BEP), whereas overseas sales have nearly doubled every year." He added, "This year, our goal is to expand into 100 countries and achieve an operating margin in the 30% range." Next year, the company aims to generate enough profit to pay dividends to its shareholders and, like Alteogen—a bio company that reached the No. 1 market cap on KOSDAQ—raise its stock price in the future. Lim declared, "Our sales goal for 2030 is KRW 100 billion," and added, "We will grow into the world’s top technology company, where both employees and shareholders are happy and proud."

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