GeneCker, a biotechnology corporation, announced on the 19th that it will publicly present its core technology "MUTE-Seq" in a verbal presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual conference in Chicago this April.
The AACR is considered one of the world's top three conferences alongside the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). More than 20,000 researchers attend each year. Opportunities for researchers and corporations to present verbally at these conferences are limited, fewer than poster presentations. Thus, being selected as a verbal presenter is evaluated as recognition of technology and research achievements on an international level. Additionally, this can attract more attention in the global cancer research and diagnostics market.
Through this presentation, GeneCker plans to showcase the excellence of MUTE-Seq technology to global researchers and actively promote technology adoption and collaboration in the global market.
MUTE-Seq, developed independently by GeneCker, is a technology that uses an ultra-precise CRISPR gene-editing tool "FnCas9-AF2" to detect circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) with high sensitivity.
This technology distinguishes single nucleotide variations more accurately than existing CRISPR technologies and has the characteristic of significantly reducing off-target effects. Off-target refers to the phenomenon of cutting DNA at unwanted locations that are similar to the desired DNA sequence.
Heo Jun-seok, co-founder and co-CEO of GeneCker, a professor of neurosurgery at Korea University Anam Hospital and head of the Genomics R&D Center, noted, "MUTE-Seq technology allows sensitive analysis of minute amounts of mutant cancer genes that are difficult to detect using existing methods."
GeneCker has successfully applied MUTE-Seq technology for monitoring minimal residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. It has also demonstrated excellent performance in analyzing cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in the blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and pancreatic cancer. This showed more than 20 times the sensitivity compared to existing methods, meaning it detects and analyzes much more accurately.
The company explained that it can reduce the testing expense to one-tenth of that of existing cancer testing methods and also allows for early diagnosis and monitoring of treatment progress. Currently, many hospitals in South Korea, including the health examination center at Korea University Anam Hospital, have adopted services that incorporate this technology for cancer cell detection.
The company stated, "Several hospitals in South Korea are reviewing the adoption of this testing service, and we have already entered the Chinese market," adding that "discussions are actively ongoing for entry into the U.S. and European markets."
Professor Heo Jun-seok said, "MUTE-Seq technology will play an important role in establishing personalized treatment strategies for early diagnosis of various cancers and monitoring treatment outcomes," and added, "I expect that the verbal presentation at AACR 2025 will lead to new changes for GeneCker's innovative technology in the global cancer research and diagnostics market."