Optolane

About Optolane

Optolane is a South Korean company founded in 2012 that develops and manufactures in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) platforms based on semiconductor technology. The company's core technology integrates complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensors with optical and thermal control systems to create compact, rapid, and high-sensitivity diagnostic devices. This technology is applied to its main product line of digital real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) systems, which combine the features of both real-time PCR and digital PCR, allowing for simultaneous real-time amplification tracking and absolute quantification of nucleic acids.

The company's product portfolio includes the 'LOAA' analyzer and associated cartridges, which are designed for professional use in medical institutions and research laboratories. These systems are used for a variety of applications, including liquid biopsy for cancer diagnosis, infectious disease detection, gene expression analysis, and copy number variation. For example, the 'Genotizer' product, a Real-Time digital PCR (RT-dPCR) platform, can detect a single cancer cell among 100 million to 1 billion cells, significantly improving diagnostic accuracy for early cancer detection and treatment monitoring. Optolane also produces multiplex real-time PCR systems like the 'Genoplexor,' capable of diagnosing up to 16 targets simultaneously with a turnaround time of about 30 minutes to an hour.

The business operates in the diagnostic equipment market, providing what it terms "sample-to-answer" solutions. Its offerings are notable for their reduced size and weight, a direct result of embedding key functions onto a semiconductor chip. In 2020, the company developed a digital real-time PCR kit for COVID-19 diagnosis, leveraging its chip-embedded technology for faster results. The CEO, Lee Do-young, previously founded the fabless image sensor manufacturer Siliconfile, which was later acquired by SK hynix. The company has raised at least $74 million in funding from investors including UTC Investment, Wonik Investment Partners, and Solidus Investment.