Achiko AG announced the development of a DNA aptamer-based dengue fever diagnostic test. The Company previously received emergency use approval in Indonesia for its proprietary, low-cost rapid Covid-19 diagnostic test AptameXTM integrated into a digital platform, Teman SehatTM ("Health Buddy"), and has recently secured initial purchase orders. AptameX is based on aptamer technology, a synthetic (artificial) DNA that tightly binds to the spike protein (S1) on the virus' surface, which is then targeted by the test. It is cost-effective and widely applicable to a vast range of healthcare and medical diagnostics. Achiko intends to offer an array of diagnostic tests based on single-stranded DNA aptamers and enable test kits to be produced with improved accuracy and offered at a low cost. Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection widespread throughout the tropics, particularly in the Americas, South East Asia and Western Pacific. There are four types of dengue, and while most conditions cause a mild flu-like illness, it can develop into severe dengue for which there is no treatment to date. According to WHO, dengue is endemic in over 100 countries and has slowly spread to new areas, including Europe, with an estimated 100-400 million infections worldwide each year. Of these, about 500,000 cases are life-threatening, with up to 25,000 deaths annually per the World Mosquito Program. As recently announced, Achiko expects to receive additional approval from Indonesia's Ministry of Health later this month for its optimised second-generation AptameX Covid-19 diagnostic test kit with a simpler supply chain and streamlined test kit. An OEM manufacturer in Taiwan is in the process of being secured and the Company is working on additional formats to AptameX beyond the colourimetric assay approach. The CE Mark registration for AptameX is underway, and the Company is working to have it completed in the next few months. Once received, the production model will be replicated in other countries, combining local suppliers for plastics and packaging and Taiwanese suppliers for reagent and UV-visible Spectrophotometers. Digital platform Teman Sehat will be integrated with telehealth platforms in other markets, allowing the Company to offer its range of diagnostic tests to new markets seamlessly.