QIAGEN Advances Leadership in Pre-Analytical Solutions for Next-generation Sequencing (NGS) With Launch of 14 New Cancer Gene Panels

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Jul 15, 2014, 04:00 ET

GERMANTOWN, Maryland and HILDEN, Germany, July 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

QIAGEN introduces 14 new panels for targeted enrichment of up to 570 clinically-relevant genes, expands largest portfolio of panels for assessing cancer genes
GeneRead DNAseq V2 gene panels integrate with QIAGEN bioinformatics, allowing customization of assays and streamlined data analysis and interpretation for fast generation of valuable insights
Launches support QIAGEN's strategy to deliver significant NGS workflow improvements in speed and cost through high-quality 'universal' solutions compatible with any sequencer

QIAGEN N.V. (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced the launch of 14 new GeneRead^TM DNAseq V2 gene panels targeting an extensive range of cancer-related genes or gene regions. Gene panels are an integral part of many next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflows. They are used to enrich genes of interest in a sample prior to sequencing runs and as such can be seen as the core assay in the workflow. QIAGEN's new GeneRead panels are customizable to include other genes or gene regions of clinical or biological interest and are compatible with any NGS sequencer. They are part of QIAGEN's industry-leading sample-to-library workflows, which are helping to drive the growing use of NGS in clinical applications.

"By delivering high-quality solutions for sample processing, assay design and data analysis and interpretation, QIAGEN is addressing the key bottlenecks of current sequencing workflows, making NGS technology more effective, robust and scalable. We today offer the largest collection of gene panels in the market and are rapidly expanding our portfolio of high-utility solutions that help labs create fast and integrated workflows," said Peer M. Schatz, Chief Executive Officer of QIAGEN. "The new GeneRead panels incorporate sophisticated algorithms to enable analysis of many gene variants and customization for specific objectives. We continue to deliver on QIAGEN's growth driver of providing universal solutions for NGS workflows by addressing our customers' urgent needs for fast turnaround times, low DNA input requirements, and quality control to ensure accurate, reproducible results."

The 14 new GeneRead DNAseq V2 panels cover an extensive range of cancer-related genes and gene regions, including "focused" panels each targeting 8-25 genes, "disease-specific" panels for 40-50 genes, and "comprehensive" panels for as many as 160 genes. The content of the panels has been developed based on the latest recommendations from relevant medical and scientific literature. The gene panels are integrated with QIAGEN's industry-leading bioinformatics software, Ingenuity^® Variant Analysis^TM, an extensive, curated database of gene variants and clinical data that enables interpretation of NGS results and delivers valuable insights from sequencing data. Laboratories also can customize GeneRead panels for specific disease pathways or research needs by tapping into QIAGEN's deep molecular content portfolio through GeneGlobe, an online portal covering more than 60,000 annotated molecular assays.

QIAGEN has been collaborating with selected customers in the development of the new gene panels to validate product performance in a wide range of applications, including translational research and clinical applications. Dr. Gregory J. Tsongalis, Professor and Director of Molecular Pathology at the Department of Pathology at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, one of the early users of QIAGEN's GeneRead V2 panels, commented: "For focused analysis of relevant genes or gene regions in our targeted oncology studies, we found that the pre-validated GeneRead gene panels are robust and have very streamlined workflows. These gene panels are capable of generating sequencing data from the most difficult of tissue samples. The cloud-based bioinformatics resources are very helpful in the interpretation of the data."

QIAGEN's GeneRead technology provides the most cost-effective, time-efficient approach for target enrichment in preparation for NGS runs on any sequencer. Unlike other approaches for sequencers, GeneRead panels use as little as 10 nanograms of starting DNA material per pool. They are compatible with FFPE samples and do not require any specialized instruments. The proprietary algorithms and chemistry provide industry leading coverage (>96% of coding regions), specificity (>90% of reads on target) and uniformity (>90% of bases are covered by at least 20% of the mean coverage depth) for the targeted DNA sequencing. In addition to their quality advantages, QIAGEN gene panels require only three hours to enrich for targets and provide for a substantially reduced time to go from isolated DNA sample to sequencing-ready libraries.

QIAGEN provides a full range of sample technologies, assay panels and library preparation products which today generate substantial revenue and solve important NGS needs in clinical and clinical research applications in particular. QIAGEN also is developing the benchtop GeneReader^TM NGS platform for the same applications. Combined with QIAGEN's existing NGS portfolio, GeneReader is designed to provide a seamless automated workflow from biological sample, through DNA preparation, enrichment, library preparation, sequencing, data analysis and interpretation, to deliver valuable insights into diseases.

About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample & Assay Technologies that are used to transform biological materials into valuable molecular information. Sample technologies are used to isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from biological samples such as blood or tissue. Assay technologies are then used to make these isolated biomolecules visible and ready for interpretation. QIAGEN markets more than 500 products around the world, selling both consumable kits and automation systems to customers through four customer classes: Molecular Diagnostics (human healthcare), Applied Testing (forensics, veterinary testing and food safety), Pharma (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies) and Academia (life sciences research). As of March 31, 2014, QIAGEN employed approximately 4,000 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at http://www.qiagen.com.

Certain of the statements contained in this news release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. To the extent that any of the statements contained herein relating to QIAGEN's products, markets, strategy or operating results, including without limitation its expected operating results, new product developments, new product launches, regulatory submissions, and financing plans are forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with management of growth and international operations (including the effects of currency fluctuations, regulatory processes and dependence on logistics), variability of operating results and allocations between customer classes, the commercial development of markets for our products in applied testing, personalized healthcare, clinical research, proteomics, women's health/HPV testing and nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics; changing relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners; competition; rapid or unexpected changes in technologies; fluctuations in demand for QIAGEN's products (including fluctuations due to general economic conditions, the level and timing of customers' funding, budgets and other factors); our ability to obtain regulatory approval of our products; difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN's products to integrated solutions and producing such products; the ability of QIAGEN to identify and develop new products and to differentiate and protect our products from competitors' products; market acceptance of QIAGEN's new products, the consummation of acquisitions, and the integration of acquired technologies and businesses. For further information, please refer to the discussions in reports that QIAGEN has filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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