QIAGEN Confirms Effectiveness of Its SARS-CoV-2 PCR Tests in the Face of Mutations of the Coronavirus
January 20 2021 - 4:05PM
Business Wire
- QIAstat-Dx and NeuMoDx tests continue to detect all known viral
variants extremely effectively
- QIAGEN started cross-checking variants in May 2020 and
continues to conduct biweekly assessments
- QIAseq SARS-CoV-2 Primer Panel helps with sequencing RNA and
identifying mutations
QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today
announced its polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests remain accurate
and effective in detecting SARS-CoV-2 infections – and will
continue to closely monitor their performance as global concerns
mount regarding the detection of new viral variants by established
testing methods.
QIAGEN has successfully assessed its SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests
against genetic mutations of the virus uploaded to the GISAID and
GenBank public databases since May 2020. A latest round of
assessments conducted in January 2021 again confirmed that no
recorded mutations affected the sensitivity of QIAGEN assays for
detection of SARS-CoV-2. Surveillance of genetic variations will
continue on a biweekly basis.
“We are pleased to report the known viral variants have had no
impact on the effectiveness of our three SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests – PCR
remains the gold standard for detecting RNA viruses like
SARS-CoV-2,” said Davide Manissero, M.D., Chief Medical Officer -
Infection and Immune Diagnostics at QIAGEN. “Further genomic
sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 samples worldwide will vastly increase
transparency and help us identify and respond to potentially
dangerous mutations of the virus, while at the same time broadening
the database we can use to verify if vaccines and tests continue to
be effective.”
Variants with potentially increased transmissibility include VUI
202012/01 (first detected in the United Kingdom), 501Y.V2
(identified in South Africa), and B.1.1.28 P1 (most recently
discovered in Brazil). As a virus encoded by RNA nucleotides,
SARS-CoV-2 frequently mutates due to erroneous or ineffective
replication of the virus genome. These mutations can sometimes
produce viruses with altered properties or even entirely new
strains.
Please find the full press release here
Additional Information regarding QIAGEN’s efforts against
SARS-CoV-2 can be found here
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210120005691/en/
QIAGEN Investor Relations John Gilardi +49 2103 29
11711 Phoebe Loh +49 2103 29 11457 e-mail: ir@QIAGEN.com Public
Relations Thomas Theuringer +49 2103 29 11826 Robert Reitze +49
2103 29 11676 e-mail: pr@QIAGEN.com
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