QIAGEN (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced
a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to develop a novel test
for its QIAcuity digital PCR devices that will boost forensics by
improving the quantification of DNA in human samples.
The collaboration aims to develop a
first-of-its-kind digital PCR (dPCR) assay that can simultaneously
quantify in absolute terms nuclear and mitochondrial DNA
concentrations, male DNA, and include quality markers for
degradation and inhibition.
Forensic samples often contain very small
amounts of DNA, which can be further compromised by age or
environmental factors such as soil. Compared to traditional
quantitative PCR, dPCR offers a higher tolerance to inhibitors and
enables forensic specialists to detect and quantify even minimal
amounts of DNA with high accuracy. This capability significantly
improves the success rate of forensic analysis while saving time
and money.
Accurate DNA quantification in casework samples
is also crucial for informed workflow decisions in successful
next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis. By using the appropriate
amount of DNA in library preparation, sequencing errors or biases
are minimized. NGS is particularly important for analyzing
mitochondrial DNA in traces without nuclear DNA, such as shed
hairs, aged bones and teeth, or environmentally exposed samples.
This analysis plays a critical role in identifying human
remains.
CRADAs enable the sharing of resources and
expertise for collaborative research that advances the FBI mission.
“The FBI conducts research to develop new capabilities that advance
forensic science. This novel digital PCR assay could benefit the
FBI and other forensic laboratories. We are excited to collaborate
with QIAGEN to evaluate the potential of this capability in
forensic casework,” said Eric Pokorak, Assistant Director, FBI
Laboratory Division.
“QIAGEN is proud to be working with the FBI
Laboratory Division to create one of the first forensic assays able
to quantify mitochondrial DNA,” said Richard Price, Vice President
and head of the HID and Forensics business at QIAGEN. “Better DNA
quantification will allow the FBI’s scientists and the forensic
community to analyze a broader range of evidence more quickly,
accurately and reliably, even from challenging samples. This
advance in forensic science proves the relevance of dPCR in
enhancing the reliability and impact of forensic evidence in
convicting the guilty and exonerating the innocent.”
QIAGEN’s QIAcuity platform uses nanoplates to
disperse a sample over thousands of tiny partitions and then read
the reaction in each one simultaneously to quantify even the
faintest genetic traces. The dPCR technology used in QIAcuity
provides precise, binary results by counting the presence or
absence of DNA molecules, resulting in a low error rate and high
precision necessary for courtroom testimony.
The QIAcuity systems – available in one, four
and eight-plate versions – integrate partitioning, thermocycling,
and imaging into one workflow, cutting processing times to only two
hours from six. With multiplexing capabilities of up to
5-plex, the one-plate version can process up to 384 samples in
an eight-hour shift and the eight-plate version up to 1,248. At the
end of 2023, more than 2,000 cumulative instrument placements had
been made.
About the FBI’s Laboratory Division
The FBI conducts research and development
activities as a recognized federal laboratory. This CRADA will
support the FBI LD, a division within the Scientific and Technology
Branch, whose mission is to collect, analyze and share timely
scientific and technical information. The FBI LD’s primary
locations are the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA and FBI Redstone in
Huntsville, AL.
About QIAGEN’s forensics and human
identification portfolio
QIAGEN has a leading position in the human
identification and forensics market, having pioneered the
introduction of commercial DNA purification kits for forensic
casework samples in the late 1990s. Today, its comprehensive
portfolio includes solutions for processing sexual assault samples,
identifying missing persons, age estimation and tissue
identification, anthropology research and kinship testing.
QIAGEN is the only company to offer an
integrated range of forensic solutions using PCR, dPCR, and NGS
technologies, supporting law enforcement and forensic researchers
through every step in the human identification pipeline – from
sample collection to sample preparation to assay setup and
quantification to STR and NGS analysis.
Early 2023, QIAGEN further expanded its range of
downstream NGS-based forensic products with the acquisition of
Verogen, a leader in the use of NGS technologies, to further drive
the future of human identification and forensic investigation. In
addition to its sample collection and preparation solutions, QIAGEN
now provides sequencing and bioinformatics solutions as well as a
genealogy database, thus offering the most complete portfolio in
the human identification and forensics market.
Learn more:
https://www.qiagen.com/applications/human-identity-and-forensics
About QIAGEN
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding
company, is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight
solutions that enable customers to gain valuable molecular insights
from samples containing the building blocks of life. Our sample
technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from blood,
tissue and other materials. Assay technologies make these
biomolecules visible and ready for analysis. Bioinformatics
software and knowledge bases interpret data to report relevant,
actionable insights. Automation solutions tie these together in
seamless and cost-effective workflows. QIAGEN provides solutions to
more than 500,000 customers around the world in Molecular
Diagnostics (human healthcare) and Life Sciences (academia, pharma
R&D and industrial applications, primarily forensics). As of
March 31, 2024, QIAGEN employed more than 5,900 people in over
35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at
http://www.qiagen.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
Certain statements contained in this press
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, including those
products used in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, timing for
launch and development, marketing and/or regulatory approvals,
financial and operational outlook, growth and expansion,
collaborations, markets, strategy or operating results, including
without limitation its expected adjusted net sales and adjusted
diluted earnings results, 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 to
customers in academia, pharma, applied testing and 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 and the integration of acquired
technologies and businesses; actions of governments, global or
regional economic developments, weather or transportation delays,
natural disasters, political or public health crises, including the
breadth and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the
demand for our products and other aspects of our business, or other
force majeure events; as well as the possibility that expected
benefits related to recent or pending acquisitions may not
materialize as expected; and the other factors discussed under the
heading “Risk Factors” contained in Item 3 of our most recent
Annual Report on Form 20-F. 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.
Source: QIAGEN N.V.Category: Corporate
John Gilardi
QIAGEN N.V.
+49 2103 29 11711
ir@qiagen.com
Domenica Martorana
QIAGEN N.V.
+49 2103 29 11244
ir@qiagen.com
Thomas Theuringer
QIAGEN N.V.
+49 2103 29 11826
pr@qiagen.com
Daniela Berheide
QIAGEN N.V.
+49 2103 29 11676
pr@qiagen.com
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