Qiagen launches new liquid biopsy workflow for GeneReader NGS System

Qiagen has announced the launch of a new cancer-focused liquid biopsy workflow for its GeneReader NGS (next-generation sequencing) System.

The Actionable Insights Tumour Panel represents the industry's first complete sample-to-insight NGS solution designed for both non-invasive liquid biopsies and FFPE tissue samples.

Optimised for NGS analysis of blood plasma using Qiagen's proven automated sample technologies for circulating cell-free DNA, the panel enables both tumour characterisation and monitoring of cancer resistance markers, as a complement to initial tissue biopsies.

This is the latest addition to the company's growing range of GeneRead QIAact Panels developed for the GeneReader NGS System, which launched in late 2015.

Kai te Kaat, vice-president of Qiagen's oncology franchise, said: "The liquid biopsy workflow, which detects hundreds of critical variants in 12 clinically actionable cancer genes, is the second QIAact panel application in our expanding menu of molecular content for the GeneReader NGS System."

The firm is also developing additional QIAact panels to run on the GeneReader NGS System, including a lung cancer panel expected in the second half of 2016, plus a breast cancer panel.