Qiagen launches new project to advance next-generation sequencing

Qiagen has announced the launch of a new initiative that will see it enter the next-generation sequencing (NGS) field with new technologies that will expand the applications of the technology.

The advanced project will involve the creation of efficient and cost-effective sample-to-result NGS workflow solutions, combining various Qiagen innovations with a new benchtop sequencer developed by the Qiagen-owned Intelligent Bio-Systems.

These new workflows will incorporate bioinformatics solutions emerging from a collaboration with business software company SAP, with launch plans for a first product to emerge in early 2013.

Qiagen intends for its NGS technologies to transcend the traditional life science applications of NGS devices, allowing them to be used routinely in areas such as clinical research and molecular diagnostics.

Peer Schatz, chief executive officer of Qiagen, said: "The rapid advances in next-generation sequencing have enabled life science researchers to unlock many secrets about the molecular building blocks of life."

In May 2012, the company expanded its operational capabilities further through the acquisition of AmniSure.