QIAGEN Launches New Products and Workflows to Aid Liquid Biopsy Analysis and Hereditary Disease Research

QIAGEN today announced the launch of the QIAseq® cfDNA All-in-One Kit, combining cell-free DNA extraction and library preparation in the first dedicated solution for liquid biopsy analysis on any next-generation sequencing (NGS) platform. The new kit integrates with QIAGEN’s recently launched PAXgene® Blood ccfDNA Tube for collection and stabilization of blood samples, as well as with the market’s first bioinformatics workflow for cfDNA also introduced today by QIAGEN, creating a streamlined testing solution that allows faster, more convenient and reliable analysis of cell-free DNA from sample collection to interpreted result.

Furthermore, QIAGEN unveiled an enhanced bioinformatics workflow for hereditary and rare diseases, offering unique capabilities for research using liquid biopsies in non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) as well as cancer biomarker discovery. QIAGEN is rolling out the solutions at the American Society of Human Genetics ASHG 2016 Annual Meeting in Vancouver.

“The new All-in-One Kit for extraction and library preparation delivers a powerful solution for researchers to maximize their discovery potential and accuracy of results from liquid biopsies, achieving breakthroughs in NGS detection of even the rarest variants. In tandem with new dedicated bioinformatics, our cfDNA kit is creating a true Sample to Insight experience for liquid biopsy analysis, efficiently delivering, accurate and meaningful results with any major sequencing platform,” said Brad Crutchfield, Senior Vice President of QIAGEN’s Life Sciences Business Area. “Also at ASHG 2016, QIAGEN Bioinformatics is introducing an enhanced analysis and interpretation workflow for identification of disease-causing variants in hereditary and rare diseases, useful in both NIPT and cancer research. NGS users are increasingly relying on QIAGEN’s growing portfolio of Sample to Insight solutions.”

The QIAseq cfDNA kit provides a complete solution, from plasma to NGS-ready libraries, to maximize cell-free DNA conversion and discovery potential for translational research using liquid biopsies. Building on proven QIAamp technology, the gold standard in cfDNA extraction, the All-in-One kit is the first kit to combine extraction and library preparation, making library prep more convenient, efficient and accurate for the demands of exome or whole genome sequencing.

QIAGEN also is unveiling its enhanced hereditary disease solution to provide a streamlined, easy-to-use analysis and interpretation workflow for NGS data from liquid biopsies. Use of small blood samples to detect disease-causing variants in circulating cfDNA offers advantages in neonatal testing or monitoring of cancer patients for translational research, but the NGS data can be difficult to analyze. QIAGEN’s bioinformatics solution enables labs to achieve more accurate detection and the highest sensitivity in identifying variants. Integrating Biomedical Genomics Workbench, Ingenuity Variant Analysis and other components, the solution addresses NGS bottlenecks and ensures that no pathogenic variant is missed.

QIAGEN will exhibit at booth #1234 during ASHG 2016, demonstrating the cfDNA Sample to Insight workflow, the enhanced hereditary disease solution and other tools. The company also will present an educational session, “Sample-to-Insight NGS Solutions: Multimodal Liquid Biopsy WGS, Trio and Family Analyses, and RNA-sequencing Analysis and Interpretation,” from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday October 20 in Room 13, Convention Centre East Building.