QIAGEN strengthens its portfolio for cancer research, showcasing latest product launches at AACR Annual Meeting 2024

Novel QIAcuity dPCR PanCancer Kits can detect rare mutations of EGFR and BRAF genes at the same time, while saving sample material, reducing time and cost // New QIAseq Targeted RNA-seq Panel for T-cell Receptor allows targeted next-generation sequencing of T-cell receptors, increasing accuracy and sensitivity PAXgene Urine Liquid Biopsy Set to enable non-invasive sample collection and cell-free DNA stabilization, thereby allowing researchers to make advances in urine liquid biopsy

Venlo, the Netherlands, April 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced a series of new products to further enhance cancer research as well as to enable urine collection and stabilization as a new approach for liquid biopsy.

These three new products, along with the IVD version of QIAGEN’s digital PCR platform QIAcuity set for launch in mid-2024, are to be featured at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in San Diego, California, from April 5-10. Two Exhibitor Spotlight Theater sessions and several poster presentations will highlight additional advances from QIAGEN in this field.

“We are excited to share our latest innovation in digital PCR, NGS, and non-invasive sample collection and DNA stabilization with the research community that will help them gain valuable insights into cancer. Our new QIAcuity PanCancer kits will enhance the understanding of EGFR- and BRAF-driven cancers while our QIAcuity IVD system, ready for launch this summer, will translate cancer research into  clinical applications and precision diagnostics,” said Nitin Sood, Senior Vice President and Head of QIAGEN’s Life Sciences Business Area. “And with our new solutions for urine liquid biopsy and targeted RNA-sequencing, researchers receive new efficient tools that potentially enable them to better detect minimal residual disease, monitor treatment response, and identify new therapeutic targets.

The new products involve the following: 

• The newly launched QIAcuity dPCR PanCancer Kits will allow researchers using QIAGEN’s QIAcuity dPCR system to detect multiple EGFR and BRAF hallmark mutations at the same time and with high sensitivity. EGFR and BRAF are genes essential for normal cell growth and function, but mutations in these genes can result in cancer development. The assays clearly discriminate between wild-type and mutant sequences, enhancing specificity and reducing false positives. Researchers can use the kits for pre-screening samples before, for example, analyzing them with NGS, or monitoring cancer cells. Simultaneously assessing the mutations, they reduce time and cost and save on sample material. The technology has the potential to be adapted to identify other genes associated with cancer risks. 

“I am testing the novel PanCancer Assays on the QIAcuity instrument using FFPE tissue samples and liquid biopsies to concurrently detect multiple hallmark mutations in BRAF and EGFR – and initial findings have convinced me that this product has the potential to accelerate prognostic and predictive biomarker analysis, early mutation detection and screenings,” said Vijayalakshmi Ramshankar, Professor and Head of the Department of Preventive Oncology Research, Cancer Institute (WIA), Chennai, India.