QIAGEN strengthens its portfolio for cancer research, showcasing latest product launches at AACR Annual Meeting 2024 - Seite 2

• To advance research on how the immune system interacts with cancer, QIAGEN has introduced the QIAseq Targeted RNA-seq Panel for T-cell receptors. T-cell receptors play a crucial role in the adaptive immune system, which is responsible for recognizing and eliminating abnormal cells, such as cancer cells. The panel uses unique molecular indices (UMI) with QIAseq Enrichment Technology to facilitate ultrasensitive and accurate characterization of the immune repertoire in human and mouse from low input and FFPE samples. It enables targeted NGS detection of the human or mouse expressed T cell receptors (TCR): TCR-alpha, TCR-beta, TCR-gamma and TCR-delta. This library prep kit will accelerate research into several areas with high accuracy and sensitivity, among them how the T-cell receptor repertoire in cancer can be used as a biomarker and how the repertoire of tumor-infiltrating T-cells can improve the understanding of tumor behavior. 

• The PAXgene Urine Liquid Biopsy Set currently being developed by PreAnalytiX, a QIAGEN and BD joint venture, will launch later this year. It will provide an easy-to-use, non-invasive sampling approach to liquid biopsy and address current preanalytical workflow gaps for cell-free DNA in urine (ucfDNA). By introducing preservatives into urine samples, it will prevent the rapid, post-collection degradation of ucfDNA and minimize the release of potentially misleading genomic DNA, both of which can make ucfDNA analysis unreliable or even impossible. Urine liquid biopsy research holds significant potential for applications such as detecting minimal residual disease, monitoring treatment response and identifying therapeutic targets, complementing the results of blood plasma analysis and offering a more comprehensive understanding of the tumor. 

Professor Ellen Heitzer of the Diagnostic and Research Institute of Human Genetics at the Medical University of Graz in Austria will present the results of her study with the PAXgene technology in an Exhibitor Spotlight Theater session: “Cell-free DNA isolated from urine offers a truly non-invasive sampling method for liquid biopsy, but ucfDNA requires careful sample handling. The urine collection and stabilization solution enables optimized standardized workflows. This makes several downstream analyses feasible with ucfDNA and can provide important complementary information.”