Assay Panels Expanded for Next-Generation Sequencing

The expansion from 9 to about 20 validated gene panels will offer customers new opportunities for targeted clinical sequencing in a growing range of indications in cancer and other diseases.

Because sequencing of entire human genomes requires considerable resources and time, users of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology in clinical research and diagnostics often prefer to perform targeted sequencing of clinically relevant genes based on focused gene panels of interest. This expanding portfolio of products addresses the urgent needs of customers to efficiently generate relevant NGS data by providing fast turnaround time, low DNA input requirements, and quality control standards, all of which result in more cost-effective, accurate, and reproducible results from each sequencing run.

Qiagen (Hamburg, Germany), a global provider of sample & assay technologies that are used to transform biological materials into valuable molecular information, is significantly expanding its offering of assay panels for NGS, complemented by Ingenuity analysis and interpretation capabilities. Integration of Ingenuity Knowledge Base greatly enhances ease and depth of NGS data interpretation, seen as key bottleneck to NGS adoption in clinical research and diagnostics

Qiagen is leveraging its molecular content and assay portfolio to create new gene panels for targeted NGS analysis based on the GeneGlobe portfolio of more than 60,000 annotated molecular assays. Initial customer demand has been good for these products, which are designed to be used on any NGS platform. There is also a demand for integration into the sample-to-result NGS workflow that includes the Qiagen GeneReader platform targeted for placements to select customer groups in 2013.

Qiagen’s current offering includes eight focused and curated NGS gene panels for a range of cancers—breast, colon, liver, lung, ovarian, prostate, gastric, and blood—and each covering approximately 20 different genes of interest. Qiagen already offers a comprehensive cancer panel covering 124 different genes. The panels being launched will focus on various cancers as well as new disease areas, and QIAGEN intends to continuously expand this portfolio with new panel offerings.

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