Qiagen boosts QIAcuity digital PCR platform for disease monitoring and genetic research
Qiagen (Hilden, Germany) has significantly expanded their QIAcuity digital PCR platform with the addition of more than 100 new validated assays. The applications of these assays are vast, ranging from disease outbreak monitoring and cancer research to food safety assessments and environmental management.
Digital PCR (dPCR) improves upon the sensitivity, reproducibility and inhibitor tolerance of qPCR. In other words, it enables highly precise quantification of nucleic acids and even rare mutation detection from very limited samples.
With numerous advantages over alternative PCR methods and endless applications spanning forensics, genotyping, microarrays and disease diagnosis, it is no surprise that the dPCR market has blown up in recent years. This rising demand has been driven by technological advancements, increased adoption of genomic testing in personalized medicine and the expansion of both biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
Qiagen, a provider of sample and assay technologies, aims to help meet this demand using their QIAcuity dPCR platform. The platform breaks down samples into thousands of tiny partitions using nanoplates, allowing it to analyze the reactions in each partition at the same time. By integrating the steps of partitioning, imaging and thermocycling into a single, efficient process, QIAcuity significantly reduces processing time by over two thirds.
“This important expansion of the menu for QIAcuity digital PCR underscores how Qiagen is addressing the urgent needs of our customers for new solutions to help use this powerful technology in research and applied testing applications,” explained Nitin Stood, Senior Vice President and Head of the Life Sciences Business Area at Qiagen.
“QIAcuity is proving to be a valuable tool for a broad range of applications requiring accurate and sensitive detection of genetic targets, driving the development of new multiplexed assay capabilities. Our efforts won’t stop here as we look to further expand QIAcuity into clinical and biopharma applications as well as new areas of life sciences research.”
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In total, the company now boasts over 2300 validated assays, with these latest additions available through Qiagen’s GeneGlobe platform. The newly added dPCR assays target critical areas such as rare cancer-relevant mutations and copy number alterations, microbial DNA detection and antibiotic resistance genes linked to numerous infections and tropical diseases.
The launch supports the continued adoption of QIAcuity dPCR, which has already been placed in over 2000 companies, organizations and laboratories globally. The company also plans to extend QIAcuity into clinical applications, with an in-vitro diagnostic version scheduled for release in late 2024.
