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QIAGEN has announced the expansion of its next-generation sequencing (NGS) portfolio with the launch of QIAseq Targeted DNA Pro Panels and the QIAseq UPXome RNA Library Kit, both of which set new standards in preparing samples for determining their nucleic acid sequences.

QIAseq Targeted DNA Pro Panels are based on an improved chemistry that halves to six hours the time researchers need for library preparation of DNA samples. They also ensure improved ease of use, efficiency and expanded, ultra-sensitive variant analysis using integrated unique molecular indices (UMIs). The panels are powerful tools for detecting genetic variations – like somatic mutations, single nucleotide polymorphisms, copy number variations – and can be bought off the shelf or custom made.

“QIAseq Targeted DNA Pro chemistry is a game-changer for library prep in targeted DNA sequencing,” said Thomas Schweins, Senior Vice President and Head of QIAGEN’s Life Sciences Business Area. “By eliminating time-consuming bead-purification steps, its ultrafast, optimized workflow cuts hands-on time by 50% and pipetting steps by 60%. The detection of genomic variants is vastly accelerated and refined.”

Researchers can detect single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), insertion deletions (indels) and structural variants with breakpoints at the nucleotide level and spanning multiple exons. Libraries created using QIAseq Targeted DNA Pro can be multiplexed with other chemistries in the same sequencing run on any sequencer. QIAseq Targeted DNA Pro Analysis and QIAGEN CLC Genomics software simplify data analysis. 

“The new panels are attractive for cancer research labs with short turnaround times,“ said Dr. Barnaby Clark, Laboratory Lead for Precision Medicine at Kings College Hospital in London. “Instead of bead cleanups, the library prep is enzymatically treated, so the number of starting molecules in a sample stays the same and the complexity of the library is better. This is crucial in areas like minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring or non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) where you have few starting template molecules.”

The new QIAseq UPXome RNA Library Kit, specifically designed for ultralow-input samples, supports labs interested in 3’ RNA sequencing as well as complete transcriptome RNA sequencing. The kit uses QIAseq FastSelect ribosomal RNA (rRNA) removal technology to improve RNA-seq sensitivity and maximize insights from minimal sample amounts. rRNA removal is completed in just 14 minutes rather than 2–3 hours, significantly reducing overall library prep workflow time. Enhanced flexibility enables individual researchers and genomics core facilities to customize workflows according to sample number, read budgets and sequencing platforms. They can easily expand applications and increase throughput so that up to 18,432 samples can be ultraplexed on a single flow cell, reducing disposable plastics use by up to 90%. To simplify data analysis, QIAseq UPXome RNA Library Kits include complimentary access to QIAGEN’s GeneGlobe RNA-seq Analysis Portal for supported species.

The QIAseq Targeted DNA Pro Panels and the QIAseq UPXome RNA Library Kit add to QIAGEN’s growing portfolio of QIAseq NGS solutions that have been used to process more than four million NGS samples up to date. From DNA and RNA sequencing to multimodal sequencing and epigenomics, QIAGEN’s comprehensive range of QIAseq NGS technologies run on any sequencer and quickly deliver reliable data for multiple applications. Optimized for even the most challenging samples, QIAseq solutions enable advances in fields such as biomarker research, gene expression studies, viral epidemiology and disease surveillance, including SARS-CoV-2 variant detection.

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About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight solutions that enable customers to gain valuable molecular insights from samples containing the building blocks of life. Our sample technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from blood, tissue and other materials. Assay technologies make these biomolecules visible and ready for analysis. Bioinformatics software and knowledge bases interpret data to report relevant, actionable insights. Automation solutions tie these together in seamless and cost-effective workflows. QIAGEN provides solutions to more than 500,000 customers around the world in Molecular Diagnostics (human healthcare) and Life Sciences (academia, pharma R&D and industrial applications, primarily forensics). As of June 30, 2022, QIAGEN employed more than 6,100 people in over 35 locations worldwide.

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