Qiagen expands partnership

Qiagen has entered into an agreement with the Dutch molecular diagnostic component supplier Genome Diagnostics, which covers the development and commercialisation of six new tests until 2011.

The company believes that this collaboration will further expand its testing portfolio for the early detection of diseases and individualised treatment of patients - thereby strengthening the molecular diagnostics offering for applications in prevention and personalised healthcare.

The molecular tests to be developed by Genome Diagnostics target the detection of genetic variations in the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) complex. These assays represent the next generation of tests and are based on the company’s proprietary ‘pyrosequencing’ and other sequencing technologies.

In contrast to other detection methods, pyrosequencing enables accurate analysis of HLA sequences, thereby allowing for direct detection of previously unknown polymorphisms.

Main application areas for the new tests will include prevention and personalised healthcare. These are areas where HLA testing is considered to be increasingly important. Among others, the new product portfolio will include tests for the biomarker HLA DQA1 gene, which is associated with a higher risk for adverse reactions to lumiracoxib, a painkiller marketed by Novartis under the trade name Prexige for treatment of the bone disease Osteoporosis.

Other biomarkers targeted by the new tests include the identification of alleles (DNA sequences of a particular gene) within the groups HLA-B*27 and HLA-B*57. The analysis of these genetic variations in the HLA complex allows for the early identification of patients who are at risk of developing disorders such as Morbus Bechterew and other inflammatory diseases, and is thus considered to be an important part in preventing these disorders. It has also been shown that certain alleles within the groups of HLA-B*27 and HLA-B*57 can give information on the development and progress of infectious diseases such as AIDS.

“We are excited to further strengthen our collaboration with Qiagen,” said Wietse Mulder, Managing Director of Genome Diagnostics. “This allows us to expand our unique expertise in sequencing-based HLA typing into the field of companion diagnostics, leading to new innovative IVD assays for the field of preventive and personalised healthcare.”