About QIAGEN

It all starts with the sample. Genetic material must be extracted from a biological sample and specifically processed before scientists from academia and industry can actually work with it. QIAGEN has made the handling of nucleic acids routine. The company is the world’s leading provider of innovative technologies, products, and automated solutions for the isolation and handling of DNA, RNA, and proteins — the elements of life.

Beyond extraction of genetic information from any type of biological sample, QIAGEN’s technologies also allow targeted detection of hereditary material. QIAGEN is one of the world’s leading providers of molecular diagnostic solutions for human and veterinary disease detection. In addition, QIAGEN testing technologies enable detection of pathogens and determination of a person’s lineage or the origin of traces of biological material found at a crime scene. QIAGEN offers more molecular diagnostic reagents and testing solutions than any other company. This panel includes the digene HPV Test, which is regarded as the “gold standard” in testing for high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause of cervical cancer.

The company employs more than 3,300 people in over 30 locations. Around the world, QIAGEN helps customers from diagnostic laboratories, academic research institutions, pharmaceutical and biotech companies achieve outstanding success and breakthroughs. The company’s technological leadership and specific know-how drive the markets for preanalytical and testing solutions. When it comes to accessing and analyzing content from biological samples for breakthroughs in biomedical research, drug development and molecular testing, more than 400,000 customers worldwide trust QIAGEN products. QIAGEN makes improvements in life possible.

QIAGEN Asia is the company’s fastest growing division, consistently posting industry-leading growth rates over the last 5 years. The regional headquarters are located in Shanghai in Zhangjiang High-Tech Park – the biotechnology hub of China. The company began its strategic expansion into the region in 2005 and currently maintains 10 Asian offices throughout China, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and India with more than 450 employees.

With its innovative sample and assay technologies, QIAGEN has responded to global pandemics and rapidly emerging health risks. QIAGEN was the first company to introduce a test for SARS and H5N1 influenza (avian flu); today, more than 80 avian flu surveillance institutes worldwide use QIAGEN procedures and reagents. Building upon its work in infectious disease testing, QIAGEN responded quickly to this year’s H1N1 pandemic and is now one of the largest providers of testing products for the H1N1 influenza virus.

At this year’s World Economic Forum “Summer Davos” meeting in Dalian, China, QIAGEN announced the global launch of its novel H1N1 test kit. The test allows for the specific detection of A/H1N1 and other Influenza A and B virus strains and complements the company’s existing products for the surveillance of the H1N1 pandemic. This portfolio includes an assay that can detect multiple pathogens in one single run. It also includes individual sample preparation reagents, enzymes and instrumentation used in testing protocols recommended by the WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additionally, the WHO’s test protocol for the evaluation of A/H1N1 variations – which includes Tamiflu-resistant strains – is based upon QIAGEN’s “Pyrosequencing” technology.