QIAGEN Significantly Expands its Portfolio of Licenses to real-time
PCR
Two New Licenses Added to Technology Portfolio targeting Molecular
Diagnostics
VENLO, The Netherlands, February 12, 2007 - QIAGEN N.V. (Nasdaq:
QGEN, Frankfurt, Prime Standard: QIA), the worldwide leading provider
of sample and assay technologies for research in life sciences,
applied testing and molecular diagnostics today announced that it has
acquired licenses from Roche, as well as from Ortho Clinical
Diagnostics. These two license agreements significantly expand
QIAGEN's rights to real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for use
in In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD). Financial terms were not disclosed.
The two separate and independent agreements provide QIAGEN with
access to a major portfolio of additional patent and marketing
rights, which were not covered by the original licensing agreements
with Roche. Through these agreements QIAGEN is broadening its
technology portfolio to assay technologies and diagnostic tests using
almost any basic PCR patent and real-time PCR patent rights related
to reagents and methods for practicing PCR and real-time PCR for IVD.
Through the license extension agreement with Roche QIAGEN is now
licensed under all real- time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) patents
and pending patent applications owned or controlled by Roche
Diagnostics, a division of F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel,
Switzerland. The agreement with Roche includes, but is not limited
to, additional enzyme patent rights further PCR improvement patent
rights and pathogen specific patent rights.
In addition, QIAGEN obtained a license from Ortho Clinical
Diagnostics to patents related to a taq-polymerase antibody mediated
method used to initiate PCR. This is often referred to as a
"Hot-Start" technology because it accelerates the activation of PCR
enzymes and thereby accelerates the start of the PCR process. The
license gives QIAGEN rights in the fields of in research, applied
testing and IVD.
"Real-time PCR is the most widely accepted technology for the
quantitative amplification and detection of nucleic acids and has
become a strong standard in life sciences, applied testing and
molecular diagnostics." said Achim Ribbe, QIAGEN's Executive Director
Corporate Business Development. "The acquisition of these new patent
licensing rights, together with our own PCR related intellectual
property rights, creates for QIAGEN what is probably the broadest
license portfolio for the basic patent rights related to reagents and
methods for practicing PCR and real-time PCR and related products.
These additional licenses bring to QIAGEN valuable assets which
expand QIAGEN's technology leadership in sample and assay
technologies for the life sciences, applied testing and molecular
diagnostics."
About PCR:
The polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, is today considered one of the
most widely used technologies in molecular biology. Invented by Kary
Mullis in 1983, he received a Nobel Prize for his discoveries in
1993. Today, PCR is the most frequently used technique in many areas
of basic and applied research in molecular biology, biochemistry, and
medicine, and is used in many applications, including detection and
quantification of DNA and RNA targets in research, applied testing
and molecular diagnostics.
PCR is a method for amplification of specific nucleic acid sequences
from a complex mixture of nucleic acids. The DNA in a sample is
separated into single strands through heating, and each strand acts
as a template for enzymatic extension of the missing complementary
strand. The beginning and end of the amplified segment are defined
through the addition of short, highly specific DNA molecules, known
as primers. This replication cycle is repeated many times, leading to
exponential amplification of individual segments of DNA.
In real-time PCR, a specific sequence of DNA is amplified and
quantified. The amplified sequence binds to a fluorescence which is
measured. This allows calculation of the original amount of the
sequence. Real-time PCR takes place in a real-time thermal cycler,
which provides the appropriate temperatures for the different steps
of each amplification cycle and also measures fluorescence.
About QIAGEN:
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company is the leading provider of
innovative sample and assay technologies and products. QIAGEN's
products are considered standards in areas such pre-analytical sample
preparation and assay solutions in research for life sciences,
applied testing and molecular diagnostics. QIAGEN has developed a
comprehensive portfolio of more than 500 proprietary, consumable
products and automated solutions for sample collection, nucleic acid
and protein handling, separation, and purification and open and
target specific assays. The company's products are sold to academic
research markets, to leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies, to applied testing customers (such as in forensics,
veterinary, biodefense and industrial applications) as well as to
molecular diagnostics laboratories. QIAGEN employs more than 1,900
people worldwide. QIAGEN products are sold through a dedicated sales
force and a global network of distributors in more than 40 countries.
In this press release QIAGEN is using the term molecular diagnostics.
The use of this term is in reference to certain countries, such as
the United States, limited to products subject to regulatory
requirements. Current QIAGEN molecular diagnostics products are 34 EU
CE IVD assays, three EU CE IVD sample preparation products, one 510k
PAX RNA product, nine China SFDA IVD assays and 98 general purpose
reagents. Further information about QIAGEN can be found at
www.qiagen.com.
Certain of the statements contained in this news release may be
considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section
27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E
of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. To the
extent that any of the statements contained herein relating to
QIAGEN's products, markets, strategy or operating results are
forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations
that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such uncertainties
and risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with
management of growth and international operations (including the
effects of currency fluctuations and risks of dependency on
logistics), variability of operating results, the commercial
development of the applied testing markets, clinical research markets
and proteomics markets, nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics
market, and genetic vaccination and gene therapy markets,
competition, rapid or unexpected changes in technologies,
fluctuations in demand for QIAGEN's, products (including fluctuations
due to the level and timing of customers' funding, budgets, and other
factors), our ability to obtain regulatory approval of our infectious
disease panels, difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN's
products to integrated solutions and producing such products, the
ability of QIAGEN to identify and develop new products and to
differentiate its products from competitors' products, market
acceptance of QIAGEN's new products and the integration of acquired
technologies and businesses. For further information, refer to the
discussions in reports that QIAGEN has filed with, or furnished to,
the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
###
Contacts:
Dr. Solveigh Mähler
Director Investor Relations
QIAGEN N.V.
+49 2103 29 11710
e-mail: solveigh.maehler@QIAGEN.com
Dr. Thomas Theuringer
Manager Public Relations
QIAGEN GmbH
+49 2103 29 11826
e-mail: thomas.theuringer@QIAGEN.com
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