QIAGEN and Agilent to co-market lab-on-a-chip solutions

QIAGEN N.V. and Agilent Technologies Inc. announced that they have signed an agreement to actively co-market the Agilent 2100 bioanalyzer and LabChip(r) kits with QIAGEN's consumables and instruments for the separation, purification and handling of nucleic acids and proteins. The combined solutions incorporating QIAGEN's and Agilent's products enable molecular biologists and biochemists to obtain highest quality results in the analysis of biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins and cells.

QIAGEN is the world-leading provider of DNA and RNA stabilization, separation and purification solutions and offers a comprehensive and growing portfolio of products and technologies for biochemical sample preparation and analysis. The Agilent 2100 bioanalyzer and LabChip kits, jointly developed with Caliper Technologies, have been established as the market-leading microfluidics-based system for analyzing RNA, DNA, proteins and cell fluorescence. The product line has experienced rapid growth, with more than 1,800 bioanalyzers sold. The LabChip kits measure both sample quality and quantity in a single step. The co-marketing activities between Agilent and QIAGEN will enable customers to take full advantage of the companies' leading product offerings for the preparation and analysis of nucleic acid, protein and cell samples.

As part of the non-exclusive agreement, the two companies will develop a series of scientific application notes that describe challenging or novel applications that can be more easily accomplished using the combination of Agilent and QIAGEN products. The first application note, "Using the Agilent 2100 bioanalyzer for analysis of His-tag removal from recombinant proteins" has already been published (publication number 5988-8144EN) and is available in Agilent's online library at agilent.com. Initial research application areas are expected to include biological sample preparation and multiplex PCR.

"QIAGEN and Agilent have very compatible and complementary product portfolios that synergistically support our customers' sample analysis workflow," said Chris Van Ingen, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Agilent's Life Science and Chemical Analysis business. "Agilent is committed to delivering workflow-based solutions to our life science customers. QIAGEN is a world leader in sample preparation and by combining Agilent's sample analysis technologies with QIAGEN's preparation products, we can provide a solution that enables customers to achieve better results faster and easier."

"Quality results begin with having quality samples," said Metin Colpan, CEO of QIAGEN. "We have heard repeatedly from customers that the combination of QIAGEN's and Agilent's products is a powerful asset in their research. The Agilent 2100 bioanalyzer has substantial advantages over alternative sample analysis techniques, such as gel electrophoresis and fluorescence microscopy, and combined with the high quality of QIAGEN's preparative solutions, it provides a very convenient and easy-to-use method for obtaining the highest quality results. This is a new and unique alliance in which we are very pleased to offer customers a seamless interface into QIAGEN's products and technologies as part of a complete preparation and analysis solution."

Quelle: Agilent Technologies