QIAGEN Partners with Pathway Diagnostics to Address Biomarker Development Needs in Pharma

Qiagen has announced that it has agreed to a new marketing partnership with Pathway Diagnostics and has entered into a research agreement with Sequenom.

The partnership can allow customers in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries to leverage QIAGEN's sample and assay technology platforms in combination with Pathway Diagnostics' clinical development and testing service capabilities.

According to Pathway and Qiagen, the companies will offer customers a solution of Qiagen's assays and Pathway's clinical development and testing services and will use its sales force to develop project opportunities for themselves to address jointly.

QIAGEN and Pathway Diagnostics expect to establish the clinical utility of new biomarkers through comprehensive assay development, sample-to-result qualification and clinical validation of genetic, pharmacogenomic, metabolomic and toxicogenomic biomarkers.

Separately, Qiagen said that it has agreed to work with Sequenom to develop a preanalytical solution to enrich nucleic acids for prenatal diagnostics.

Sequenom will retain commercial rights to any tests the companies develop under the partnership.

According to Qiagen, the goal for the Sequenom partnership is to develop reliable reagents for the enrichment of small nucleic acid fragments, such as those found in maternal plasma, for analysis of cancer and other disorders.

“We are very pleased to enter into this partnership with Pathway Diagnostics and believe that this offers a novel and unique value proposition for our customers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries," said Peer Schatz, QIAGEN's Chief Executive Officer.