QIAGEN Launches Expanded Epitect Product Line Products Cover Entire Workflows in Epigenetics

QIAGEN has launched five new products this month to enhance the research critical to the study of epigenetics. The expansion of the company’s new EpiTect® product line addresses the needs of scientists’ entire workflow, from sample collection to result. The expanded portfolio includes the EpiTect Whole Bisulfitome Kit, the first kit for amplification of the entire bisulfite-converted genome (bisulfitome).

QIAGEN says that, with the Epitect product line, the company addresses the growing demand for standardized products for complete workflows in epigenetics, ranging from the already launched kit for bisulfite conversion to the kits now being launched for whole bisulfitome amplification and highly sensitive methylation assays. QIAGEN’s new EpiTect products are:

• EpiTect® Whole Bisulfitome Kit: A solution for amplification of the entire bisulfite-converted genome. The kit incorporates REPLI-g technology and is adapted to smaller DNA fragment size and modified nucleotide composition resulting from bisulfite conversion.

• EpiTect® MSP Kit:  Includes a genetically engineered DNA polymerase for end-point methylation-specific PCR (MSP), providing highly specific discrimination between methylated and unmethylated cytosine after bisulfite conversion.

• EpiTect® MethyLight PCR Kit: This is claimed to be the most sensitive kit on the market for quantitative analysis of methylated DNA using probe based real-time PCR. Using just one sample, this product enables the quantification and differentiation of even small variations in methylated and unmethylated DNA.

• EpiTect® MethyLight Assay: These probe-based real-time assays enable the standardized quantification and differentiation of methylated and unmethylated DNA for six selected genes related to cancer.

• EpiTect® Control DNA: The ready-to-use, bisulfite-converted DNA for reliable methylation-control experiments.

“With the greatly expanded EpiTect portfolio, our customers now have a set of standardized and convenient tools optimized for epigenetics. The Epitect product line enables them to perform reliable sample and assay processes — from bisulfite conversion to accurate DNA methylation analysis,” said Gerald Schock, Global Product Manager at QIAGEN. “The EpiTect products make epigenetic research easier and more reliable than ever before.”