SCHLIEREN, Switzerland, February 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
The Volpi Group, a 60-year-old optical electronics firm based in Schlieren, Switzerland, today announced that it is collaborating with QIAGEN Instruments AG on the manufacture of the automated fluorescence imaging module used in QIAGEN's GeneReader™ next-generation sequencing (NGS) instrument. The benchtop GeneReader combines with other QIAGEN NGS products to provide the first seamless, fully automated Sample to Insight workflow.
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(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160208/330466 )
Volpi optimized the GeneReader's automated imaging module at its precision engineering site in Zurich, Switzerland. The module for the QIAGEN instrument is manufactured at Volpi's production facility in Auburn, N.Y., U.S.A. Volpi specializes in the engineering and manufacture of optoelectronic modules for diagnostic, life science and other applications. These modules combine electronics with the detection and measurement of light, like the fluorescent light emitted by the GeneReader system when a biological marker is present in a patient sample.
"Our partnership with QIAGEN Instruments AG contributed to the successful launch of QIAGEN's GeneReader NGS System and helped to pave the way for its ongoing adoption in the clinical research market," said Max Kunz, CEO of Volpi. "Our partnership is the perfect example of a highly productive collaboration between a world-leading life science and diagnostics company and a specialized OEM provider."
"Throughout the industrialization phase in Switzerland and the transfer of the module design to manufacturing in our U.S. facility, experts from both companies worked tirelessly and seamlessly to achieve the highest levels of performance, precision and quality for the GeneReader instrument," said Dr. Harald Kraushaar, Executive Vice President sales and marketing at Volpi. "These experts included not only those well-versed in optoelectronics, but also experts in product development, biophysics, biochemistry and software development."
"Volpi worked closely with us through all stages of pre-commercial industrialization of our GeneReader™ instrument," said Konstantin Lutze, Vice President, R&D instrumentation at QIAGEN. "Volpi's experts provided extensive know-how on optics, tester-development, fluorescence standards and software. They adapted their solutions to our unique needs and continuously delivered the best quality with high attention to the urgency of the project. QIAGEN's collaboration with Volpi was highly important to the successful launch of the GeneReader™ NGS System."
The GeneReader™ NGS System provides the first complete Sample to Insight Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) solution designed for any laboratory to deliver actionable results. It offers the world's first truly end-to-end NGS workflow from primary sample to final report that provides a simpler, more cost-effective way for clinical testing to take advantage of the NGS technology and improve outcomes.
One of the first applications for GeneReader is the Actionable Insights Tumor Panel, the first of a family of panels powered by QIAGEN Clinical Insight (QCI), the company's clinical decision support solution for labs. The novel tumor gene panel targets 12 clinically actionable genes that are often analyzed in most of the prevalent types of cancer, including breast, ovarian, colorectal, lung and skin.
About Volpi
Volpi, based in Zurich, Switzerland, and Auburn, NY, USA, develops and manufactures optoelectronic, bio-photonic OEM system solutions for innovative companies in the life science tools, in vitro diagnostics and medical technology markets. Designed for comprehensive performance and manufactured lean, light enabled systems by Volpi combine leading edge systems engineering covering light emission, transmission and detection as well as signal pre-processing. Certified against ISO 9001 and 13485, Volpi provides economic supply stability since 1953.
About QIAGEN
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight solutions to transform biological materials into valuable molecular insights. QIAGEN sample technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from blood, tissue and other materials. Assay technologies make these biomolecules visible and ready for analysis. Bioinformatics software and knowledge bases interpret data to report relevant, actionable insights. Automation solutions tie these together in seamless and cost-effective molecular testing workflows. QIAGEN provides these workflows to more than 500,000 customers around the world in Molecular Diagnostics (human healthcare), Applied Testing (forensics, veterinary testing and food safety), Pharma (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies) and Academia (life sciences research). As of September 30, 2015, QIAGEN employed approximately 4,500 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at http://www.qiagen.com.
Press contact (QIAGEN):
Dr. Thomas Theuringer
Director Public Relations
Email: Thomas.Theuringer@qiagen.com
Press contact (Volpi):
Dr. Harald Kraushaar
Executive Vice President, Head of Sales & Marketing
Email: kraushaar@volpi.ch
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