Molecular biomarker development partnership

Qiagen Asia Pacific and WuXi AppTec (BVI) have announced a partnership to provide an integrated single solution for molecular biomarker development, validation and personalised healthcare targets to their respective client bases. Qiagen will provide a complete portfolio of instrumentation, training and consumables, and WuXi AppTec laboratory facilities and staff to execute the services. The laboratory will be located at WuXi AppTec’s campus in Shanghai and will begin operating immediately.

Under the terms of the partnership agreement, WuXi AppTec will also work with Qiagen to help develop biomarkers, assay panels, personalised healthcare diagnostics and other products that Qiagen intends to bring to market. WuXi AppTec will use Qiagen’s technologies for a broad range of applications in support of drug discovery and development on behalf of the company’s and Qiagen’s customers. Both companies are working closely to identify additional opportunities to expand their relationship.

"We are very pleased to have entered into this partnership with WuXi AppTec, a global leader in providing integrated research and development services to the pharmaceutical industry,” said Dr Victor Shi, President, Asia Pacific of Qiagen. “In doing so, we have created what we believe to be the first laboratory of its kind in Asia equipped with a standardised, fully integrated, automated sample and assay technology platform for drug discovery, development and molecular diagnostics in personalised healthcare and other areas. We believe that this partnership is a significant milestone in providing high-quality and complete automated solutions for the molecular biomarker testing industry."

"WuXi AppTec has long been interested in partnering with a premier international molecular biotechnology company like Qiagen to support the development of our biomarker business," said Dr Ge Li, Chairman and CEO of WuXi AppTec. "This partnership gives us access to innovative technologies and processes that will allow us to better serve our customers."