Qiagen acquires biomarker for blood disorders

Qiagen has acquired an exclusive worldwide licence to the biomarker calreticulin (CALR), whose mutations are found in an estimated 15% of cases of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) - a group of blood disorders involving overproduction of blood cells.

Qiagen licensed the technology from CeMM Vienna, the Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, whose scientists led a team that discovered the presence of mutations of the CALR protein in MPNs. Qiagen now plans to develop a molecular diagnostic test for the mutations to offer each patient a clearer prognostic profile and to guide disease management, complementing the company’s kits for a key mutation of the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) gene.

MPNs are chronic diseases that can lead to several complications, including thrombosis and, in some cases, difficult-to-treat acute leukaemia. Qiagen already has an exclusive licence for the JAK2 V617F mutation, which is present in about 75% of patients with MPNs. According to an article published by the CeMM team in the New England Journal of Medicine, patients with CALR mutations suffer from a milder form of the disease than those with the JAK2 V617F mutation.

“Together, the JAK2 and CALR biomarkers give us the ability to deliver personalised insights regarding diagnosis, prognosis and disease management for patients with myeloprofilerative disorders,” said Peer M Schatz, CEO of Qiagen. “We are now looking forward to developing clinically proven tests for detection of CALR mutations on Rotor-Gene Q MDx, which is part of our industry-leading QIAsymphony family of automated platforms.”

“The development of a standardised test will enable physicians to provide improved patient care,” said Giulio Superti-Furga, scientific director of CeMM. “At the same time, our researchers will continue to advance the understanding of these diseases and to focus on developing novel treatment options.”

Qiagen plans to develop commercial kits for the detection of CALR mutations and seek regulatory approvals for those products. These diagnostics will join the growing portfolio of kits designed to run on the QIAsymphony automation platform. In addition, the licence includes potential use of the biomarker in next-generation sequencing applications.

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