QIAGEN Unveils Liquid Biopsy Workflows & Panels, Widens Suite

QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE:QGEN) recently announced the launch of solution bundles for all QIAseq and QIAact DNA panels for next-generation sequencing (NGS) at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2019 Annual Meeting. The company also introduced novel liquid biopsy workflows for cancer research intended to allow non-invasive extraction and purification of ribonucleic acid (RNA).

The novel liquid biopsy workflows introduced are exoRNeasy Midi and Maxi Kits for isolation of exosomes and other extracellular vesicles from urine and other samples, along with the miRNeasy 96 Advanced QIAcube HT Kit for automated purification of total RNA, including miRNA, from serum and plasma samples.

Notably, QIAseq and QIAact DNA panels allow secondary analysis and tertiary interpretation of complex genomic data by integrating CLC Genomics Workbench and QIAGEN Clinical Insight-Interpret software. Thus, these panels, including QIAGEN’s bioinformatics solutions, will assist users in streamlining NGS analysis and interpretation.

Market Prospects

Per a BCC Research report, the global liquid biopsy market should reach $6.1 billion by 2023 seeing a CAGR of 20.8% between 2018 and 2023. Given the data, the latest development seems to be a timely one.

Progress With Test Menu Expansion

QIAGEN is progressing well with its testing menu expansion strategy. The company is currently establishing its European footprint for the QIAstat-Dx system, which is gaining recognition as the next-generation solution for providing accurate insights into complex disease syndromes such as respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions. It is also working on new placements for the QIAsymphony automation platform and is set to achieve more than 2,500 cumulative placements in 2019.

Within NGS, the company has set a goal of about $190 million in sales in 2019, fueled by recognition for differentiated universal NGS solutions, which can be used on any sequencer, as well as growth in placements revenues for GeneReader NGS System. This apart, the partnership with NeuMoDx announced in September added two new fully integrated testing platforms.

Share Price Performance

Over the past year, QIAGEN’s share price has outperformed its industry. The stock gained 24.6% against the industry’s 14.6% decline.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

QIAGEN currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

A few better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Penumbra, Inc. (NYSE:PEN) , Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMED) and Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ:HOLX) .

Penumbra’s long-term earnings growth rate is expected at 20.9%. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Amedisys’ long-term earnings growth rate is projected at 19.8%. The stock carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Hologic’s long-term earnings growth rate is projected at 8.9%. The stock also carries a Zacks Rank of 2.

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