QIAGEN Adds Promising New Biomarker to Pipeline of Personalized Healthcare Assays to Improve Diagnosis of Blood Disorders

Hilden, Germany And Vienna (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Reliable diagnostic tools under development for mutations of calreticulin
(CALR) are expected to benefit patients with blood disorders known as
myeloproliferative neoplasms
- QIAGEN acquired exclusive worldwide license for CALR biomarker from CeMM
Vienna, whose researchers recently published the discovery in the New England Journal
of Medicine
- Addition of CALR biomarker expands market-leading position in Personalized
Healthcare in blood disorders, which includes JAK2, BCR-ABL and other assays

QIAGEN N.V. today announced it has acquired an exclusive
worldwide license to the biomarker calreticulin (CALR), whose
recently discovered mutations are found in an estimated 15% of cases
of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), a group of blood disorders.
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 plans to develop a molecular
diagnostic test for the CALR mutations to offer each patient a
clearer prognostic profile and to guide disease management.
Development of a CALR diagnostic test is expected to be highly
complementary to QIAGEN's kits for a key mutation of the Janus kinase
2 (JAK2) gene.

Myeloproliferative neoplasms, a group of blood disorders involving
overproduction of blood cells, are chronic diseases that can lead to
several complications including thrombosis (blood clots) and in some
cases difficult-to-treat acute leukemia. QIAGEN already has an
exclusive license for the JAK2 V617F mutation, which is present in
about 75% of patients with MPNs. According to an article published in
the New England Journal of Medicine in December 2013 by the CeMM team
led by Robert Kralovics, patients with CALR mutations suffer from a
milder form of the disease than those with the JAK2V617F mutation,
including a lower risk of thrombosis and a higher survival rate.

"This novel biomarker offers an exciting opportunity to broaden
QIAGEN's market-leading position in developing molecular diagnostics
for the whole range of blood disorders. Together, the JAK2 and CALR
biomarkers give us the ability to deliver personalized insights
regarding diagnosis, prognosis and disease management for patients
with myeloprofilerative disorders," said Peer M. Schatz, Chief
Executive Officer 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. CALR and JAK2 could also be promising
targets for companion diagnostics as future drug candidates for these
blood disorders may be linked to these biomarkers."

Giulio Superti-Furga, Scientific Director of CeMM, said: "We
estimate that up to 3 million people worldwide suffer from
myeloproliferative neoplasms, and discovery of the CALR mutation by
our CeMM and Medical University of Vienna research teams is a very
important finding for the benefit of these patients. We are pleased
to license the CALR biomarker to QIAGEN. The development of a
standardized test will enable physicians to provide improved patient
care. At the same time, our researchers will continue to advance the
understanding of these diseases and to focus on developing novel
treatment options. CeMM is constantly investing in basic research
aimed at obtaining new insights in potential diagnostics and
therapeutics."

With the technologies licensed from CeMM, 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 license from CeMM includes
potential use of the biomarker in next-generation sequencing
applications.

About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company, is the leading global
provider of Sample & Assay Technologies that are used to transform
biological materials into valuable molecular information. Sample
technologies are used to isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins
from biological samples such as blood or tissue. Assay technologies
are then used to make these isolated biomolecules visible and ready
for interpretation. QIAGEN markets more than 500 products around the
world, selling both consumable kits and automation systems to
customers through four customer classes: Molecular Diagnostics (human
healthcare), Applied Testing (forensics, veterinary testing and food
safety), Pharma (pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies) and
Academia (life sciences research). As of December 31, 2013, QIAGEN
employed approximately 4,000 people in more than 35 locations
worldwide. Further information can be found at http://www.QIAGEN.com.

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Contacts:

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Director Public Relations
+49-2103-29-11826
+1-240-686-7425

Email: pr@qiagen.com

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+1-240-686-2222

Email: ir@qiagen.com
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