Trickle holding QGENF makes a deal with privately held Zymark:
>>QIAGEN and Zymark Announce Strategic Alliance
Combination of Automation Components Addresses Fully Automated, Integrated and Ultra High-Throughput Environments
VENLO, Netherlands and HOPKINTON, Mass., April 4 /PRNewswire/ -- QIAGEN, N.V. (Nasdaq: QGENF; Neuer Markt: QIA; Easdaq: QGEN) and Zymark Corporation today announced that they have entered into a strategic alliance addressing the use of ultra high-throughput sample and liquid handling automation. The alliance will focus on uses of such instrumentation for nucleic acid handling and purification as well as for QIAGEN's proprietary protein expression and purification technology.
QIAGEN develops and markets liquid handling platforms, which automate the Company's market and technology leading nucleic acid handling, separation and purification consumables. Zymark has created leading solutions for the integration of such systems into fully integrated solutions for ultra high-throughput applications.
The companies intend to develop and launch systems which will combine QIAGEN's BioRobot(TM) automated instrumentation platforms with Zymark's RapidPlate(TM) 96-well and 384-well pipetting solutions and Zymark's Staccato(TM) and Twister(TM) systems to address the rapidly expanding need for ultra high-throughput nucleic acid handling, separation and purification solutions in the genomics markets.
Under the terms of the agreement, Zymark will supply its ultra high-throughput automation technologies to QIAGEN, and QIAGEN will market to its customers the Zymark technologies in combination with QIAGEN's broad portfolio of market and technology-leading nucleic acid purification consumable and instrumentation technologies via QIAGEN's extensive marketing organization.
QIAGEN and Zymark also intend to enter into research and development programs to expand the uses of the combination of each company's instrumentation components with QIAGEN' nucleic acid handling, separation and purification consumable technologies.
``This alliance significantly increases the reach of our leading automation solutions in the field of ultra high-throughput nucleic acid purification with a leading, and what we believe to be, exceptionally powerful technology platform,'' said Dr. Metin Colpan, Chief Executive Officer of QIAGEN. ``The alliance with Zymark expands the reach of our nucleic acid handling, separation and purification technologies into the highest throughput environments in genomics by leveraging Zymark's components and integration solutions. We are pleased to make this expansion in partnership with Zymark, a leader in the field of laboratory automation and integration technologies. We believe that our customers in drug development and genomics will find great benefits in this seamless integration of QIAGEN's BioRobot products and Zymark's automation technologies with a broad portfolio of QIAGEN consumables. The integrated, complete solutions address the needs in the rapidly growing, ultra high-throughput market segment by significantly increasing the throughput and cost-effectiveness for the handling, extraction and purification of samples for fully integrated, ultra high-throughput genetic analysis applications as increasingly required in genomics.''
``QIAGEN is a recognized world leader for providing innovative technologies and products for the separation, purification and handling of nucleic acids. We are pleased that QIAGEN has chosen to integrate its highly optimized liquid handling solutions into Zymark's liquid handling environments and leverage our robotic technologies for the rapidly growing area of ultra high-throughput applications,'' stated Zymark Corporation President and CEO, Kevin Hrusovsky. ``QIAGEN and Zymark's collaboration to integrate chemistries and automation represents a significant opportunity to further advance the throughput of nucleic acid purification, and ensures that QIAGEN's customer base will realize maximum benefit from the utilization of these powerful technologies.''<<
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Cheers, Tuck |
