QIAGEN Increases QIAcuity Digital PCR High-Order Multiplexing Capabilities to Gain Deeper Insights From Biological Samples

• QIAcuity digital PCR now offers ability for simultaneous detection of up to 12 targets from one biological sample, a more than two-fold increase from prior capability for up to five targets
• No instrument hardware changes required for upgraded capability thanks to new QIAcuity Software 3.1 update and launch of QIAcuity High Multiplex Probe PCR Kit
• New QIAcuity digital PCR capabilities helps make lab work more productive and cost-efficient through savings on time, reagents consumption and use of precious sample materials.

10 January 2025 -- Venlo, Netherlands -- QIAGEN today announced a significant increase in the powerful capabilities of its QIAcuity Digital PCR (dPCR) system with a more than two-fold increase in the number of targets that can be simultaneously analyzed from a single biological sample.

The new capabilities overcome the assay design challenges of currently available quantitative multiplex PCR methods, making QIAcuity digital PCR ideal for applications such as translational research, microbiome analysis, pathogen detection and the development of cell and gene therapies.

Through a software upgrade and the launch of the new QIAcuity High Multiplex Probe PCR Kit, customers can now analyze up to 12 targets simultaneously compared to the earlier version offering up to five targets, using their existing instruments without any hardware changes.

This upgrade provides QIAcuity customers with a powerful technology that amplifies and detects multiple targets within a single reaction. By combining multiple PCR assays, researchers can now maximize sample use while simultaneously reducing time and reagent consumption that accelerates the process to obtain deep biological insights.
“Analyzing more targets simultaneously from a single biological sample is an important step in making QIAcuity even more the top choice for groundbreaking dPCR applications,” said Nitin Sood, Senior Vice President and Head of the Life Sciences Business Area at QIAGEN. “We are exploring ways to further increase the capabilities of QIAcuity to help researchers gain a deeper biological understanding of any sample type in a cost-efficient way without tedious optimization or fear of inaccurate quantification.”

The adoption of QIAcuity digital PCR research instrument is strong, with more than 2,700 cumulative placements at the end of 2024 and citations in over 550 publications. Key customers include pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic and research organizations and forensic laboratories. In the fall of 2024, QIAGEN expanded its dPCR portfolio into clinical testing with the launch of QIAcuityDx, which is designed to address clinical customer segments and applications and to further strengthen the QIAcuity family.

The QIAcuity High Multiplex Probe PCR Kit contains a ready-to-use master mix optimized for microfluidic use in the QIAcuity Nanoplates and lets users conveniently perform high-order multiplexing on existing QIAcuity instruments. The kit enhances the specificity and efficiency of probe-based digital PCR to provide accurate singleplex, or up to 12-plex analysis.

As a prerequisite to use the QIAcuity High Multiplex Probe PCR Kit, the QIAcuity Software 3.1 introduces essential features for high-order multiplexing such as crosstalk compensation which corrects signal overlap between targets. This enables researchers to confidently analyze more targets in parallel from one undivided sample.

QIAcuity dPCR catalog and custom assays for copy number variation (CNV) analysis and microbial detection have been re-designed to support up to 12-plex reactions. These assays are available through QIAGEN’s GeneGlobe platform.

The combination of sophisticated software and innovative chemistry make QIAcuity dPCR a superior solution for high-order multiplexing. It enhances workflows by offering greater target capacity and improved data reliability while QIAcuity remains the dPCR system with the highest throughput and is highly automation-friendly.

QIAGEN's QIAcuity digital PCR platform utilizes nanoplates to disperse a sample into thousands of tiny partitions and then reads the reaction in each one simultaneously to quantify even the faintest signals from DNA and RNA. The platform integrates partitioning, thermocycling, and imaging into a streamlined multiplex workflow, reducing processing times from six hours to just two. Available in one-, four-, and eight-plate versions, the platform meets the needs of a wide range of laboratory sizes and throughput requirements.

For more information about QIAcuity’s new multiplexing capabilities, please visit: www.qiagen.com/applications/digital-pcr/beginners/dpcr-multiplexing

About QIAGEN
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight solutions that enable customers to gain valuable molecular insights from samples containing the building blocks of life. Our sample technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from blood, tissue and other materials. Assay technologies make these biomolecules visible and ready for analysis. Bioinformatics software and knowledge bases interpret data to report relevant, actionable insights. Automation solutions tie these together in seamless and cost-effective workflows. QIAGEN provides solutions to more than 500,000 customers around the world in Molecular Diagnostics (human healthcare) and Life Sciences (academia, pharma R&D and industrial applications, primarily forensics). As of September 30, 2024, QIAGEN employed more than 5,800 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at https://www.qiagen.com.