- New software accelerator significantly reduces time and cost of NGS secondary analysis for somatic cancer, analyzing a 275-gene comprehensive cancer panel at 3377x coverage in just 6 minutes for less than $0.72 per test
- Included in market-leading CLC Genomics analysis platform for desktop, server or cloud use
- Enhances QDI’s leading portfolio of NGS analysis and interpretation solutions as cancer testing market moves towards comprehensive genomic profiling
Redwood City, California, January 30, 2024 – QIAGEN Digital Insights (QDI), the bioinformatics business of QIAGEN, today announced their enhanced QIAGEN CLC Genomics Workbench Premium with LightSpeed technology now supports next-generation sequencing (NGS) for somatic cancer secondary analysis. The software accelerator converts raw sequencing data in FASTQ files to interpretable lists of genetic variants in VCF files at unprecedented low cost and high speed.
QIAGEN’s LightSpeed technology is a game-changer for research and clinical labs performing high-throughput NGS for somatic applications. The software accelerator is much faster, more accurate, greener and cheaper than previous data-analysis and visualization solutions. Using less power and requiring no investments in new hardware or software licenses beyond CLC, LightSpeed can analyze a 275-gene comprehensive cancer panel at 3377x coverage in just 6 minutes for less than $0.72 per test within standard cloud environments. Alternatively, labs can efficiently run the QIAGEN CLC LightSpeed technology on existing local hardware with similar performance.
“LightSpeed technology for somatic applications will allow QDI to maintain its NGS analysis and interpretation leadership position as the cancer testing market moves away from focused gene panels to comprehensive genomic profiling,” said Dr. Jonathan Sheldon, Senior Vice President of QIAGEN Digital Insights. “The new capabilities enable small and large labs to significantly reduce turnaround time in oncology testing by removing key barriers in analysis cost and speed. The faster oncogenic variants are detected, the sooner appropriate treatments and therapies can be identified and administered.”
Last year, QIAGEN launched the QIAGEN CLC Genomics Workbench Premium with LightSpeed technology for germline applications, including whole genome sequencing (WGS), whole-exome sequencing (WES) and large panel sequencing data. Establishing a new precedent in NGS data analysis efficiency, LightSpeed can analyze an entire genome at 34x coverage on a computer in just 25 minutes and a 50x whole exome in 90 seconds within standard cloud environments. With QIAGEN CLC LightSpeed technology, labs can run WGS analyses for about $1 per genome and WES for less than a few cents per exome using standard cloud infrastructure.“
Christoph Meier, Bioinformatician at the University of Regensburg said: “CLC Genomics Workbench with LightSpeed module is the current backbone of our laboratory diagnostics for panel and exome analysis. The ability to create and modify our own workflows allows us to rapidly adapt. The software also allows team scientists without extensive programming knowledge to process data and evaluate their own results. The LightSpeed module allows large genetic data sets to be processed very quickly, and delivers precise results.”
QDI’s licensing models enable laboratories to analyze germline and somatic panels in parallel. For clinical labs who require an integrated and panel- and platform-agnostic FASTQ to final report solution, LightSpeed can be deployed through QCI Secondary Analysis, a cloud-based NGS secondary analysis software-as-a-service that seamlessly connects to QCI Interpret, a clinical variant interpretation and reporting platform.
Learn more about the LightSpeed technology now available for somatic cancer from QIAGEN CLC Genomics Workbench Premium here: https://digitalinsights.qiagen.com/products-overview/discovery-insights-portfolio/analysis-and-visualization/qiagen-clc-workbench-premium/
About QIAGEN Digital Insights
QIAGEN Digital Insights, the bioinformatics business of QIAGEN, is the leading provider of genomic and clinical knowledge, analysis and interpretation tools and services for scientists and clinicians. We have over 25 years of experience in the industry, 90,000 users worldwide, over 100,000 citations in scientific papers, more than 3.5 million profiled patient cases and over 40 billion scientific data points. Discover our portfolio of expertly curated genomic and clinical knowledge solutions as well as bioinformatics software and services for efficient data management, sharing and actionable insights.
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, 2023, QIAGEN employed more than 6,000 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at http://www.qiagen.com.
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