QIAGEN announces first installation of GeneReader next-generation sequencer in Malaysia

QIAGEN Biotechnology Malaysia Sdn Bhd today announced that it has installed the company's first GeneReader Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) System in Malaysia. The installation of the GeneReader NGS System at Pathomics Health Sdn Bhd, a digital health care solution company in Kuala Lumpur, enables actionable insights to support research that will benefit the country's cancer research community.

QIAGEN’s GeneReader offers the efficiency of a completely connected NGS workflow focused on actionable reports

"Pathomics Health is excited to be the lab with Malaysia's first GeneReader NGS System," said Dr Ron Tan, a scientific advisor to Pathomics Health, whose vision is to provide a new standard in cancer research by integrating smart histopathology imaging and genomics analysis. "The GeneReader NGS simplifies the NGS workflow and generates an interpreted result without hassle. We know that NGS technology has achieved outstanding success, posting breakthroughs in the life sciences, applied testing, pharma and molecular diagnostics. We are particularly pleased to offer GeneReader system's ability to explore a tumor's molecular nature more quickly and affordably than other platforms."

The GeneReader NGS System was installed at Pathomics Health to enable the company to provide sequencing services. The collaboration also aims to develop new integrative tools for use in cancer diagnosis and prognosis.

Pathomics Health and the University of Malaya intend to share and improve the application, understanding and available resources associated with molecular pathology, particularly its application to cancer, through their respective networks in academia and industry.

QIAGEN is the world's leading provider of "Sample to Insight" solutions. The company's GeneReader NGS System is the first complete "Sample to Insight" next-generation sequencing solution. Its workflow covers the entire sequencing process from sample prep to data interpretation. As a result, GeneReader NGS is simpler and more cost-effective for laboratories, allowing them to take advantage of NGS technologies that improve next-generation sequencing for research. "With QIAGEN's GeneReader NGS System, researchers and lab staff can now focus on their research not technical issues," said William Lin, QIAGEN's director of commercial operations for Southeast Asia. "We are pleased to have installed our first GeneReader system with Pathomics Health and look forward to seeing many outstanding results of its collaborations with cancer researchers across the country."

According to the World Health Organization, cancer is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. There were approximately 14 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer-related deaths around the world in 2012. Each year, more than 60 percent of the world's new cases occur in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. These regions account of 70 percent of the world's cancer deaths.

One in four Malaysians will develop cancer by age 75 and roughly 100,000 Malaysians suffer from cancer each year, according to Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya. By the year 2020, it is expected that the incidence of cancer in Malaysia will increase by 15 percent.

The official opening of Pathomics Health is on October 5, 2017. If you are interested in attending the event or learning more about the GeneReader NGS System, kindly email Malaysia-Marketing@qiagen.com.