QIAGEN's GeneReader NGS System Streamlines Data Management For Labs

New middleware co-developed with Genohm ensures full chain of custody from Sample to Insight and integrates with most LIMS systems

QIAGEN N.V. recently announced a partnership with lab informatics company Genohm to empower GeneReader NGS System users with seamless data management by integrating the NGS workflow with their laboratory information management systems (LIMS). QIAGEN's Sample to Insight next-generation sequencing (NGS) solution is supported by GeneRead Link, a middleware co-developed by the two companies to ensure complete chain of custody from sample processing to final reports – with full connectivity into the leading LIMS systems. In addition, GeneReader NGS System customers who do not already have a LIMS solution can benefit from easy connectivity into Genohm's proprietary SLims solution to help manage all data across the laboratory. Both companies will continue to enhance GeneRead Link and adapt the middleware solution as required to support future GeneReader workflows.

"The value of next-generation sequencing comes from the insights a lab generates, and our GeneReader NGS System is uniquely designed to enable any laboratory to deliver actionable results from NGS. We are pleased to partner with Genohm to deliver GeneRead Link, greatly simplifying management of the sequencing information and providing connectivity with most LIMS platforms," said Jonathan Arnold, Senior Director of Marketing, Next Generation Sequencing, for QIAGEN. "Offering GeneReader NGS customers access to Genohm's proprietary SLims solution, an easy-to-use LIMS and electronic laboratory notebook system, broadens the solution to manage the whole laboratory's data."

"Our focus is on making life in the lab easier", said Frederik Decouttere, Chief Executive Officer of Genohm, "and working with QIAGEN enables us to offer Genohm's user-friendly solutions to more customers around the globe, particularly clinical research and diagnostic labs deploying NGS. SLims is a flexible, feature complete, compliant and easy-to-use solution consisting of a LIMS and an Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) that automates interfaces, integrating information flow from every machine in a laboratory, from initial sample shipment to final reporting of results. By reducing administrative time, SLims frees staff members to devote themselves to unlocking insights that improve outcomes."

The GeneReader NGS System, launched in late 2015, is the first truly complete Sample to Insight workflow that provides a simpler, more cost-effective way for clinical testing laboratories to take advantage of NGS technology and improve outcomes. In June 2016 QIAGEN expanded the GeneReader for use with non-invasive liquid biopsies, adding to its use with FFPE tissue samples. QIAGEN today also announced the relaunch of the system in the U.S. market based on several upgrades made to its new sequencing chemistry, which showed excellent performance data generated with QIAGEN's GeneRead QIAact Actionable Tumor Panel.

GeneRead Link middleware, the only standardized interface to manage NGS data from sample preparation to reporting of results, interfaces with any LIMS to maximize efficiency and provide compliant management.