On April 29, 2021 QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) reported the upcoming launch of the EZ2 Connect product line, a next-level automated sample-processing platform whose simplicity, flexibility and speed will benefit biomedical research, forensics and clinical diagnostics (Press release, Qiagen, APR 29, 2021, View Source [SID1234578841]).
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The EZ2 Connect instruments use pre-filled cartridges and magnetic bead technology to process up to 24 samples in parallel in as little as 20 minutes, ensuring process safety and efficiency of nucleic acid extraction. The new platform builds on QIAGEN’s groundbreaking EZ1 instrument line, which set new standards in the automation of sample preparation and sample-data management and has seen more than 4,500 devices installed worldwide at the end of 2020.
"Expanding on the strength of our sample-processing portfolio, we are paving the way to a new era of laboratory automation," said Thomas Schweins, Senior Vice President, Business Area Life Sciences of QIAGEN. "The EZ2 Connect platform makes standardized and efficient nucleic acid purification accessible for any lab – without the need for specialized training or previous experience with automation platforms, while providing a new level of connectivity for ease-of-use and reliability of results."
The EZ2 Connect platform has a broad range of application areas, and will be tailored to three different key versions. The EZ2 Connect for use in research and pharmaceutical laboratory and the EZ2 Connect Fx for use in forensics and human identification (HID) will be launched in July. The release of the EZ2 Connect MDx for use in molecular diagnostic workflows is planned for early 2022, with regulatory approval in the U.S., the European Union and other markets worldwide.
Addressing a wide range of sample types and applications for biomedical research, the EZ2 Connect comes with an elaborate kit portfolio. In-tip separation, onboard heating and reagent pipetting, as well as large volume capabilities enable an unprecedented level of benchtop automation. With new approaches for cell free circulating DNA (cfDNA) and nucleic acid extraction from a range of sample types such as FFPE, EZ2 Connect catalyzes analytical quality, a valuable tool for example in cancer research.
The EZ2 Connect Fx is tailored to Human ID and forensics customer requirements, ensuring performance, process safety and reliability. It was designed and developed on the experiences and user feedback of the EZ1’s exceptional success in the HID market and offers a failure-safe method to isolate DNA even from smallest traces with highest efficiency. Increased capacity, full traceability, and maximum sample integrity allow labs to stand ready 24/7.
The EZ2 Connect MDx will address the challenges of medium throughput clinical diagnostics labs: dealing with fluctuating numbers of sample, large variety of sample types and quality, and less experienced staff. A single-use cartridge per sample and easy push-button operation minimizes the risk of sampling errors.
The EZ2 Connect platform complements QIAGEN’s leading offering of automation solutions including the QIAcube Connect and the QIAsymphony. The QIAcube Connect platform allows for a seamless transfer of QIAGENs wide range of manual spin column protocols to flexible and medium throughput automation, with the dedicated QIAcube Connect MDx version for molecular diagnostics workflows.
At the end of 2020, more than 9,800 QIAcube platform had been cumulatively placed with customers worldwide. The QIAsymphony provides fully automated high throughput with features such as continuous loading and primary tube handling, and had a cumulative installed base of over 2,900 systems at the end of 2020.
The newly introduced EZ2 Connect platform allows for medium- to high-throughput sample processing, combining flexibility with maximum process safety in dedicated instrument versions tailored to the individual needs of QIAGEN’s diverse customer base.
The new versions also allow for connection to QIAsphere, a digital laboratory ecosystem that enables additional remote features like instrument management and real-time status reporting. As a result, EZ2 Connect enables optimization of workflows and greater lab productivity with the next level of daily lab routine automation.
For more information about the EZ2 Connect platform, please visit View Source or see the product video at View Source;ab_channel=QIAGEN