NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Qiagen and Hitachi High-Technologies have entered into a long-term strategic partnership in the area of molecular testing, the companies said today.
Under the agreement, Hitachi will contribute its expertise in industrialized instrument development and manufacturing, while Qiagen will lend its capabilities in molecular testing in the life sciences and clinical diagnostics.
Initial projects include developing new automation systems based on PCR and next-generation sequencing, and the collaboration may be expanded to involve the co-commercialization of products in specific geographic markets, the companies said.
"This new strategic partnership with Hitachi High-Technologies will form a very powerful platform to create new molecular testing solutions," Thierry Bernard, senior vice president and head of molecular diagnostics at Qiagen, said in a statement. "Hitachi High-Technologies is a recognized leader in industrial automation and has a proven track record of innovation as well as a significant presence in the Asia-Pacific region."
Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.