Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Qiagen Settle Digital PCR Patent Dispute

NEW YORK – Bio-Rad Laboratories and Qiagen have agreed to settle a patent dispute pending in the US District Court for the District of Delaware, the firms announced on Wednesday.

The court settlement is pursuant to a global settlement and patent cross-licensing agreement related to digital PCR technology, Bio-Rad and Qiagen said in separate identical statements.

The patents that were the subject of the dispute are either assigned to or licensed by Bio-Rad and relate to digital PCR or cell capture methods used in digital PCR.

The settlement now grants each company mutual rights to their respective digital PCR technologies, Bio-Rad and Qiagen said.

Bio-Rad entered the digital PCR space in 2011 with the acquisition of QuantaLife and its Droplet Digital PCR system.

Qiagen, meanwhile, launched the QIAcuity digital PCR system in Europe in 2020. It filed suit against Bio-Rad last year seeking a declaration of non-infringement on digital PCR patents after receiving letters from Bio-Rad asserting the technology infringed on Bio-Rad's patented methods.

Bio-Rad previously settled a patent dispute with Stilla Technologies. The firm also sued Dropworks but then later acquired the startup.

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.