NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) and Qiagen have developed and launched a next-generation sequencing workflow for the ICMP's missing persons DNA identification laboratory in The Hague.
The workflow itself integrates Qiagen's GeneReader NGS system with its automated instruments and consumables for DNA extraction, liquid handling, quantification, sample preparation, massively parallel sequencing. In addition, the ICMP and other academic institutes have worked closely with Qiagen to develop a SNP panel specifically designed for missing persons identification. The ICMP MPs-Plex targets more than 1,400 sites in the human genome. Qiagen will supply software, reagents, consumables, and technical support to run the panel.
Financial terms of the collaboration were not disclosed.
"Qiagen's support for the ICMP is timely, focused, and substantial," ICMP Director-General Kathryne Bomberger said in a statement. "Our partnership with Qiagen and other leading technology companies makes it possible for us to maintain the ICMP laboratory system as the premier high-throughput, human identification DNA laboratory system in the world that is capable of responding — quickly, economically, and effectively — to missing persons scenarios wherever they arise."