Qiagen NV, a leading global provider of sample to insight solutions, announced the launch of QIAscout, a novel instrument for isolation of viable single cells from samples to enable cost-efficient, accurate single-cell analysis for next-generation sequencing (NGS), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and other downstream applications. The QIAscout instrument, the size of a hand-held mobile device, adds to Qiagen’s sample to insight portfolio of solutions for single-cell analysis in research fields such as oncology, immunology, neurobiology and stem-cell biology.
“We continue to expand Qiagen’s Sample to Insight solutions to help researchers discover the processes underlying cellular function in both normal and disease states. Single-cell analysis is growing rapidly as NGS enables researchers to view biological processes at the highest level of resolution, including heterogeneity and changes in samples over time,” said Brad Crutchfield, senior vice president of Qiagen’s Life Sciences Business Area. “QIAscout is a unique addition to Qiagen’s portfolio of sample technologies that provides an easy, fast and cost-effective method to isolate single cells from any sample. Other solutions are highly complex, expensive, and accessible only to large laboratories. In addition, they may stress the cells creating additional experimental variables. QIAscout, on the other hand, is powered by a novel approach to single cell isolation and enables all scientists to accurately select single cells within minutes through visual control using a standard microscope. The cells remain intact in their natural environment and viable for any downstream application including NGS, PCR, or stem cell/stem line research. This compact and very affordable device integrates with Qiagen’s single cell library preparation, panels and bioinformatics to create complete workflow solutions which help scientists achieve better insights from any sample.”
One researcher, Prof. Dr. Lajos Kemény of the University of Szeged, said QIAscout streamlines the exacting process of single-cell analysis, “Being able to achieve a deep molecular characterization at the single cell level is essential to get a more precise, and more meaningful, insight into cellular mechanisms. Characterizing the sum of cells with a mixed population of sub-cell types is simply insufficient. We found QIAscout to be a very suitable system to follow the fate of cells in real time with both traditional light and confocal microscopy. The ease of finding the position of the cell of interest at any time, and selecting and transferring individual cells with nearly 100% sufficiency and survival rate for further observation or downstream molecular characterization, contributed greatly to our capabilities.”
QIAscout’s proprietary technology includes a high-density array with 12.000 microrafts that can be used to isolate and recover individual cells from a cell suspension. The instrument works with standard, inverted microscopes to reliably select and release isolated single cells. QIAscout is compatible with major brands of inverted microscopes. In addition, Qiagen has entered an exclusive commercialization partnership with ZEISS Microscopy to market the QIAscout as a convenient add-on feature to all of its inverted microscopes.
Since Nature named single-cell sequencing its “method of the year” in 2013, genomic analysis of single cells has been growing rapidly and is now estimated to be a $100 million market. Qiagen provides an industry-leading portfolio of universal technologies for single-cell extraction and DNA or RNA library preparation. This offering includes the REPLI-g single cell product line; QIAseq single cell kits; and miScript single cell qPCR kits.