Venlo, the Netherlands, Sept. 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QIAGEN (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced the extension of its eco-friendlier QIAwave product line with the addition of two new nucleic acid extraction kits: the QIAwave RNeasy Plus Mini Kit and QIAwave DNA/RNA Mini Kit, eco-friendlier versions of the RNeasy Plus Mini Kit and the All DNA/RNA Mini Kit.

The kits are designed to provide researchers with a more sustainable alternative to QIAGEN’s standard kits while maintaining the same high-quality performance with identical chemistry.

QIAwave kits use up to 62% less plastic and up to 58% less cardboard than QIAGEN’s most popular kits for extracting DNA, RNA and plasmid DNA from samples, making them a more sustainable choice for laboratories. The QIAwave product line is the first to use both recycled plastics and space-saving chemical concentrates. The products feature fewer components, waste tubes made from 100% recycled plastic, and suitable buffer concentrates in smaller bottles. More compact kits and new ways of packing them reduce the amount of cardboard needed for packaging.

“The launch of the new QIAwave kits not only expands our eco-friendlier product offerings but also reinforces our dedication to supporting researchers in their quest for scientific advancement while reducing their environmental footprint. At QIAGEN, we’re constantly striving to find innovative ways to combine high-quality performance with eco-friendlier solutions,” said Dr. Thomas Schweins, Senior Vice President and Head of QIAGEN’s Life Sciences Business Area.

Bryce Carpenter, Research Specialist, University of Pennsylvania, said: “QIAwave offers the same great results for less clutter and waste, with minimal effort. I can only imagine that the benefits and savings would be even greater on the scale of a full lab.”

A tool to calculate how much plastic and cardboard can be saved by using QIAwave kits as compared to other QIAGEN kits and more information on the QIAwave portfolio can be found here.

The QIAwave RNeasy Plus Mini Kit is a new generation of RNA extraction that enables the isolation of high-purity and high-yield total RNA with an integrated gDNA removal from a wide range of cultured cells and easy-to-lyse tissues. The QIAwave DNA/RNA Mini Kit allows for simultaneous purification of genomic DNA and total RNA from each cell or tissue sample, with the purified DNA and RNA eluted separately.

The new additions to the QIAwave product line join the previously launched QIAwave RNA Mini Kit, QIAwave DNA Blood & Tissue Kit, and QIAwave Plasmid Miniprep Kit in QIAGEN’s growing portfolio of eco-friendlier solutions.

QIAGEN is aiming to reduce its plastic footprint, in particular by replacing expanded polystyrene (EPS) boxes for cooled shipments with recyclable alternatives made of straw and other forms of plastic packaging with more eco-friendly alternatives. QIAGEN in 2022 reduced its plastic usage in transportation by 16.5%, nearly double the target for at least a 9% reduction.

Reducing its plastic footprint is just one aspect of QIAGEN’s sustainability initiatives. The company is one of only a few in the pharmaceuticals, life sciences, and biotechnology sector with a science-based net-zero target validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, pledging to hit net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from 2020 as the base year. QIAGEN has been recognized by various rating agencies for its sustainability efforts, including a “Prime” status by ISS ESG and an A rating from MSCI ESG Research.

About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight solutions that enable customers to gain valuable molecular insights from samples containing the building blocks of life. Our sample technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from blood, tissue and other materials. Assay technologies make these biomolecules visible and ready for analysis. Bioinformatics software and knowledge bases interpret data to report relevant, actionable insights. Automation solutions tie these together in seamless and cost-effective workflows. QIAGEN provides solutions to more than 500,000 customers around the world in Molecular Diagnostics (human healthcare) and Life Sciences (academia, pharma R&D and industrial applications, primarily forensics). As of June 30, 2023, QIAGEN employed more than 6,100 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at http://www.qiagen.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

Certain statements contained in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. To the extent that any of the statements contained herein relating to QIAGEN's products, including those products used in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, timing for launch and development, marketing and/or regulatory approvals, financial and operational outlook, growth and expansion, collaborations, markets, strategy or operating results, including without limitation its expected adjusted net sales and adjusted diluted earnings results, are forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with management of growth and international operations (including the effects of currency fluctuations, regulatory processes and dependence on logistics), variability of operating results and allocations between customer classes, the commercial development of markets for our products to customers in academia, pharma, applied testing and molecular diagnostics; changing relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners; competition; rapid or unexpected changes in technologies; fluctuations in demand for QIAGEN's products (including fluctuations due to general economic conditions, the level and timing of customers' funding, budgets and other factors); our ability to obtain regulatory approval of our products; difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN's products to integrated solutions and producing such products; the ability of QIAGEN to identify and develop new products and to differentiate and protect our products from competitors' products; market acceptance of QIAGEN's new products and the integration of acquired technologies and businesses; actions of governments, global or regional economic developments, weather or transportation delays, natural disasters, political or public health crises, including the breadth and duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the demand for our products and other aspects of our business, or other force majeure events; as well as the possibility that expected benefits related to recent or pending acquisitions may not materialize as expected; and the other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in Item 3 of our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F. For further information, please refer to the discussions in reports that QIAGEN has filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.