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Venlo, the Netherlands, Nov. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QIAGEN (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced the launch of two new tools for designing and ordering custom solutions that can be used to support microbial analysis of bacterial, fungal and viral targets. These new tools enable researchers to customize their assays and panels for use on the QIAcuity digital PCR system as well as on any third-party next-generation sequencing (NGS) system. They also build on more than 700 digital PCR assays that are currently available for microbial targets through the GeneGlobe platform at https://geneglobe.qiagen.com . The new products make nanoplate digital PCR (dPCR) suitable for even more microbial targets in applications ranging from wastewater testing to food production to analysis of human pathogens. With nanoplate dPCR, rare targets in low-biomass samples with high levels of PCR inhibitors can be measured without a standard curve and with high accuracy and precision. “The demands for microbial detection, tracking and scientific research can be extremely specialized. Reliable and accurate tools that can be customized give scientists the flexibility they need to outpace pathogens and accelerate the tempo of discovery,” said Nitin Sood, Senior Vice President and head of QIAGEN’s Life Sciences Business Area. “With the launch of our design tool for Custom dPCR Microbial Assays and the new QIAseq xHXB panels, we are addressing the demands of our customers. QIAGEN will continue to expand our offering of accurate, reliable and easy-to-use solutions.” The new tools are: Design tool for Custom dPCR Microbial Assays – The first-of-its-kind custom assay design tool enables users to design primers and probes for their specific microbial targets of interest and is tailored specifically for bacterial, fungal and viral targets. The design tool software is powered by a sophisticated and thoroughly tested algorithm developed specifically for microbial applications. Researchers can benefit from a user-friendly and intuitive tool that helps them quickly obtain custom assays with optimal sensitivity, specificity and accurate off-target prediction. QIAseq xHYB Custom Microbial Panels – Customers can completely design their own NGS panels, overcoming limitations of panels offered by other vendors, which are designed against a few genomes of a given target and thereby often cause large gaps in coverage. The QIAseq xHYB Custom Microbial Panels advanced algorithm enables researchers to design their assays against many whole genomes at once, allowing them to achieve the highest possible resolution in applications such as microbial detection. QIAGEN continues to expand its portfolio dPCR assays, supporting laboratories to increase their detection capabilities and improve their results. In September, the company added over 100 new validated QIAcuity digital PCR assays for cancer research, inherited genetic disorders, infectious disease surveillance, and other applications. These newly launched cancer and microbial assays meet the level of quality, multiplexing capabilities, customization, precision and sensitivity associated with all QIAcuity products. Customizable digital PCR assays and the customizable panels and assays are now available on QIAGEN’s GeneGlobe web portal ( https://geneglobe.qiagen.com ), which integrates pre-designed assays with a database of more than 10,000 biological entities including genes, miRNAs and pathways. 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 September 30, 2024, QIAGEN employed more than 5,800 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at https://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, 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, 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 in 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. Source: QIAGEN N.V. Category: Corporate
As we transition to warmer weather in the austral summer, many changes take place. Domestic dogs and cats may shed winter coats. Fish such as bass and trout prepare fat reserves for migrations to deeper waters. And social insect queens emerge from hibernation in search of a place to start their nests. Most people won't be surprised that bumble bees and ground-nesting wasp colonies have queens. What is surprising, though, is that those big bees and wasps we see in the spring are the queens - not the workers - building their nests all on their own. Bumble bees and yellowjacket wasps typically nest in the ground (though you might see some nesting in trees or buildings). To locate the perfect nest site, both species search for abandoned rodent holes (the perfect cosy size to insulate a big queen and a small nest). After they find their spot, the queens forage and defend their young from the perils of life as an insect - predators, pesticides and pathogens. If the queen can't find a nest site and gather enough resources, or perishes before workers emerge, the colony will fail before it even gets started. Life of the larvae Like butterflies, wasps and bees start life as helpless larvae. Wasp and bee larvae are essentially big stomachs with a mouth. They have no legs, and are stuck in place until they're grown. Larvae rely entirely on older generations to survive. Wasps collect pulp to smooth into hexagonal paper cells (similar to the inside of a honey bee nest) where the defenceless larvae will grow. They usually collect this pulp from untreated wood - the wasp that landed next to you on the park bench is just gathering building materials. She won't take much, and she won't stay long. Bumble bees produce wax that they mould into honey pots (to store food) and balls (where they nestle their eggs). The bees need enough nutrition to produce this wax, which they'll get from the flowers in your garden. Wasp larvae are primarily carnivorous, getting protein from live prey or carrion. Bees get protein from floral resources like pollen, although adults of both species feed on nectar. After a few weeks, larvae will spin silken cocoons and pupate (just like butterflies). This is a chance for the queens to take a break from feeding those hungry larvae (which are insatiable before they pupate), and focus on raising more young. The queens still continue foraging, though - no one is coming to feed them until their daughters are adults. Once the offspring emerge from their pupae as adults, they won't leave the nest just yet. They will need a day (at least) just for their exoskeleton (their body and wings) to harden. Until the exoskeleton is set, bees and wasps can't fly to forage, or sting to defend. They also need time to develop a circadian rhythm. This ensures when they emerge from the underground nest, they do so when it's light outside (wasps and bees don't forage too well in the dark). Division of labour We are now nearing the end of spring in Aotearoa. There are still a few queen wasps and bumble bees flying around, but we are also starting to see small foragers. These are the "first cohort" of workers. The queen - who did all the chores on her own - was limited in terms of what she could feed her young. In early spring, food might be scarce. Once the first cohort of workers emerge, things outside and inside the nest begin to shift. Floral resources and insect prey numbers increase - meaning foragers have an easier time finding food. Because workers are foraging, the queen can remain in the nest where she primarily lays eggs and incubates her developing brood. Workers also subdivide the chores in the nest. Some will forage for protein, some for sugar, and others (like wasps) will forage for nest material or water. Some workers might remain in the nest to keep the temperature and humidity constant, others might remain in the nest to watch for invaders or predators. Queen bumble bees and yellowjackets only live for about one year. They emerge as adults in autumn, mate, then hibernate over the winter months. After emerging from hibernation in spring, they start a new colony on their own and watch as it grows to hundreds (bumble bees) or thousands (yellowjackets) of workers. At some point, the queen will stop laying eggs. She'll often leave the nest on her own when she knows her time is up. The workers will make sure the larvae in the nest are raised as new queens, and the cycle starts anew. Among royalty In the North Island, there have been a number of "frighteningly large" perennial yellowjacket nests reported. As our climate changes, warming temperatures may extend the season of social wasp nests, leading to more of these large nests. Although the original queen dies, the new queens may choose to join an established nest of workers and take over as the new queen (skipping that period of hibernation). Yellowjacket wasps sometimes receive a bad rap, particularly due to their very effective nest defence strategies, with the potential to butt heads with gardeners. But wasps - just like bees and butterflies - are important pollinators in our floral ecosystems, and also help keep annoying pest bug populations down. So, if you've noticed the huge wasps and bumble bees flying around this spring, just remember - you're among royalty. *Jennifer Jandt is Senior Lecturer in Ecology, University of Otago; Connal McLean is Natural History Technician - Invertebrates. * This story was first published on The ConversationRams WR Demarcus Robinson not suspended, will play Sunday after arrest on DUI suspicion
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