QIAGEN partners with Ares Genetics to advance global fight against antibiotic-resistant pathogens
QIAGEN N.V. announced a broad agreement with Ares Genetics, a subsidiary of Curetis N.V., to develop innovative bioinformatics and assay solutions to accelerate research targeting the growing global health challenges posed by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
QIAGEN has acquired an exclusive license to leverage Ares Genetics’ proprietary antimicrobial resistance database, ARESdb, as well as bioinformatics tools and workflows from the ARES Technology Platform, AREStools, in QIAGEN’s bioinformatics products and services for researchers. QIAGEN also obtained a non-exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize molecular research assays using ARESdb content with QIAGEN next-generation sequencing (NGS) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) solutions. Powered by artificial intelligence, ARESdb is likely the most comprehensive, global and continuously updated proprietary knowledge base on genetic antibiotic resistance markers and their diagnostic relevance.
“With QIAGEN as a prime supplier of industry-leading applications for the analysis and interpretation of biological data, we are well positioned to make ARESdb a key resource for cutting-edge research in the pressing healthcare issue of antimicrobial resistance”, said Dr. Andreas Posch, Managing Director and CEO of Ares Genetics. “This partnership has the potential to greatly facilitate our engagement with the public health and AMR research communities in the further development and expansion of ARESdb, our database that is also core to the NGS-based diagnostic solutions currently developed by Ares Genetics.”
“Antibiotic-resistant diseases are an urgent threat to public health, as resistance undermines the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infections. This global problem cries out for molecular insights that can lead to new understanding and therapeutic approaches. Partnering with Ares Genetics to leverage their genomic content with QIAGEN’s expertise in bioinformatics, NGS and PCR technologies, we will expand our portfolio of solutions to help the global community fight these infections,” said Jonathan Sheldon, Senior Vice President and head of QIAGEN Bioinformatics. QIAGEN is committed to creating best-in-class Sample to Insight solutions that help combat the global crisis in antibiotic resistant pathogens. The collaboration with ARES builds on an already broad portfolio for infectious disease research tools and adds to other AMR-related initiatives. QIAGEN will leverage the AMR database from Ares Genetics with its expertise in bioinformatics, assays and services, enabling the research community to accelerate the fight against AMR.”
Antimicrobial resistance causes an estimated 700,000 deaths a year, and the toll is expected to grow. A lack of diagnostic tools and reporting makes the global impact difficult to quantify, but a recent study predicted deaths will rise to 10 million a year by 2050 if indiscriminate use of antibiotics continues, driving the growth of resistance. Already, antimicrobial resistance is making treatment difficult for a growing number of patients affected by resistant strains of pneumonia and food-borne pathogens.
The collaboration with Ares Genetics builds on QIAGEN’s broad portfolio for infectious disease research. QIAGEN will integrate the ARESdb content with its CLC Genomics Workbench and build a Software-as-a-Service portal providing standardized analysis for research and enabling flexible design of assays. Together with QIAGEN’s current sample preparation solutions, GeneGlobe portal and dedicated bioinformatics solutions, ARESdb will expand QIAGEN’s market-leading Sample to Insight offering of workflows for research into antimicrobial resistance. QIAGEN solutions support basic and clinical research on a range of bacterial infections, including healthcare-associated and community-acquired infections.
Financial details of the partnership were not disclosed.