German molecular diagnostics firm QIAGEN has unveiled its plans to relocate its QIAstat-Dx operations to Esplugues de Llobregat, near Barcelona in Spain.
This move is part of a multi-year investment to boost QIAGEN’s business.
The new site, set to open in early 2026, will support the entire value chain for the QIAstat-Dx system. This system is used for syndromic testing to identify the causes of illnesses, particularly respiratory, gastrointestinal, and meningitis/encephalitis conditions.
QIAstat-Dx is also being developed for precision medicine, aiding the expansion of recent partnerships with Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca.
In this application, QIAstat-Dx allows speciality care providers to perform genotyping while patients undergo routine exams, enabling quick decisions on suitability for genomically targeted medicines.
The new site expands the molecular diagnostics firm’s presence in the Barcelona area.
It will house teams from research & development (R&D), manufacturing, sales, marketing, quality assurance, and regulatory affairs. Additionally, it will serve as a centre of excellence for microfluidics R&D, as well as system and assay development.
The Esplugues de Llobregat site will enhance QIAGEN’s diagnostic capabilities in infectious diseases and beyond.
Spanning across an 8,000m2 area, the site will feature offices, manufacturing lines, clean rooms, laboratories, and logistics areas.
QIAGEN can also leverage local expertise in QIAstat-Dx technology, originally developed by a Barcelona-based start-up and acquired by QIAGEN in 2018.
QIAGEN CEO Thierry Bernard said: “QIAstat-Dx demonstrated its value during the Covid-19 pandemic, supporting healthcare providers with rapid syndromic testing and crucial information when time mattered most.
“Now we are building on this success by expanding the QIAstat-Dx pipeline to address a broader spectrum of healthcare needs.”
The QIAstat-Dx system, designed for laboratory use, features cost-efficient, single-use cartridges with integrated sample processing and on-board reagents.
Utilising multiplex real-time PCR, it detects and differentiates multiple genetic targets, providing results in about an hour.
Four QIAstat-Dx panels have been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including panels for respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, as well as the recently approved panel for meningitis and encephalitis.
In the European Union and other countries accepting CE-marking, two panels for respiratory and gastrointestinal infections have been approved.
QIAstat-Dx will expand further by expanding its testing menu to include pathogens like blood culture identification and complex urinary tract infections.
