Qiagen, Hilden, Germany, and Centogene AG, Rostock, Germany, have entered into a collaboration and comarketing agreement to provide customers with more-complete research and clinical testing solutions for rare genetic diseases. Centogene is a rare disease company providing insights into the complex interactions among genetics, biochemistry, and the clinical phenotypes of patients with hereditary disorders. More than 4,000 known genetic disorders are estimated to affect roughly 1 in 10 individuals.
The companies’ collaboration will include integration of Centogene’s CentoMD rare disease variant database into Qiagen’s bioinformatics offerings to enhance test interpretation. The CentoMD phenotype/genotype database, with more than 4.5 million clinically annotated variants drawn from 135,000 cases and more than 115 countries of origin, represents a valuable addition to the Qiagen Knowledge Base and Qiagen Clinical Insight (QCI) bioinformatics solutions. Qiagen will serve as the exclusive global commercial distribution partner for CentoMD. Centogene will license Qiagen’s bioinformatics solutions to support Centogene’s extensive rare disease diagnostic testing services. The companies, which have been sharing data through the Allele Frequency Community, will also work together to develop advanced machine-learning methods to improve clinical prediction.
Laura Furmanski, PhD, Qiagen.
“With so many rare diseases, we see an underserved population of patients from the testing, diagnosis, counseling, and treatment perspectives. By combining deep, expertly curated resources from Qiagen and Centogene, we will deliver powerful insights for researchers and clinicians, and ultimately help patients and families deal with rare and hereditary disorders,” says Laura Furmanski, PhD, senior vice president and head of Qiagen’s bioinformatics business area. “We are pleased to collaborate to make a difference for these patients and to broaden the rare and genetic disease solutions available for both companies’ customers worldwide.”
“Rare hereditary diseases present a large unmet need for diagnosis and treatment, and Centogene’s extensive test portfolio generates unique and global insights into the epidemiological basis of hereditary disorders and the link between genotypic and phenotypic data,” says Arndt Rolfs, MD, CEO and founder of Centogene. “Qiagen’s knowledge-based products and relationships in the clinical diagnostics and pharma/biotech markets will help streamline our reporting and extend the market reach of Centogene’s rare disease knowledge and services. These are exciting expansion opportunities for us.”
For more information, visit Qiagen and Centogene.
