QIAGEN joins Protagen to develop protein-based companion diagnostics for autoimmune therapies

QIAGEN has entered into a long-term collaboration agreement with the German company Protagen to target the development of novel protein-based companion diagnostics for autoimmune disorders. Under the terms of the agreement, QIAGEN will gain access to the proprietary SeroTag technology platform of Protagen, which enables the discovery and validation of novel protein-based marker panels. Such markers hold great promise for the development of companion diagnostics to guide treatment decisions in various autoimmune disorders.

SeroTag allows for the high-throughput de novo discovery of biomarker candidates by measuring the levels of autoantibodies to thousands of different antigens in every serum sample from thousands of patients. SeroTag can be used to support clinical drug development programs (Phases I-IV) in autoimmune disease through the development of diagnostic assays and companion diagnostic tests. These tests aid the specific diagnosis of autoimmune disease and enable the stratification of patients and diseases, ultimately leading to improved therapeutic regimens.

“Following cancer, autoimmune disorders are currently the second largest therapeutic area for companion diagnostics in drug development, with a significant unmet medical need,” says Rainer Metzger, Vice President Business Development Pharma at QIAGEN. “Thanks to the collaboration with Protagen, we’ll now be able to offer our partners in the pharmaceutical industry a new diagnostic technology particularly well suited to advance personalized healthcare in autoimmune disorders.” Learn more about SeroTag technology platform.