Qiagen Extends Partnership with Bio-Manguinhos for Brazil’s National Screening Programmes
Qiagen extends partnership with Bio-Manguinhos to enhance malaria, dengue detection in Brazil’s national screening programmes
Overview
The Netherlands-based company, Qiagen announced the expansion of its strategic partnership with Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz, the leading provider of vaccines and diagnostics to the Brazilian Ministry of Health.
The Partnership
The partnership, initiated in 2009, supported Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz with reagents and instruments for testing samples for HIV and hepatitis C virus.
Benefits of Collab
With the expansion of this collaboration, Bio-Manguinhos is now able to launch an advanced PCR-based molecular screening platform to detect malaria alongside HIV, hepatitis B and C virus (HCV and HBV), a capability previously unavailable in Brazil’s blood donation programme.
Dengue Surveillance in Brazil
Advanced capabilities support epidemiological surveillance of ongoing dengue outbreak in Brazil with unique chemistry developed by Qiagen and Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz.
Partnership highlights Qiagen’s commitment to custom and OEM solutions, technology transfer and long-term support.
It also supports epidemiological surveillance of Brazil’s ongoing dengue epidemic by composing Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz dengue molecular kits based on unique chemistry developed by Qiagen and Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz.
Qiagen will supply critical molecular biology technologies, custom solutions, and comprehensive training to facilitate Brazil’s public health initiative.
About the Brazilian Nucleic Acid Test Platform
The advanced Brazilian Nucleic Acid Test platform, leveraging Qiagen’s PCR reagents, was recently rolled out as part of Brazil’s national blood screening program.
Initiated in 2010, this is the largest blood donation safety initiative in the country’s history.
Every year, five million blood donations are performed in Brazil, with 70% conducted by public blood banks.
This latest advancement improves transfusional safety by detecting malaria and closing the “diagnostic window” between the time of infection and laboratory diagnosis.
It is currently operational in 30 laboratories and is critical to safeguarding blood supplies in regions where these diseases are not endemic.
Qiagen and Bio-Manguinhos have been partnering since 2009 to equip Brazil’s national blood screening program with advanced molecular testing solutions.
From IVD Reagents Director of Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz
“Qiagen’s support has been crucial to achieving our public health goals, especially in enabling malaria and dengue screening,” said Antonio Gomes Pinto Ferreira, IVD Reagents director of Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz.
“Their team helped us develop and scale an epidemiological solution that significantly enhances our blood screening capabilities and improves public safety.”
From the Qiagen
“Qiagen is committed to working side-by-side with technology partners, like Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz, to develop high-impact solutions”, said Salim Essakali, head of strategic partnerships & OEM Division at Qiagen.
“This partnership exemplifies how combining Qiagen’s biotechnology expertise, life science tools and operational capabilities can improve public health outcomes within Brazil’s national blood screening programme.”
About NAT Plus Platform
The NAT Plus platform supports health surveillance within the blood transfusion system, engaging over 300 trained professionals across 14 hemotherapy centers and processing 3.5 million samples annually.
Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz’s ZCD-typing kit can now also detect and discriminate samples of zika, chikungunya and dengue, and type the latter, which supports epidemiological surveillance programmes in Brazil.
Under the terms of this agreement, Qiagen’s solutions will be included in the screening kits and private labeled under the Bio-Manguinhos’s brand.
Partners Previous Activities
Since its inception, Qiagens Strategic Partnerships & OEM Division has supported over 400 global partners in molecular diagnostics, life science research, infectious disease testing, and oncology with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, integrated quality management systems and a comprehensive catalogue of customizable products and services.
About Bio-Manguinhos
Founded in 1976, Bio-Manguinhos is a Fiocruz’s Institute responsible for research, innovation, development and the production of vaccines, in vitro diagnostics and biotherapeutics aimed at primarily meeting the demands of national public health.
Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz is one of the largest production centers in Latin America, at Fiocruz’ Manguinhos Campus, contributing to the self-sufficiency efforts to supply essential vaccines, biotherapeutics and in vitro diagnostics for the Brazilian Ministry of Health.
The Institute also contributes with the public health of several countries, mainly by the export of the yellow fever vaccine, pre-qualified by WHO.