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Aug. 06, 2024Press Release

Sysmex Expands Strategic Alliance Agreement with QIAGEN in the Field of Genetic Testing

Sysmex Corporation (HQ: Kobe, Japan; President: Kaoru Asano) announces today that it has expanded its strategic Alliance Agreement with QIAGEN N.V. (HQ: Venlo, The Netherlands; CEO: Thierry Bernard) to deepen their collaboration in genetic testing, including research and development, production, clinical development, and sales-marketing.

Sysmex and QIAGEN have built a successful partnership since the initial collaboration back in 2013 and agreed to expand it to include a strategic alliance for companion diagnostics¹ in 2021. As part of the newly expanded collaboration, both companies will further combine their respective products and strengths in genetic testing to deliver high-value products to their global customers.

Sysmex will implement QIAGEN’s assay to be used for clinical trials that QIAGEN provides to pharmaceutical companies and research institutions at Sysmex's global network laboratories (Sysmex Inostics, Inc. CLIA lab², Sysmex Research and Development Center and Sysmex affiliated company, RIKEN GENESIS Co., Ltd. (HQ: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kenji Iwakabe) and support QIAGEN's global services.

For more than 50 years, Sysmex has enhanced its global presence within the in vitro diagnostics field by evolving its genetic testing portfolio. One of the ways is by bringing personalized medicine to patients and healthcare professionals through product development using liquid biopsy³ technology. Sysmex has built a global sales and services network that utilizes its world-class laboratories in Japan and the United States. Sysmex intends to accelerate the creation of high-value testing and develop diagnostic technologies further.

QIAGEN is a pioneer in precision medicine⁴ and the leader in collaborating with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to develop companion diagnostics. These can detect genetic abnormalities to provide insights that guide clinical decision-making about treatments. From polymerase chain reaction (PCR), multiplex PCR, digital PCR (dPCR)⁵ to next-generation sequencing (NGS)⁶, QIAGEN offers an unmatched breadth of technologies, which means it can tailor products to the needs of pharmaceutical companies. The company has master collaboration agreements to develop and commercialize companion diagnostics with more than 30 global pharma companies worldwide.

Reference

	July 1, 2021 news release: “Sysmex Forms Strategic Alliance with QIAGEN for Providing Global Cancer Companion Diagnostics that Uses Ultra-sensitive Liquid Biopsy NGS Technology”
	https://www.sysmex.co.jp/en/news/2021/pdf/210701.pdf

Terminology

	1	Companion diagnostics: Test to predict the efficacy or risk of side effects of specific drugs before prescription.

	2	CLIA lab: A laboratory certified under the US Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA). Certified laboratories are required to maintain quality through regular inspections, etc., and this guarantees quality control in testing.

	3	Liquid biopsy: A type of biopsy based mainly on the blood. It is designed to impose less burden on the patient, while having the performance equivalent to that of a conventional biopsy collected from solid tissue, such as a tumor dissection. It will become possible to frequently test genes derived from cancer tissue.

	4	Precision Medicine: A medical approach that selects the most effective and safest treatment based on the characteristics of each individual patient's genes, environment, lifestyle, etc. Also translated as "cancer genomic medicine," it refers to "personalized medicine" suited to the patient's constitution and condition based on an individual's "genomic information" measured by next-generation sequencing, etc.

	5	Digital PCR (dPCR): A highly sensitive genetic testing technology that is expected to find applications to detect cancer and other genes within the blood.

	6	Next generation sequencing (NGS): Analysis technology that simultaneously and parallelly reads and analyzes massive volumes of genetic information containing DNA bases and sequences.

About Sysmex Corporation

Sysmex Corporation, headquartered in Kobe, Japan, is a global leader in in vitro diagnostics. Since its foundation in 1968, Sysmex has focused on diagnostics as the core of its business, and today, it supports the health of people in over 190 countries and regions worldwide. Sysmex continues to innovate in diagnostics, and to collaboratively create unique values in the areas of personalized medicine and novel treatments, under its long-term vision of "Together for a better healthcare journey." Through its unique technology, solutions, and co-creation with various partners, Sysmex delivers new value and addresses the universal desire of people to live longer and healthier lives. The company employs more than 10,000 employees worldwide. Sysmex Corporation is listed in the Prime Market on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For more information about Sysmex, please visit www.sysmex.co.jp/en/.

The purpose of this news release is to communicate our business activities to our stakeholders. It may or may not include information about Sysmex's products or their research and development, but this is not intended for promotion, advertising or medical advice. The information contained in this news release is current as of the date of the announcement but may be subject to change without prior notice.

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