QIAGEN and the JCSG Announce Agreement for Commercialization of Sample Technologies for Protein Crystallography

07-23-2007: QIAGEN N.V. has entered a strategic agreement with the Joint Center for Structural Genomics (JCSG), one of the 4 PSI Structural Genomics Production Centers, providing protein crystallographers with a new set of proven crystallization screens that have been assembled from analysis of hundreds of thousands of crystallization experiments.

Protein crystallography is a complex process used to determine the three-dimensional structure of proteins. By elucidating the structure of proteins, scientists can discover new drugs that more effectively target disease. To generate crystals, protein samples undergo a crystallization screening step, in which protein samples are combined in multiple reactions with different chemical solutions.

This set of 384 conditions - split into four screens of 96 unique conditions - was previously provided by QIAGEN as a customized product and will be supplied to the wider market as The JCSG Core Suites I-IV. The new screens are the result of analyzing over 500,000 high-throughput crystallization experiments performed at the JCSG. The 384 crystallization conditions that provided the highest hit rates in initial screening were chosen to form the screens [Lesley SA, Wilson IA. "Protein production and crystallization at the Joint Center for Structural Genomics." J. Struct. Funct. Genom., 6: 71-79 (2005)].

"Improving initial sample preparation screens for crystallization is a continuous effort of the crystallographic community", said Kai te Kaat, Global Business Director Proteins at QIAGEN. "These new screens are the result of mining the vast database of crystallization experiments performed by the JCSG. We are proud to have been selected by the JCSG as their partner to commercialize these screens to the entire crystallographic community in QIAGEN´s proprietary sample technology formats."

The JCSG has chosen QIAGEN as their main supplier of crystallization screens for its proven quality and customer orientation in the development process. "I am delighted that QIAGEN markets these JCSG screens", said Professor Ian Wilson, Principal Investigator of the JCSG. "It enables the fruits of the NIH Protein Structure Initiative to become available to all structure biologists and allow them the opportunity to enhance their own individual success rates in protein crystallization."

QIAGEN entered the market for sample preparation of proteins for crystallization in 2005. The objective behind all QIAGEN sample technologies for protein crystallization is to help reduce the time required for sample preparation to produce crystals and determine structures. The comprehensive product line aims to simplify and standardize sample preparation for protein crystallization using unique, ready-to-use kits that provide scientists with fast and easy experimental setups in manual and automatable formats. With the world´s largest offering of protein crystallization screening conditions available in a wide range of formats - from highly innovative sample technologies for crystallization that make setup and screening easy and convenient to bulk formats for higher throughputs - QIAGEN products deliver unparalleled quality, convenience, and flexibility for sample preparation in protein crystallization. The precise chemical composition of every solution is recorded in a detailed production report that can be downloaded from the QIAGEN website, ensuring maximum reproducibility.