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Illumina and Qiagen partner to deliver sequencing-based IVD tests

November 2019—Illumina announced on Oct. 7 a 15-year partnership intended to broaden the availability and use of NGS-based in vitro diagnostic kits, including companion diagnostics.

The agreement grants Qiagen nonexclusive rights to develop and globally commercialize IVD kits to be used with Illumina’s MiSeq Dx and NextSeq 550Dx systems. The agreement also includes rights for expansion of the partnership on future Illumina diagnostic systems. Both partners are also exploring opportunities for Qiagen to develop and market companion diagnostics based on Illumina’s TruSight Oncology assays.

Illumina and Qiagen will cooperate to commercialize a menu of clinically validated workflows that combine Qiagen’s proprietary content and bioinformatics solutions. The partnership will focus initially on commercializing oncology IVD kits and may expand in the future to include additional clinical diagnostic fields, such as cardiology, hereditary diseases, infectious diseases, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

Francisco Partners to acquire Orchard

Francisco Partners, a technology-focused private equity firm, announced Sept. 30 its intent to acquire Orchard Software.

“We look forward to the partnership with the FP team and are excited about fueling what has made Orchard successful with additional expertise and capital to accelerate our growth and continue to bring innovation to our customers,” Rob Bush, founder and CEO, said in a statement.

As part of the transaction, Billie Whitehurst will succeed Bush as CEO. Whitehurst has more than 20 years of experience leading health information technology businesses, most recently as senior vice president at Netsmart. Prior to that, Whitehurst held senior roles at Change Healthcare and McKesson.

“Francisco Partners’ deep experience in health care technology and proven track record in nurturing and growing technology businesses will enable Orchard Software’s loyal base of employees to continue delivering market-leading solutions and new innovations,” Whitehurst said in the statement. (See page 76 in this issue for CAP TODAY’s Q&A with Bush and Whitehurst.)