Welcome to our next QIAGEN Deep Dive. Today, we will focus on our sample technologies business. The sample is the starting point of every discovery of every molecular workflow. Preparing a sample and getting the DNA and RNA out of it is the foundation of all molecular testing, and it's where QIAGEN began. Sample technologies are at the core of what we do, and today, we will show you what makes this business so exciting, what makes our leadership in sample technologies unmatched, and how we're expanding this leadership with automation, high-value applications, and new technologies. Before we begin, a quick legal note: as with any of our investor events, this presentation contains a safe harbor statement. You're likely familiar with this from our other presentations, so I won't read it in full. However, please remember that we will be making forward-looking statements.
Actual results may differ materially from those projected, and the factors driving those are detailed in our most recent Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A copy is also available on our website. What makes it so challenging to prepare a sample? Why does QIAGEN consistently lead in this field? How are we going to lead the next wave of innovation? Michael Scheffler, our Vice President and Head of Global Sample Technologies, took me on a sample walk. It is a nice day today.
Mm-hmm, indeed.
Look, Michael, I just found some DNA here.
Samples are everywhere, and with them come the challenges, as you know.
Let's take a walk. I think we can find some more samples.
I'm sure we will. Let's go. Yeah, basically, DNA and also RNA is everywhere, as you see it. It's on the ground that we walk. It's the plants around us. It's the blood in our veins. In order to get to the DNA and RNA, first of all, you would need to strip everything else from the sample.
Or rather, extract the DNA and RNA as a first step.
Exactly. This is where the first challenge lies.
Because the procedure is so different for the various samples.
Absolutely. Spot on. It's different whether you've got traces of skin or tissue, whether you've got urine or stool samples, bacteria, viruses.
Or this one here.
Or this one as well. Exactly. At QIAGEN, we've revolutionized molecular biology by making sample preparation fast, easy, and accessible. Before us, it was really slow and complex, and really a before and after QIAGEN. We've not only made it easier, we actually set the standard that currently today, every researcher, every lab depends on. Interesting fun fact, there is not a single biology PhD student in the world who does not know QIAGEN.
We have been doing that for a while. It all started with Metin Colpan and his co-founders working together at the University of Düsseldorf.
In 1984, Metin Colpan revolutionized the preparation of samples for DNA extraction, and our brand came alive. He pioneered the first plasmid-prep kit. What once took two days, a bit of luck and maybe even magic, was cut to just two hours.
Oh, at the beginning, it was an adventure. We started with just three founders and three technicians.
Since the development of this plasmid purification method, QIAGEN has become the recognized world leader in sample preparation.
QIAGEN started as an innovative company and with disrupting technologies. We disrupted centrifuges with a disposable product.
Next came the crucial step towards automation. It introduced a new level of standardization to scientists around the globe. Today, QIAGEN is the number one global player in DNA and RNA extraction and purification, and it is thus part of the genetic revolution.
Without QIAGEN, DNA and RNA-based technologies would not improve so fast.
Reinventing sample technologies laid the foundation for a trusted brand with over 40 years' experience and high-quality products.
We already get the feel for the variety of samples.
Yes, indeed. QIAGEN has grown into the clear leadership position for sample technologies. Our solutions remain essential, and our products continue to be playing a vital role for both research and diagnostics, as we've seen.
Let's take a global perspective here. Where can we find our sample tech solutions in action?
Oh, Boston, Washington, Berlin, Basel, Bangalore, Tokyo, everywhere in Dominica. We're just everywhere. Take, for example, South Carolina. Here at the University of South Carolina, researchers study how the climate change and the global travel drive the spread of new infectious diseases. We help them analyzing complex samples to understand how emerging pathogens can be addressed faster.
Let's move to Australia. What about Adelaide?
In Adelaide, researchers are investigating the gut microbiome and its influence into cancer treatments and its side effects. With our sample technologies, we help them to understand how the microbes are affecting patient health.
This is great. One more, Kampala in Uganda.
Yeah, my favorite. Here, we support Makerere University in Kampala, and QIAGEN sample technologies are used in the research field on infectious diseases and genomics, and we help them advancing studies for tuberculosis and HIV.
We could keep going. We're also helping customers, for example, in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Yeah, indeed. While our solutions are touching lives all across the globe, our customers, researchers, and clinicians alike keep pushing the boundaries every day. This is why our R&D is so critical, because they give our customers what they need to build on.
Michael, what would you say, how does QIAGEN help drive research with our sample technologies?
One part is obviously dealing with all the different sample types that we've seen so far, but I think what is even more important is that we enable researchers not only to ask the questions of today, but based also on the results that they get to formulate the questions for tomorrow, because research never stops.
Hi Justus.
Hi.
We just talked about samples and their insights. What would you say about how the insights we gain from samples have evolved over time?
Let's take wastewater as an example. In the past, we were only able to detect outbreaks of infectious diseases like influenza or norovirus after cases had already appeared. Today, we can monitor viruses and antimicrobial resistance in wastewater.
Do you have got an example for that?
Yes, actually. In the U.S., there are 50 federal public health labs. More than 90% of those use our QIAcuity dPCR platform for their wastewater monitoring. All 50 of them use our sample preparation to produce daily, reliable, and high-quality results.
Or consider how to analyze urine and stool samples.
Exactly. What used to be mainly used for infectious disease testing can now also be used as non-invasive material for analyzing cancer types. This is only the beginning. Sample preparation remains the foundation that helps scientists to answer the questions of today and tomorrow.
Thanks for your insights, Justus. By the way, whose cup is that?
I don't know. Let's take it to the lab and let's find out, shall we?
Yes, let's do that.
Good.
See you soon.
Bye now.
Bye. If the first step in sample prep isn't done right, all the following steps can go wrong. Imagine a clinical sample, a sample from a crime scene. There is no second chance. You need reliable results, and that's why our customers trust us.
Absolutely. Quality and consistency is key to our success. Imagine changing established lab routines is so tedious and so difficult. Every new method at the very beginning would need to demonstrate its absolute reliability. This is how buildings are built on strong foundations, that new discoveries are dependent on reliable sample preparation. If the foundation fails, everything that has been built on top is really at risk.
That is why scientists demand absolute consistency in sample prep.
Absolutely. We shall not forget that our customers keep evolving with their needs, and so do we. We have already got today the broadest range of products for sample collection, stabilization, and preparation, but we keep innovating, and we are amending our automated platforms with the launch of three new systems: QIAsymphony Connect, QIAsprint Connect, and QIAmini.
Can you give us an overview of what's so special about these three new instruments?
Sure, could do that, but I rather recommend let's take it to the lab and let the instrument teams present the systems and their advantages by themselves.
Okay, let's do that, and we see each other in the Q&A.
Exactly. In the meantime, I'll put this one to the lab.
With the new QIAsymphony Connect, we have made sample preparation significantly faster and smarter. Throughput for certain liquid biopsy protocols, a high-gross added value application area, has increased with over 50%, reinforcing the momentum of over 35% growth within this respective portfolio. Up to four times 24 samples can be processed in a single run. With our final processing step, the so-called elution, we are able to obtain higher concentrated DNA and RNA, which can increase the sensitivity of the downstream tests significantly. In practice, this could mean earlier cancer detection. This is a real game changer for oncology labs dealing with increasing test volumes. Importantly, it can run all existing QIAsymphony sample prep kits for a wide spectrum of applications. Twenty-two catalog kits with eight IBD kits are fully compatible with the new system, perfect for life science and diagnostic customers alike. When samples are precious, traceability matters.
The QIAsymphony provides fully automated digital sample tracking from the primary tube containing the sample to the extracted high-quality DNA and RNA. This ensures compliance for diagnostics and confidence in every result. This is QIAsymphony Connect. Over to you, [Zildjian].
With QIAsprint Connect, we entered a high-throughput automation space. It's great for life science customers and labs processing large numbers of similar samples. It can handle up to 192 samples per run. Sample processing is fast, with purification completed in 30 to 45 minutes, and the system supports a broad range of applications. The new modular kit concept makes it easier for customers to get exactly what they need. Protocols can be customized to match individual requirements, offering high flexibility and the longest walk-away time in class. QIAsprint Connect brings speed, scale, and simplicity together. This is QIAsprint Connect. Now to you, [Antonia].
With QIAMini, QIAGEN expands automation access for smaller life science labs while maintaining the technology and reliability we are known for. It is a budget-friendly entry into automation, ideal for occasional users and low-throughput customers. Sample processing is comparable to manual workflows, but your hands are free. It is so easy and fast that you do not even need to think twice whether to prepare a few samples manually or let the instrument do it for you. Note the broad range of applications and enjoy the load-and-go operation with prefilled cartridges. One more extra, a small footprint that fits on a single sheet of paper. This is QIAMini.
As you just heard, all three new systems are well on track for launch in 2025 and 2026. The first QIAsymphonies are already with our customers. It's an exciting time for QIAGEN, and it's also a very exciting time for our customers, a clear sign that innovation across our portfolio is accelerating. How do we win? Let's hear from our Senior Vice Presidents, Nitin Sood, Head of Product Portfolio and Innovation, and Fernando Beils, our Head of Global Commercial Operations.
Sample technologies is the critical first step in many molecular biology workflows.
Sample technologies are where every molecular workflow begins, and QIAGEN is an iconic brand known for quality and excellence in sample technologies. Sample technologies is what underpins our leadership in molecular tools, connecting sample technologies to digital PCR and downstream applications like NGS. We serve a wide range of customers using this technology, from researchers in academia and pharma to diagnostic labs in oncology and infectious disease testing to applied markets like forensics. Across all these markets, we are growing steadily and addressing a market opportunity of $2 billion. QIAGEN offers the broadest portfolio in sample tech. We have over 350 kits covering different sample types, from wastewater testing to plasma to saliva to blood, and we do both RNA and DNA. In addition, we have a wide portfolio of automation platforms, from low-throughput instruments to high-throughput instruments.
We have 30,000 instruments placed across labs all over the world. 40% of our portfolio runs on our automation platform, and 60% is still manual. However, we see an increasing trend towards automation. QIAGEN is a leader in sample technologies, built over decades of expertise, and with an unmatched portfolio in terms of sample types and applications. Now we are reinforcing this leadership position with three things. First, we're expanding our automation portfolio and launching three new platforms over the next several months. Second, we're expanding into application areas like liquid biopsy and microbiome, where we have solid differentiation with new technologies and new kits. Third, we're expanding sample tech into emerging areas like single-cell genomics. Every year, we sell over 120 million reactions, demonstrating the importance of our products to hundreds of thousands of labs all over the world.
Every year, those labs publish 50,000 papers that cite our sample technology products. Over 60% of those customers use our downstream applications as well, like digital PCR, NGS, and PCR. Our leadership position and investment strategy sets us up for solid growth. In 2024, we delivered $642 million in revenue and are expecting to grow this business to at least $750 million by 2028. In certain applications, like liquid biopsy, we are seeing solid growth of 35% year over year. At the core of that success is trust. Trust is everything that we believe in. Trust is at the heart of everything we do. More than 35 Nobel Prize winners rely on trust and use QIAGEN technologies for sample tech for molecular testing. Every year, we are congratulating and welcoming new Nobel Prize winners from our customer base who are using and utilizing QIAGEN.
We are so proud of this achievement. Today, 8 out of 10 labs are utilizing our sample technologies, and even every life science PhD student knows our famous QIAGEN box kits. Customers trust in us. They stay with us. They grow with us. They scale with us and also do whatever lies ahead in the future with our sample technologies. This trust enables also our customers to adopt our next generation in automation. Our automation portfolio is second to none, but we're continuing to invest in it and launching three new systems over the coming months. First, we're launching QIAsymphony Connect, targeting our oncology customers with applications like liquid biopsy and next-generation capability to support high-growth applications like MRD. Second, we're launching QIAsprint Connect, targeting 10,000 placements. Finally, we're launching a benchtop system called QIAmini with a potential of over 100,000 placements worldwide.
Customer feedback from early access field tests confirms that these systems deliver what labs need. QIAsprint Connect is an outstanding system. It delivers efficiency, throughput, ease of use, simplicity, and it reduces the waste. QIAsymphony Connect is our response to make workflows easier, simpler in liquid biopsy space. Its efficiency, its reduced space allows a higher throughput. Our spirit of innovation comes to life with QIAsymphony Connect, which is targeting high-growth applications like NIPD, which is growing around 10% year over year, and oncology, which is growing around 35% year over year. The growth in the oncology market is driven by existing applications like therapy selection and the emergence of new applications like MRD or minimal residual disease, where sample volumes are increasing dramatically. QIAsymphony Connect has next-generation capabilities that allow customers to process more samples in less time and target applications like MRD.
Leading MRD labs like Guardant and Natera are already using QIAGEN's gold standard cell-free DNA extraction chemistry. There is more to come. Beyond oncology, diagnostic applications are being developed in autoimmune diseases and Alzheimer's, and there is robust growth in sample technologies for many years to come. Microbiome analysis is another growth opportunity for QIAGEN alongside liquid biopsy. We play a key role in microbiome testing, serving customers in academia, pharma, applied testing, and agriculture. This is truly reflecting from sample to insight, seeing all the complexities that our customers have with a huge variety of samples from stool to soil.
Many of our customers are in pioneering areas like predictive biomarkers, and we are the partner of choice for our customers as we are serving a whole array of workflow solutions to uncover this quest from sample to insight with these technologies from sample tech over NGS, dPCR, and qPCR. This is reflected by more than 15,000 citations. As we look ahead, our innovation journey continues. The next major leap for sample technologies is already underway. Single-cell analysis represents the next wave of growth. As you may have seen recently, we announced the acquisition of a company called Parse Biosciences, a leading provider of single-cell analysis. The single-cell market is expected to reach over $2.1 billion by 2029 and is expected to grow at over 10% year over year. More than 3,000 labs all over the world use Parse' technologies, targeting applications in oncology, neurology, and immunology.
It is powering data generation for AI-driven drug discovery. It is adopted by the top 50 research institutes in the world and the top 10 pharma companies in the world.
The real purpose here is understanding biology and how biology works at the unit of the single cell. This is important when you're understanding development, how do organs develop, other species, how do they develop. It's important when you're understanding disease progression.
If you think about the human body, it's best estimated like 37 trillion cells are in every human body. I think we still don't actually understand how each one develops over time. I think if you think about how do you actually do that, how do you actually understand how cells develop and differentiate into all these different cells we actually have, you know, single-cell sequencing is really going to be the way you do that.
Yeah, so the reason we want to do single-cell, obviously single cells, they're the fundamental unit of life. You want to understand what's happening within individual cells. Typically, when you, for example, do RNA sequencing, the first thing you do is you take your sample and you blend it up. All the cells in there are mixed together. You have no idea where the different molecules came from. If you think about, let's say you're looking at a tumor, that tumor is going to have cancerous cells, it's going to have non-cancerous cells, it's going to have immune cells. If you do it in this way where you blend it together, you have no idea where anything came from and what's actually happening within that tumor. You may have certain cancer cells that are becoming resistant to a treatment and you wouldn't even know.
With single-cell, what you can do is you can actually measure what's happening within each individual cell and each cell type in that sample, giving you unique insights into what's happening in, say, disease progression or development. This is why single-cell is so powerful. What Parse, what we do that's different than other technologies, is we have a much, much more scalable way to label those molecules with the cells of origin that they came from. That's inherently what's unique about Parse and our technology. It allows you to run more samples. It allows you to run more cells per experiment. As groups and researchers are scaling up today, collecting larger data sets, training AI models, this becomes incredibly important.
If you think about any biological study, you always want to have enough data to have, say, statistical significance, to have strong confidence in the findings that you're eventually trying to include. One of the challenges with using other technologies in single-cell sequencing is you get confined to running very small numbers of samples and even smaller numbers of cells for each sample, which makes it really hard to find strong confidence in the conclusions you're trying to make.
Parse, together with the company Tahoe Therapeutics, we released the largest single-cell data set ever. That was over 100 million cells. We are seeing continued demand that people are rapidly scaling towards billions of cells. For us, this is really the vision: get people to push the limits of what's possible with single-cell, show other people, and ultimately create totally new applications that people had not even thought of before.
We've grown the customer base at Parse from, you know, no customers originally to 3,000 labs that we're now working with across 40 countries around the world. What we're really excited about is the 500,000 labs and customers that QIAGEN works with. We see a lot of opportunities to help even more labs accelerate their research and basically partner with everyone at QIAGEN here.
Single-cell analysis is the new way of doing drug discovery and disease biology research. Combining Parse Biosciences with QIAGEN's comprehensive QDI bioinformatics portfolio creates a powerful solution for scientists all over the world. Parse' technology transforms single-cell research. It's scalable to billions and billions of cells. It's instrument-free and enables rapid adoption and generates unmatched data in terms of quality. Parse has generated the single largest data set in single-cells with over 100 million cells, powering the development of predictive models like the virtual cell. As pharma companies shift their research to AI-driven biological research, they're hungry for billions and billions of data points. Parse' technology enables the rapid generation of those data points.
In today's world, labs rely on solid data quality. They rely on reproducibility and that you can trust your results. Customers usually start their journey with sample technologies and go then to our downstream solutions where we do the analytics and provide analytical tools. I'll give you one example. A multinational customer in their Clear Lab started with manual sample tech kits, evolved over EZ2 to QIAsymphony, included our digital PCR solution, then to an NGS kit, and then with QDI, they got all the insights to make a companion diagnostics offering to serve the pharma industry. This shows us that our share of wallet with a customer with this particular case increased substantially. This also shows us that the customer is attracted to our ecosystem. More than 60% of our sample technologies customers rely on our downstream technologies.
This turns individual engagements and starts into a recurring revenue business. Sample technologies remain the foundation of QIAGEN's leadership in molecular testing. As you've seen before, it's responsible for countless customer breakthroughs around the world. We are the partner of choice, and we continue to build the most trusted brands and sample technologies. We are driving our automation momentum and sample technologies through our innovations from QIAmini over QIAsprint Connect towards QIAsymphony Connect. We are expanding high-value applications such as liquid biopsy and microbiome testing, deepening our role in research and healthcare. We are so excited to enter a new chapter of growth with single-cell analysis. QIAGEN sample technologies are the trusted foundation of molecular workflows. They're engineered for consistency and scalability, evolving through innovation for labs which demand quality and reproducibility. This is an exciting time.
To be in life sciences and diagnostics. The possibilities are endless. From developing novel therapeutics to novel diagnostics to understanding the fundamental mechanisms of disease, QIAGEN is not just part of the conversation. We're leading it.
The world around us constantly changes, and so do the challenges related to samples. Let's look at forensics. Crimes can get more complex, criminals better equipped. Who would have thought that it's even possible to rob the Louvre? Once again, QIAGEN's sample tech solutions are right on scene. Why do we continue to innovate? Because with every new challenge, we are inspired to push the boundaries of what sample tech is able to do, whether it's for new discoveries, health, or justice. The next story once again highlights how essential our sample technology solutions are. A short disclaimer: the following story contains descriptions of sexual assault, trauma, and related sensitive subjects. Viewer discretion is advised.
Once I called 911, things went very quickly. When the police showed up, it was a woman. I think that is the first time I exhaled. In my case, I was very clear about I need to catch him. This needs to go to trial. The analyst in my case found nothing in the rape kit. She elected to move on to a second level of garments. Even tested a third level. She tested the white T-shirt I had on. When she tested it, she found a teeny tiny miracle speck of DNA on that shirt. Because of the technology they had in Miami, they were able to run that speck of DNA and get a profile out of it. DNA is important because it is the only thing that linked that man to the crime. There was no hair. There were no prints.
Forensics is everything to me. It's so important to me that companies like QIAGEN keep doing what they're doing. They keep innovating, finding ways to do it better, to do it faster, to do it more accurately.
I'm now very pleased to welcome our CEO, Thierry Bernard. Hi, Thierry. Great to have you here.
I'm very glad to be with you.
We have seen how sample technologies are central for what we do. From your perspective, how does this business contribute to the strength of our strategy and position us for future growth?
That's a very good question, Dominica. You see, for QIAGEN, sample technology stands at the very heart of what we are and what we mean as a company. We mean scientific excellence. We mean investment in research and development and innovation. We mean quality and trust, the trust that the customers are placing in our sample technology. QIAGEN is born with sample technology. There is definitely a before and after QIAGEN because we did really 40 years ago standardized and revolutionized sample technology for so many researchers and scientists all over the world. Not only is it part of our history, it's also the future of QIAGEN. This is why we invest in sample technology because there are so many growing applications. Where do we invest? First, we invest in automation.
QIAGEN is about to launch three major new instruments in sample technology between the end of 2025 and 2026. We invest as well in new applications, what we call high added value sample technology, liquid biopsy, for example, or minimal residual disease for oncology, microbiome. Last but not least, we do invest into new territories, technologies that are growing so fast. This is the example of the recent acquisition of Parse in the world of single-cell. We invest and also we leverage on our brand. There is definitely a QIAGEN brand for sample tech, and this is 40 years of trust from our customers.
Thanks, Thierry, for your insights. Now let's hear from our customers what they think about our sample technology solutions and how QIAGEN is making a real impact.
I am Charlene Rincón, and for the past three years at Moderna, I've led the high-throughput operations group. We're talking DNA, RNA, and LNP for research mainly and process development. For the last year, I've also led the pilot operations team. Moderna transformed mRNA from a lab concept into an approved globally distributed medicine and a reusable platform, showing that programmable mRNA can be designed and manufactured at scale for vaccines and therapeutic research. Pilot uses the QIAGEN mini-prep kits for in-process checks of the DNA workflow. HTOPS uses the QIAprep spin kits and the TurboFilter 96-well plates for the mini-preps. We use the GigaPrep kits and the QIAfilter cartridges and the high-speed GigaTips for the larger amplification.
Standardizing these kits has given us that predictable prep performance that is needed to reduce the rework and handoffs to downstream and making sure that that production goes faster. Having sample technologies that deliver the same performance worldwide enables seamless tech transfers and comparable data across sites and collaborators. QIAGEN's breadth and strong documentation, along with solid technical support, fit our high-throughput and scale-up needs. Reliable, high-quality sample preparation reduces rework and shortens turnaround time, supporting timely progression from research start to the clinic.
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This highlights the relevance of high-quality sample prep and automation and the impact of QIAGEN. Thierry, let's move now to a totally different application, agriculture. You already had the chance to meet the next customer. What was most inspiring of what she's doing?
Yes, really. The following customer is really a fantastic example that the applications for sample techs are countless. I flew to Brazil indeed to visit this lab, and everybody knows QIAGEN for our presence in sample tech, in research, academia once again, or the clinical world. Who knows that we are working hand by hand with the agri industry, basically to test the quality of soil in this example. Once again, this is confirmed by recent news that our applications are everywhere. Look at what happened in the Louvre recently. Which company did test the more than 150 DNA samples to try to identify potential suspect? QIAGEN. Recently in the U.K., there was a report on Ed Sheeran, the famous singer. Guess what? There was a moment in that report where they spoke about QIAGEN because they tested one sample of Ed Sheeran's hair.
It was our company again who did the testing. That proves again that we have so many applications to deploy our sample tech technology, and they keep coming.
Let's watch together the customer testimonial video.
I'm [Michelle Cadder], I'm CEO from [Grow Genetics]. Our mission is to make molecular biology practical and useful, helping people in agriculture and diagnostics with clear, reliable solutions. We also work with the One Health concept, which means connecting soil, plants, food, and human health through microbiome studies. [Grow Genetics] uses PowerSoil manual extraction. In 2025, we put automation in QIACube. PowerSoil is the best kit for extraction from soil in the world. We have a lot of studies showing that the PowerSoil has the best extraction from DNA from bacteria and fungi. With QIACube and PowerSoil, we improve the soil DNA testing and processing large batches of samples without losing quality. The automation is very important for the time of all the analysis. When we sell one analysis for the farmers, he needs a fast answer.
With the QIAcube, we can shorten the time of the analysis. When you put automation, you do not have many mistakes. One thing that is very important is good sample preparation is the foundation for good data. The future of molecular biology is predictive, helping us prevent problems in health and agriculture before they happen. Partnerships with companies like QIAGEN are key for us. They provide strong, scalable technology that supports our credibility and growth. High-quality sample preparation creates trust and value in agriculture, diagnostics, and human health.
Great insights from [Grow Genetics]. With that, we are ready for the Q&A. If you have not done so, please type in your questions into the Q&A box, and we are happy to take the questions afterwards. Today, hosting with me the Q&A are Daniel Wendorff and John Gilardi. Welcome.
Thierry, together with Nitin, Fernando, Michael, and Justus are going to take the questions. Let's get started so that we can answer as many questions as possible. Daniel, why don't you take the first one?
Thank you, Dominica. The first question actually came from a number of people. QIAGEN created the sample tech market but a long, long time ago. How has competition changed over time? What is enduring about QIAGEN's market position? What are the levers of innovation?
That's a fair question. Indeed, as we have tried to show during this one-hour deep dive, 40 years ago, we literally created the market of sample technology. There is a before and after QIAGEN. We democratized access to molecular biology thanks to what we created in the field of sample technology. Obviously, the market evolved little by little from manual technologies to automated technologies, uncovering more and more potential sample types, not only for research, academia, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, biotechs, but beyond those applications. We talked about forensic too. We talked about agribusiness as well. Obviously, geographically, in some of our mature markets, some competitors emerge. The breadth of coverage of QIAGEN, the number of samples that our solution can address is uncomparable.
The ability to provide solution, manual solution, but also automated, any kind of throughput to so many different customers is also uncomparable. This is why we continue to have this leadership and take probably between 55% and 60% of the market in sample technology.
Thanks. John, do you want to take the second one?
Sure. Thanks, Dominica. Just a question that came in was, can you elaborate on the high throughput opportunity, especially as you go into this market against legacy players? What are customers asking for in a solution like QIAsprint Connect? What makes you decide to go into this market now as opposed to in recent years?
First of all, as you said, John, and it's another good question. This is a new market for QIAGEN. This is interesting to note that we are going to create a completely new install base. We estimate that the potential for placements for QIAsprint Connect is around 10,000 placements over time, obviously. Customers are expecting reliability, obviously, trust, and the ability, once again, to cover many applications. I am going to ask Michael Scheffler to complete also what customers are expecting with this new launch.
Yeah, absolutely. We clearly see that also the evolution towards a high throughput demand is what we learned from the conversations with our customers. This is where we took the effort in order to also launch the first major innovation in the high throughput segment for many years. We really put some effort in order to increase the usability and also the efficiency in the system. For example, now with our setup that you saw on the video, we're able to process more than 192 samples in one single run. That's really what customers are appreciating, this seamless operation and the integration with the workflows in order to manage their daily operations within the lab. This is also the trusted QIAGEN chemistry that customers will appreciate here. This is the power portfolio.
We already have seen the plasmid portfolio that we even had made it better with the BOP technology. Customers can very much look forward to that new technology. We just concluded also the first field tests. They were very successful. Customers really appreciated the features that we have shared with them. We remain fully committed for the launch in quarter one, 2026.
You know, this should make it to obviously state-of-the-art user interface. And as you know, it's extremely satisfying for QIAGEN to see that as the system is not even launched, QIAsprint Connect, as Michael just said, will be launched in Q1 of 2026. We have already received some purchase orders. That's how customers are trusting that development by QIAGEN. Nitin, would you like to add something to that?
Yeah, I think one other thing I would like to highlight is the fact that it's really a very high throughput platform, but it's also low footprint. As you all know, that lab space is at a premium. The combination of high throughput with low footprint, low plastic use, open platform, ease of use really makes QIAsprint very likely to be very successful. We're feeling very confident about the launch in March of 2026.
Thanks, Michael and Nitin.
The next question is from Patrick Donnelly. It's around liquid biopsy. We mentioned that liquid biopsy is a big growth area with over 35% growth. Can you provide some context? Can you provide some context? And it's gone. Can you provide some context to the liquid biopsy market and the MRD market as well?
Patrick, thanks for the question. What we are trying to show here is that we do invest into what we call high added value application. This is why most of the market is growing. This is where most of the market is growing. We spoke about liquid biopsy. We said also, we mentioned minimal residual diseases, microbiome analysis. When we think liquid biopsy, Patrick, we think the total market of oncology, the potential here is significant. It's probably close to a $6 billion market, and it's growing fast. Look at the main player, the end application players, the Nateras, the Guardant Health in the world. Those companies are processing their results or generating their results thanks to QIAGEN. This is why we are growing by more than 35% in this segment of liquid biopsy. We do not see this to slow down.
We have developed, for example, the QIAsymphony Connect in very close relationships with Natera. As Nitin said in the presentation, our QIAsymphony Connect is currently already installed at Natera for further evaluation. These are those kinds of partnerships hand in hand with companies like Guardant, Natera, NeoGenomics that will ensure the future of sample tech at QIAGEN. This is why we are growing so fast there.
Perfect. Thanks. Daniel, the next one.
Yeah, sure. This is also coming from a number of people. Can you walk us through the rollout timelines for the new automation platforms overall and where customers and investors can see them demonstrated?
That's a good question. I think what we are very proud of those last years at QIAGEN is that we execute on sales and we execute on guidance every quarter. I would like to add as well, we execute on product development. We said in New York that we would launch two new instruments, QIAsymphony Connect and QIAsymphony and QIAsprint. We are going to launch three. The three of them are perfectly on time, on spec, and on budget. QIAsymphony Connect, as we said, is already installed in some laboratories. It's a pre-launch, I would say, before a full launch in 2026. Michael and Nitin just said that QIAsprint Connect will be launched in Q1 of 2026. We believe that QIAmini will be ready for launch in H2 of 2026.
Thank you.
Good. John, do we have more?
Sure. Let me try and combine some questions from Yang Kok, Harry Gillis at Barenberg, and Aisha. The first part of the question is, when you think about QIAsprint Connect and QIAMini targeting new markets, does this require incremental investments in your sales force? Related to that, is there any pent-up demand that you're anticipating because of the current academic environment in the U.S.? How is that going to play out in terms of your plans for 2026, 2027, 2028? That's kind of the question right there.
First of all, let's remind everybody that QIAGEN believes in specializations of our sales force. We have dedicated people everywhere we can to sample tech and to the sales and marketing of our sample tech solutions. We do not expect to have to invest a significant amount of new sales rep to be able to promote and deliver QIAsymphony Connect, QIAsprint Connect, and QIAmini to our customers. We already have salespeople, marketing people, and technical people to support those systems. Obviously, we all know that currently there are some constraints on capital expenses in many labs in the world, research academia especially, not only in the U.S., by the way, John, but in many countries all over the world. We also believe at QIAGEN that this environment will stabilize, that those labs are going to invest because we are bringing added value solutions.
QIAsymphony Connect, QIAsprint Connect, QIAmini will all add something new and bring something new to those labs. That is why we are confident that those investments will happen. It is a significant part of the growth expectation we have given for our sample tech franchise towards 2028. Nitin highlighted again that we want to achieve $750 million by 2028. This will be very much driven by automation, by those new applications, and beyond that, obviously, by the acquisition of new technologies by single sales and parts. Perhaps, Fernando, you want to add something from our sales force standpoint?
Yes, sure. We have a total geographical coverage through our direct sales, through our service teams, through our field application specialists, where we already placed a huge number of QIAsymphony Classics. It will also be part of this on the parts to cover this demand. Furthermore, we are also in the mid-throughput segment, as has been shown by Nitin before, where we are also through our EZ family and our QIAcube family are covering all aspects. What you observe is transition from manual to automation. This is where a system like the QIAmini will get the access. For high throughput solutions, as you heard, this is the advantage for other users.
I think it's sometimes forgotten indeed that we said that during the presentation today, we are talking about more than 30,000 systems installed by QIAGEN in sample technologies. With the potential brought by QIAmini, we believe that the market is potentially 100,000 placements in the coming years. We believe that, as we said, QIAsprint Connect has a potential of 10,000 placements over the coming years, more than 5,000 extra placements also with QIAsymphony Connect. We do not want to be complacent, obviously, but we have strong ambition for those instruments.
The next one, let's move to Parse. Can you elaborate on the scalability of Parse and how it performs in high-volume studies?
That's one of the key differentiators of Parse indeed, together with being instrument-free. I'm going to ask Nitin to elaborate a bit.
Yes. You know, Parse has demonstrated scalability very nicely. It has generated the largest single-cell data set, which is about 100 million cells. These are 50 cancer cell lines treated with 400 drugs, so very powerful data. In addition to scalability, Parse is instrument-free, so it's very easy to adopt. Over 3,000 labs worldwide have adopted Parse's technology. Lastly, it generates really high-quality data. As you know, customers demand the best quality of data. Parse can generate 25% more genes per cell than competing technologies. This is all fueling what's happening in pharma companies and in academic labs, which is research dollars are shifting towards what is called AI-driven biology or AI-driven drug discovery. Given Parse's scalability, it's really well-positioned to capture this trend.
I'd like to add something here that really Parse is a very natural acquisition for QIAGEN. It's a natural extension of our leadership in sample technologies. What was very, very intriguing and interesting for us at QIAGEN since we met Parse, the very first time we met Parse was around 2018, is that since then, they systematically walked the talk and delivered on what they told us they would develop. Technology-wise, creation of a significant install base of already more than 4,000 customers all over the world, they delivered. This is why it makes such a competitive alliance for the future.
Great. We have time for one or two more questions, Daniel?
Yeah. Another question here is from Casey Watching, J.P. Morgan. What is your market share in manual versus automated? How do you see that 60-40 manual-automated split in the market progressing over time? Is there a ceiling to automated penetration rates?
First of all, as we said, we believe that the market currently is rather around 40% automated and 60% manual. Fernando just alluded to that. There is a natural attrition of skilled technicians in laboratories all over the world. This is why bringing smart, easy-to-use automated solutions is so key. The market trend will be clearly automation. Once again, we are going to offer different kinds of automations, very high throughput, QIAsprint Connect, mid-size throughput with QIASymphony. QIASymphony addition addresses that key segment of liquid biopsy. With QIAMini, we are going to offer to so many researchers, academicians in the labs, the opportunity to stop pipetting endlessly and just automate the run. I mean, for this instrument, the sky is really the limit. The trend on the market is definitely automation.
We have one more, and then we are running out of time. John, you take the last one.
Sure. Just to kind of bundle together some questions from Jack, Nien, and some others, it's about what SamplePrep does as an anchor to get you into a lab and be able to sell upstream into the sequencer or into a platform like digital PCR, and then tying it into QDI and the biopharmax off the back end. Can you give some insights out as to how SamplePrep really opens those doors? What are the initiatives to be able to use that and be able to cross-sell as Fernando was asking about?
This is a fundamental question, and it is at the very heart of QIAGEN's positioning because we need to all understand that sample tech is the very first step of any biology workflow. All those customers or potential sites, researchers, academic, clinical, they rely on an excellent sample tech, extraction of nucleic acid, purification of nucleic acid to get the best possible result downstream. The positioning of QIAGEN in sample tech in so many labs offers then what we call share of wallet opportunities because once we are establishing those labs with sample tech, we can then promote our PCR solution, our digital PCR solution, our NGS, next-generation sequencing chemistry, or our QDI solution. There is a natural spillover effect between our positioning in sample tech and the rest of our portfolio. Perhaps you want to give some concrete examples to that.
Yes. Thanks, Thierry. Sure. As you've just alluded to, the entry into the lab is the most significant piece of it. It gives us the starting. We get to know the lab. We get to know the demands of the customer. Around that, we have developed some of the new platforms in sample tech already. This also gives us the possibility to get to know what the customer really is looking for further downstream in dPCR and PCR and NGS applications, and then even further downstream into QDI. The first entry into the lab is the key to open the lab door and to be able to walk through the door and build on the share of wallet across the entire workflow from sample to insight.
There is something that we said during the presentation and something that is sometimes forgotten. Unlike many other tool or diagnostic companies, something we all have to understand is that there is not any PhD student in the world, and I insist in the world, who does not know QIAGEN, who has not been working on the bench with the famous QIAGEN red boxes or blue boxes. Thirty-five Nobel Prize winners are using our solutions in sample technologies. This is unprecedented and probably unbeatable as well.
Perfect. We are almost at the end of the deep dive. Thierry, do you want to give some closing remarks to the audience?
Once again, and thanks to you, Dominica, thanks to you, Daniel, and John. We have tried in one hour to give you the reasons, the rationale behind our leaderships in a key segment of our portfolio. QIAGEN is born 40 years ago with sample technologies, but sample technologies are also the future of QIAGEN. We are embarking on an unprecedented launch of three new instruments. We continue to develop very high-value applications in liquid biopsy, in minimal residual diseases, in microbiome, segments of application that are growing very fast, much more than double digit. Last but not least, we invest in new technologies with single-cell. Definitely, sample tech is a leadership for QIAGEN, but it's also the future of this company. Thank you.
I would like to close today's Sample Technologies Deep Dive. If you have further questions, as always, please do not hesitate to contact us. Have a great day.