QIAGEN launches the DNeasy PowerSoil Pro Kit to advance microbiome characterization in soils

Germantown, Maryland, and Hilden, Germany, May 23, 2018 – QIAGEN today announced the worldwide launch of the new DNeasy PowerSoil Pro Kit, the next generation of sample technology for the extraction of fungal and bacterial DNA from a range of soil samples.

The new DNeasy PowerSoil Pro Kits featuring a streamlined version of QIAGEN’s proprietary Inhibitor Removal Technology (IRT) and a redesigned bead tube and lysis chemistry for the disruption of difficult soil samples. The DNeasy PowerSoil Pro Kits have demonstrated that they outperform the original PowerSoil technology and can generate microbial DNA isolates of even higher quality in even less time. Soil samples are challenging for molecular analyses used in microbiome research because they commonly carry substances that inhibit current methods, such as PCR and next-generation sequencing. The improved IRT and optimized chemistry of the DNeasy PowerSoil Pro Kit eliminates these inhibitors from soil and environmental samples, delivering high yields of pure microbial DNA that can be used directly in downstream applications. Furthermore, analysis of the isolated DNA reveals an accurate representation of the microbial diversity present in a sample, as measured by the total number of operational taxonomic units detected by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.

“Microbiome research is an exciting investigative area that is exponentially expanding our understanding of the microbial world,” explained Dominic O’Neil, Director of Microbiome Product Development at QIAGEN. “Scientists are uncovering symbiotic relationships that have the potential to drive improvements in crop productivity, assist environmental remediation, boost ecosystem services, or cure health conditions that we are just beginning to understand. The key to these improvements in life lies in notoriously difficult sample types, like soils. QIAGEN already offers market-leading solutions for DNA purification from such tough matrices but we continually strive to improve performance and streamline workflows. Coupled with other QIAGEN kits and instruments, we are empowering innovation in microbiome research – from Sample to Insight – by emphasizing high-quality analytes that truly represent the composition and abundance of microbial communities in samples and are ready to be used in sensitive analyses.”

Benefits of the DNeasy PowerSoil Pro Kits at a glance

  • Efficient lysis of bacteria and fungi in all soil types, including compost, clay and top soil
  • Up to 8-fold higher yields of DNA compared to alternative methods
  • Recovery of inhibitor-free DNA ready for direct use in NGS applications
  • Unbiased results, with higher alpha diversity in sequencing compared to other methods
  • Sample processing can be automated on the QIAcube

The DNeasy PowerSoil Pro Kit is available now.

QIAGEN’s Leadership in Microbiome Research

As an industry pioneer of research solutions for sample preparation, in-depth molecular analyses and data interpretation, QIAGEN is a renowned supporter of microbiome research initiatives worldwide. Products from the microbiome portfolio are currently used and recommended by international consortia like the Human Microbiome Project, the Earth Microbiome Project and the MetaSUB Consortium.

About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight solutions that enable customers to gain valuable molecular insights from samples containing the building blocks of life. Our sample technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from blood, tissue and other materials. Assay technologies make these biomolecules visible and ready for analysis. Bioinformatics software and knowledge bases interpret data to report relevant, actionable insights. Automation solutions tie these together in seamless and cost-effective workflows. QIAGEN provides solutions to more than 500,000 customers around the world in Molecular Diagnostics (human healthcare), Applied Testing (primarily forensics), Pharma (pharma and biotech companies) and Academia (life sciences research). As of March 31, 2018, QIAGEN employed approximately 4,700 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at http://www.qiagen.com.

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