Expanded gene expression options, QIAcuity digital PCR gains new muscle for Qiagen

Edited by ad hoc news Flagship & Bestseller Desk. Reviewed before publication on 06/15/2026 at 2:27 PM ET. Details in the imprint.

Qiagen is putting fresh emphasis on digital PCR by broadening its QIAcuity platform with new gene expression assays and the QIAcuity OneStep High Multiplex Probe PCR Kit, a flagship ecosystem play aimed at research and biopharma labs that need higher throughput and more targets per run. The planned additions are designed to let scientists quantify up to 12 RNA targets in a single reaction while keeping hands-on time and workflow complexity in check. Instead of launching an entirely new instrument, Qiagen is building around its existing QIAcuity dPCR systems, underscoring how important the installed base has become in its life sciences portfolio.

What Qiagen is adding to the QIAcuity ecosystem

At the core of the expansion is a new portfolio of QIAcuity Gene Expression Assays, which Qiagen says will roll out later in 2026 to cover gene expression analysis in human, mouse and rat models across a wide range of research applications. These ready-to-use assays are expected to complement existing custom assay options and give labs standardized panels for common targets, reducing the need for in-house assay design and validation. For many core and pharma labs that already rely on QIAcuity instruments for copy number variation or rare mutation detection, the expanded content should make it easier to bring routine expression profiling onto the same dPCR workflow.

Alongside the assays, the new QIAcuity OneStep High Multiplex Probe PCR Kit is being positioned as a way to run up to 12 RNA targets in a single well, consolidating what are often separate low-plex reactions into a single, partitioned dPCR run. By combining reverse transcription and PCR in one step and optimizing reaction chemistry for partitioned digital PCR, the kit aims to cut bench time, save sample and reduce reagent cost per data point for multiplexed RNA quantification. Qiagen also highlights that standardized workflows and pre-validated conditions should help labs move complex multiplex assays out of development mode and into routine use more quickly, which is particularly relevant for large biopharma programs running longitudinal studies.

The company is simultaneously adding more assay content and automation options across the QIAcuity ecosystem, positioning digital PCR not just as a niche sensitivity tool but as a workhorse technology for applications like gene and cell therapy development, cancer biomarker research and quality control of advanced therapeutics. This strategy aligns with a broader push in the dPCR market to move from single-target assays toward higher-plex panels that can profile expression patterns or track multiple critical quality attributes in a single experiment. For Qiagen, expanding QIAcuity’s menu also creates more recurring revenue opportunities from consumables while reinforcing lock-in around its instruments, a model already familiar from its sample prep and qPCR franchises.

QIAcuity itself sits alongside other Qiagen platforms such as QIAstat-Dx and NeuMoDx, but the company has already signaled that it plans to discontinue the NeuMoDx 96 and 288 Molecular Systems, underlining how resources are shifting toward areas with stronger structural demand. Digital PCR has been one of those areas, as labs dealing with cell and gene therapies, minimal residual disease monitoring and wastewater surveillance look for higher sensitivity and more absolute quantification than traditional qPCR can provide. Against that backdrop, Qiagen’s decision to build out assays, multiplexing and workflow standardization around QIAcuity is effectively a bet that digital PCR will continue to gain share in high-value research and biopharma workflows rather than remaining a niche add-on.

For investors, the QIAcuity expansion underscores how Qiagen is leaning on consumables-driven platforms and specialized tools to support growth in its life sciences and molecular diagnostics mix, rather than chasing broad, low-margin test volumes. QIAcuity has not been broken out separately in public filings, but digital PCR is increasingly mentioned as part of the company’s growth narratives with pharma and advanced therapy customers. Shares of Qiagen (ISIN NL0012169213) traded on the NYSE at $37.07 on 06/12/2026.

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