ArcherDX Launches from QIAGEN Acquisition of Enzymatics

ArcherDX, Inc., the NGS applications company, today announced the formation of a new, independent company, which is focused on the development of the Archer™ line of next-generation sequencing (NGS) products. ArcherDX is the result of a business unit reorganization, announced yesterday, in which QIAGEN N.V. (NASDAQ: QGEN, Frankfurt Prime Standard QIA) acquired the Enzyme Solutions Unit of Enzymatics, based in Beverly, Mass. ArcherDX integrates Enzymatics’ former Archer NGS and Supply Chain Solutions units.

As part of the transaction, ArcherDX entered into a strategic partnership with QIAGEN to distribute the company’s products. Financial terms of the transactions are undisclosed.

“This is more than just an exciting time for ArcherDX; it is also a win for our customers and the clinical research community. Additional resources and enhanced focus will accelerate our development of best-in-class NGS applications,” said Jason Myers, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of ArcherDX. “ArcherDX has retained all the capabilities required to deliver the best target enrichment solutions for fusion transcript, single nucleotide polymorphism, single nucleotide variant, and copy number variation detection. Additionally, our strategic alliance with QIAGEN enables us to deliver world-class target enrichment solutions globally.”

ArcherDX, which employs 87, is headquartered in Boulder, Colo., and maintains manufacturing operations in Beverly, Mass. The company’s chief executive, Dr. Myers, was the Chief Executive Officer of ArcherDX prior to its September 2013 acquisition by Enzymatics. Under Enzymatics, the ArcherDX team commercialized AMP™ technology, which addresses the bottlenecks associated with using next-generation sequencing in translational research.

ArcherDX offers a best-in-class Archer FusionPlex™ product line of gene fusion assays, which utilize targeted enrichment chemistry and automated bioinformatic analysis to detect both known and novel fusions from RNA. The FusionPlex line of gene fusion assays include ALK, RET, ROS1; FGFR; NTRK; Heme; and Sarcoma panels, as well as a custom assay designer.

“In the coming months, we look forward to launching a series of AMP™-based Universal DNA enrichment panels to complement our growing line of RNA panels,” added Dr. Myers.

The Archer™ NGS Solution

Archer™ NGS utilizes best-in-class fusion detection technology with a lyophilized workflow and an advanced analysis pipeline to comprehensively detect fusions and mutations from as little as 10ng of nucleic acid. Using ArcherDX’s proprietary Anchored Multiplex PCR (AMP™) technology, researchers can detect and identify fusions without prior knowledge of fusion partners or breakpoints.

Archer™ FusionPlex™ assays have been optimized for fusion and mutation detection and characterization, are FFPE compatible, and can run on both Illumina® and Ion Torrent™ next-generation sequencing platforms. Once sequenced, Archer FusionPlex libraries can be analyzed via the Archer Analysis Pipeline, a proprietary informatics analysis package that quickly detects and identifies fusion partners of assay genes as well as selected indels and point mutations.

Note: Archer™ kits and analysis software are for research use only and not for use in diagnostic procedures.

About ArcherDX, Inc.

ArcherDX, the NGS applications company, is developing and commercializing a novel approach to target enrichment chemistry. Next-generation sequencing technology based on Anchored Multiplexed PCR (AMP™) generates a highly enriched library of gene targets of interest for downstream genomic sequencing. Complemented by proprietary software and readily accessible reports, our technology enables dramatic enhancement in mutation detection speed as well as complex mutation identification and discovery. www.ArcherDX.com