DGAP-News: STRATEC and QIAGEN announce cooperation

| Source: EQS Group AG EQS Group AG 

STRATEC Biomedical Systems AG / Alliance

18.02.2008 

Release of a Corporate-announcement, transmitted by DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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STRATEC and QIAGEN announce cooperation

Birkenfeld, February 18, 2008

STRATEC Biomedical Systems AG, Birkenfeld, Germany, and QIAGEN Gaithersburg
Inc., Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA, have announced a cooperation to develop
and produce fully automated, high throughput analyzer systems for molecular
diagnostics tests. The primary assay to run on this platform is QIAGEN’s
next generation test for human papilloma virus (HPV). This virus is the
cause for one of the world’s most common form of cancer. The platform is a
version of a widely placed instrument developed by STRATEC which has now
been modified to automate molecular diagnostic tests. Prototypes of this
analyzer system have already been successfully tested at QIAGEN. Based on
the current schedule, initial validation units required to generate the
data necessary for FDA/CE approval will be supplied by STRATEC in 2008 and
placed with selected end customers by QIAGEN. STRATEC expects to supply
higher quantities starting in the fourth quarter of 2008.

The cooperation between QIAGEN and STRATEC was started in 2006 (at that
time between STRATEC and Digene Corp., Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA) and was
now expanded with subsequent contracts between QIAGEN Gaithersburg and
STRATEC. The contract concluded between Digene and STRATEC in 2006 was
published by STRATEC in an ad-hoc announcement on June 28, 2006.

'The cooperation with QIAGEN, one of the world’s leading companies in the
rapidly growing market segment of molecular diagnostics, provides STRATEC
with enormous growth potential from the automation of QIAGEN’s molecular
diagnostic methods in line with FDA and IVD-D requirements', commented
Hermann Leistner, Chairman of the Board of Management of STRATEC Biomedical
Systems AG.
About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company is the leading provider of
innovative sample and assay technologies and products. QIAGEN’s products
are considered standards in areas such as pre-analytical sample preparation
and assay solutions in research for life sciences, applied testing and
molecular diagnostics.

QIAGEN has developed a comprehensive portfolio of more than 500
proprietary, consumable products and automated solutions for sample
collection, nucleic acid and protein handling, separation, and purification
and open and target specific assays. The company's products are sold to
academic research markets, to leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies, to applied testing customers (such as in forensics, veterinary,
biodefense and industrial applications) as well as to molecular diagnostics
laboratories.

QIAGEN employs more than 2,600 people worldwide. QIAGEN products are sold
through a dedicated sales force and a global network of distributors in
more than 40 countries. Further information about QIAGEN can be found at
www.qiagen.com.

About STRATEC

STRATEC Biomedical Systems AG (http://www.stratec-biomedical.de) designs
and manufactures fully automated analyzer systems for its partners in the
fields of clinical diagnostics and biotechnology. These partners market
such systems, in general together with their own reagents, to laboratories,
blood banks and research institutes around the world. The company develops
its products on the basis of its own patented technologies. Shares in the
company (ISIN: DE0007289001) are traded in the Prime Standard segment of
the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and on other exchanges.

The STRATEC Group consists of the publicly listed parent company STRATEC
Biomedical Systems AG and its subsidiaries STRATEC Biomedical Inc., STRATEC
NewGen GmbH, Robion AG and Sanguin International Ltd., as well as Sanguin
International Inc., a subsidiary of Sanguin International Ltd.

Further information can be obtained from:

STRATEC Biomedical Systems AG
André Loy, Investor Relations
Gewerbestr.37, 75217 Birkenfeld
Germany
Tel: +49 7082 7916 190
Fax: +49 7082 7916 999
E-Mail: ir@stratec-biomedical.de
DGAP 18.02.2008 
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Language:     English
Issuer:       STRATEC Biomedical Systems AG
              Gewerbestraße 37
              75217 Birkenfeld
              Deutschland
Phone:        +49 (0)7082 7916 0
Fax:          +49 (0)7082 7916 999
E-mail:       info@stratec-biomedical.de
Internet:     www.stratec-biomedical.de
ISIN:         DE0007289001
WKN:          728900
Listed:       Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr
              in Stuttgart, München, Düsseldorf
End of News                                     DGAP News-Service
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