The project expands QIAGEN’s involvement in large-scale population genomics initiatives globally.
Recently, QIAGEN announced that it will be providing support to the SG-INSIGHT study, a cohort under Phase III of Singapore’s National Precision Medicine (NPM) program.
Coordinated by Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE), NPM Phase III expands Singapore’s national precision medicine effort to about 450,000 residents – around 10% of the Singapore resident population – with a shift towards enrolling participants who are receiving medical treatment and healthcare services.
Unlike Phase II, which focused on healthy volunteers, Phase III aims to include patients across a wide spectrum of health conditions through Singapore’s three public healthcare clusters.
Ultimately, this will support the longer-term goal of moving genomics from research cohorts towards integration into clinical workflows and national healthcare delivery.
Justus Krause‑Harder, Head of Molecular Tools & Oncology at QIAGEN, shared: “Population genomics is increasingly moving closer to clinical care, placing new demands on the reliability, consistency and scalability of the workflows that underpin whole genome sequencing.”
According to him, SG-INSIGHT demonstrates the scale at which these capabilities are now required.
QIAGEN said that it will provide an “automated, single-source sample-to-library workflow that guarantees data consistency from biological intake to downstream analysis.”
The company noted that its QIAsprint Connect and QIAseq FX DNA Library Kit will support automated DNA extraction and library preparation—marking the first time that its universal Next-Generation Sequencing products are deployed in a nationwide population genomics study.
QIAsprint Connect automates genomic DNA extraction for high-throughput applications and can perform two automated runs of up to 96 samples each from a single start command, delivering a peak capacity of more than 3,600 samples per week.
There are also built-in barcode checks to prevent setup errors, while automated audit trails and run reports strengthen traceability and compliance.
It also has a compact footprint and high functional density to bring high-throughput automation into less bench space, helping laboratories scale their operations efficiently.
Meanwhile, the QIAseq FX DNA Library Kit provides high-fidelity, unbiased library preparation, providing samples ready for sequencing on Ultima Genomics’ UG200™ platform.
“Its all-in-one reaction minimizes sample transfers and consumable tip usage. Its advanced enzymatic chemistry delivers uniform coverage across challenging GC-rich genomic regions, ensuring superior variant calling accuracy and reproducibility,” said QIAGEN.
The SG-INSIGHT sequencing work will also bring together QIAGEN’s sample preparation technologies with sequencing services delivered through a consortium led by Singapore-headquartered precision oncology company Lucence and involving Ultima Genomics.
Lucence provides program management and laboratory execution, while Ultima Genomics provides high-throughput sequencing technology through its UG200 platform and Solaris 2.0 chemistry.
For QIAGEN, the project underscores the growing role of automated sample preparation as population genomics initiatives increase in scale and move toward clinical applications.
“By integrating high-throughput DNA extraction and sequencing library preparation, QIAGEN aims to help laboratories meet the operational requirements of large-scale genomic workflows with greater automation, consistency and efficiency,” the company underscored.
