QGEN

Qiagen N.v.

A maker of kits and instruments that extract, purify, and analyze DNA, RNA, and proteins from biological samples, QIAGEN's "Sample to Insight" products are used by research labs, hospitals, and forensic scientists around the world. Founded in 1984 in Düsseldorf, Germany, as Diagen by three doctoral students and their professor, it was one of the first biotech spin-offs from a German university. The "Q" in its name comes from "Q-Smaragd," the special resin in its first plasmid-purification kits.