Qiagen, CosmosID introduce new plugin for metagenomics analysis

• The CosmosID plugin offers support for shotgun metagenomics and microbiome profiling for application in the fields of infectious disease, food safety, animal health, agriculture, and environmental analysis.
• “The addition of the CosmosID plugin to the Qiagen Microbial Genomics Pro Suite brings researchers a truly comprehensive package of metagenomics and microbiome profiling applications that we now have conveniently integrated into a single, user friendly and scalable software environment”, said Laura Furmanski, Senior Vice President of Qiagen’s Bioinformatics business area. “When working with complex metagenomics samples, accurately identifying pathogens and identifying genes involved in virulence or antibiotic resistance is crucial. Achieving this requires a combination of precision algorithms and highly curated content in reference databases. With the CosmosID plugin, Qiagen users gain access to both, algorithms and databases.”
• “The CosmosID plugin enables researchers to profile microbial communities fast, accurately and with strain level resolution. Results of comparative analyses of datasets are visually accessible in heat maps and principal component analysis plots”, said Manoj Dadlani, CEO of CosmosID. ”They start with raw sequencing data, use CosmosID for microbial identification and comparison, and Qiagen bioinformatics for functional analysis. It’s a complete workflow and a natural fit by which these tools can be integrated.”
• Metagenomics is a field of great interest and focus for Qiagen. The company has built strong leadership positions from sample through the analysis. The market for metagenomics and microbiome research is currently growing at over 20%. Qiagen delivers a range of specialized solutions guiding microbiome researchers from sample to insight. With delivering integrated and user friendly bioinformatics Qiagen is addressing one of the major bottlenecks in the metagenomics workflow.  
• Qiagen N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight solutions that enable customers to gain valuable molecular insights from samples containing the building blocks of life. 
• CosmosID, based in Rockville, Maryland, is a genomics big data company focused on rapid identification of microorganisms for molecular diagnostics, public health, food safety, agriculture, and environmental applications. 

Qiagen, metagenomics analysis