QIAGEN to Acquire Stake in Alacris, Gaining Access to Biomarker Pipeline for use in Personalized Healthcare Assays

Strategic Investment Strengthens QIAGEN's Leadership in Personalized Healthcare

GERMANTOWN, Maryland and HILDEN, Germany, January 11, 2011 - QIAGEN (NASDAQ: QGEN; Frankfurt, Prime Standard: QIA) has
signed an agreement for the acquisition of a strategic stake in Alacris
Theranostics GmbH, a German start-up company using novel technologies to
develop individualized cancer treatment strategies based upon a patient's
genomic profile, and for the acquisition of an exclusive option to access all
biomarkers emerging from this discovery program.

Alacris, founded by researchers at the Max Planck Institute
for Molecular Genetics (www.molgen.mpg.de/) (MPI-MG) in Berlin and
Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, USA, uses a proprietary modeling system
developed at MPI-MG and exclusively licensed to Alacris Theranostics, to
analyze clinical sample data based on next-generation and other whole genome
sequencing technologies.

This system, called ModCell(TM), addresses a critical
bottleneck in the development of personalized healthcare solutions. It allows
users to identify and select from vast amounts of genetic data such markers
that can prove useful to guide treatment decisions for patients. The
technology can also be used to create marker subsets to stratify potential
patient populations for R&D trials involving medicines in clinical
development. These marker selections can be formatted into real-time
PCR-based assays that QIAGEN can commercialize within its pharmaceutical
development assay portfolio or its therascreen molecular diagnostics
portfolio for use on its new QIAsymphony RGQ platform.

The collaboration brings together the global leadership of
QIAGEN in developing molecular diagnostic and testing solutions in
pharmaceutical development and personalized healthcare with Alacris' genomic
data generation and mining capabilities and preferential access to large and
well-characterized clinical sample sets.

"The genome-driven approach of Alacris complements our
strategy very well since it facilitates a clinically relevant selection of
molecular targets from vast amounts of genetic and clinical data. QIAGEN
intends to develop such molecular targets into assays for our QIAsymphony
platform to personalize treatments and improve outcomes for patients," said
Peer Schatz, Chief Executive Officer of QIAGEN. "Our strategic investment in
Alacris expands QIAGEN's existing broad biomarker discovery and validation
initiatives and is designed to expand our QIAsymphony-based personalized
healthcare and pharma development assay portfolio."

"We are very pleased about this collaboration. With QIAGEN, we
have not only engaged a financially strong investor but also a leader in
personalized healthcare as our partner," said Prof. Dr. Hans Lehrach, one of
the founders of Alacris Theranostics GmbH and a Director at the Max Planck
Institute for Molecular Genetics. "QIAGEN has rich experience and know-how in
the commercialization of innovative life science and diagnostic technologies,
which will help us to commercialize this novel approach to treating diseases
such as cancer in the future."

QIAGEN is currently active in more than 20 projects to develop
companion diagnostics with a broad range of major pharmaceutical companies
based upon molecular biomarkers. QIAGEN is also active in many collaborations
for the discovery and validation of biomarkers for the development of future
diagnostics and therapeutics, which have been greatly enhanced by the
acquisition of SABiosciences(
www.qiagen.com/about/pressreleases/pressreleaseview.aspx?PressReleaseID=279 )
in 2009.

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Biomarkers are molecules such as nucleic acids or proteins
that are indicative for particular cell processes, biochemical metabolic
pathways or receptors on the cell surface. Providing descriptions for
individual patient profiles as well as for emergence and progress of
diseases, biomarkers play an increasingly important role in diagnostics and
the development of new pharmaceutical agents. Experts estimate
(www.globalbusinessinsights.com/content/rbdd0009m.pdf ) the overall
market volume for biomarkers will be approximately $21 billion by 2012.

The genome-based approach opens new perspectives for
personalized cancer treatments as it enables the reliable assessment of
treatment outcomes with various combinations of drugs by not only detecting
mutations in individual genes but by analyzing the entire mutation spectrum
of all genes involved in the disease.

Initial tests of this method collaboratively conducted under
the international research project Treat 1000 (
treat1000.alacrispharma.com/ ) have generated promising results. The
continuous decline in sequencing costs for marker discovery and the wider
dissemination of PCR-based assay technologies on one hand, and rising
healthcare expenditures on the other hand, are additional factors that
prompted Alacris to develop and commercialize this approach.

Terms of the agreement

QIAGEN will acquire a minority stake in Alacris Theranostics
GmbH, and an exclusive option for access to all biomarkers that are
discovered. Alacris will participate in commercialization of these biomarkers
through royalty fees. Financial details of the agreement, which is subject to
closing requirements as approval of Alacris' shareholders, were not
disclosed.

About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company, is the leading
global provider of sample and assay technologies. Sample technologies are
used to isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from biological samples
such as blood or tissue. Assay technologies are used to make such isolated
bio-molecules visible. QIAGEN has developed and markets more than 500 sample
and assay products as well as automated solutions for such consumables. The
company provides its products to molecular diagnostics laboratories, academic
researchers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and applied testing
customers for purposes such as forensics, animal or food testing and
pharmaceutical process control. QIAGEN's assay technologies include one of
the broadest panels of molecular diagnostic tests available worldwide. This
panel includes the digene HPV Test, which is regarded as a "gold standard" in
testing for high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause
of cervical cancer, as well as a broad suite of solutions for infectious
disease testing and companion diagnostics. QIAGEN employs nearly 3,600 people
in over 30 locations worldwide. Further information about QIAGEN can be found
at www.qiagen.com/.

About Alacris

Alacris Theranostics GmbH, a Berlin company, is a pioneer in
the field of deep sequencing based therapy guidance, clinical trial
stratification, and biomarker identification. Deep sequencing is coupled with
analysis via a proprietary systems biology technology developed at the Max
Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics and exclusively licensed to Alacris.
The company uses its technology platform to identify the right therapy for a
specific genotype - .i.e., patient - and also to identify the right genotypes
for a therapy - i.e., clinical trial stratification. The latter of the two
applications leads to the identification of a companion diagnostic or
biomarker set for that therapy. Alacris currently markets its therapy
guidance to leading cancer clinics and intends to also make this technology
directly available to patients in the near future. The company makes its
clinical trial stratification technology available to leading pharmaceutical
companies in order to help them reduce the cost of bringing their oncology
drugs to market and to increase the likelihood of a successful approval.

Certain of the statements contained in this news release may be
considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of
the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S.
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. To the extent that any of the
statements contained herein relating to QIAGEN's products, markets, strategy
or operating results are forward-looking, such statements are based on
current expectations that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such
uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated
with management of growth and international operations (including the effects
of currency fluctuations and risks of dependency on logistics), variability
of operating results, the commercial development of the applied testing
markets, clinical research markets and proteomics markets, nucleic acid-based
molecular diagnostics market, and genetic vaccination and gene therapy
markets, competition, rapid or unexpected changes in technologies,
fluctuations in demand for QIAGEN's, products (including fluctuations due to
the level and timing of customers' funding, budgets, and other factors), our
ability to obtain regulatory approval of our infectious disease panels,
difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN's products to integrated
solutions and producing such products, the ability of QIAGEN to identify and
develop new products and to differentiate its products from competitors'
products, market acceptance of QIAGEN's new products and the integration of
acquired technologies and businesses. For further information, refer to the
discussions in reports that QIAGEN has filed with, or furnished to, the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

    Contacts:

    QIAGEN
    Public Relations
    Dr. Thomas Theuringer
    Director Public Relations
    +1-240-686-7425
    Email: pr@qiagen.com

    Investor Relations
    Dr. Solveigh Maehler
    Director Investor Relations
    +49-2103-29-11710

    Albert F. Fleury
    +1-301-944-7028
    Email: ir@qiagen.com

    Alacris
    Press Contact
    Prof. Dr. Hans Lehrach
    Founder
    +49-308-413-1220
    Email: lehrach@molgen.mpg.de

    Investor Contact
    Dipl.-Hdl Günter Dürholt
    Managing Director
    +49-621-716-3122
    Email: g.h.duerholt-MA@t-online.de

Contacts: QIAGEN, Public Relations, Dr. Thomas Theuringer, Director Public Relations, +1-240-686-7425, Email: pr at qiagen.com. Investor Relations, Dr. Solveigh Maehler, Director Investor Relations, +49-2103-29-11710. Albert F. Fleury, +1-301-944-7028, Email: ir at qiagen.com. Alacris, Press Contact, Prof. Dr. Hans Lehrach, Founder, +49-308-413-1220, Email: lehrach at molgen.mpg.de. Investor Contact, Dipl.-Hdl Günter Dürholt, Managing Director, +49-621-716-3122, Email: g.h.duerholt-MA at t-online.de