QIAGEN has announced plans to advance its QuantiFERON latent tuberculosis (TB) test with a new fully automated sample-to-insight workflow and a separate AI-enabled risk stratification tool for TB progression.
The plans are enabled by the growing adoption of Diasorin LIAISON detection systems and a new automation partnership with Inpeco.
These developments are intended to help higher-throughput laboratories scale testing as screening demand for latent TB continues to grow. QIAGEN estimates the global latent TB testing market at approximately 75 million tests annually, growing about 4% to 5% per year. Only about 40% of this market has converted from traditional skin tests to modern blood-based interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) testing.
Together, the fully automated workflow is intended to position QuantiFERON as a complete sample-to-insight ecosystem, combining full automation, seamless traceability, and data-driven insights built on the foundation of QIAGEN’s more than 20 years’ experience in TB testing.
Planned for launch in late 2027, this new workflow is designed for customers using Diasorin LIAISON systems aiming to automate the complete latent TB testing process without routine manual operator intervention, from preanalytical tube handling and incubation with Inpeco to detection on LIAISON systems.
Through its partnership with Inpeco, a global leader in track-based laboratory automation, QIAGEN is advancing total laboratory automation for QuantiFERON IGRA testing. The collaboration brings two purpose-built innovations, a dedicated QuantiFERON aliquoting system and an intelligent incubation system, fully integrated into the track to enable a seamless end-to-end automated workflow.
Separately, QIAGEN is developing an AI-enabled QuantiFERON risk stratification tool designed to analyse quantitative QuantiFERON results from all laboratory workflows, with initial customer use also targeted for late 2027.
The Inpeco partnership comes as QIAGEN and Diasorin continue to see strong customer adoption of LIAISON QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus II, the next generation of the world’s leading IGRA blood test for TB infection detection supported by more than 2,700 published studies and more than 160 million tests performed worldwide since launch.
The new chemistry, launched in November 2025 in Europe and other countries accepting the CE mark and in February 2026 in the US, offers significantly faster efficiency and turnaround time. QIAGEN and Diasorin are advancing initiatives that are on track to quickly transition all LIAISON customers running QuantiFERON to the new chemistry.
“Latent TB testing is moving toward higher volume, more automated workflows as the market increasingly shifts from traditional skin testing to modern IGRA-based detection,” said Thierry Bernard, CEO of QIAGEN. “By combining QuantiFERON’s CD4 and CD8 data foundation with LIAISON-based testing, Inpeco automation for higher-throughput laboratories and AI-enabled risk stratification designed to support all QuantiFERON workflows, we are building a Sample to Insight ecosystem to help customers scale testing efficiently while improving consistency, traceability and confidence in results.”
The AI-enabled QuantiFERON risk stratification tool for TB progression is in development with the goal of helping stratify patients at higher risk of progression to active TB disease. The tool is built on one of the largest longitudinal TB clinical datasets, comprising about 13 million de-identified patient records collected over the last 10 years, and is intended to support healthcare professionals in making more informed decisions, improving patient counselling and supporting enhanced patient care.