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QIAGEN Hosts 2005 Biosecurity & Biodefense Symposium at Its North American Headquarters in Germantown, MD

QIAGEN, N.V. (NASDAQ: QGEN) (Frankfurt, Prime Standard: QIA), the market and technology leader for innovative enabling technologies and products for the separation, purification and handling of nucleic acids and a leading provider of molecular technologies for biopathogen detection, has hosted its Biosecurity and Biodefense Symposium held on August 23rd in the North American Headquarters of QIAGEN Sciences, Inc. in Germantown, Maryland.

The development of effective, standardized methods to defend the nation against biological terrorism remains an urgent challenge. In the very near future, these "Detect and Protect" systems will require the development of highly integrated monitoring systems that incorporate collection, detection, characterization, and analysis. In support of current protocols in preanalytical sample preparation for extraction and detection of biopathogens, QIAGEN today is recognized as the "Gold Standard" for sample and target preparation. QIAGEN's expertise extends from leading technologies in preanalytics, including sample collection, stabilisation and purification to analytical chemistries and process automation.

"We are proud to have hosted the 2005 QIAGEN Biosecurity and Biodefense symposium at our American Headquarters which are situated in one of the centers of biosecurity research, the metropolitan DC region," said Peer Schatz, QIAGEN's Chief Executive Officer. "With this symposium we created a platform for networking and discussions. The enormous interest in the different workshops and presentations reinforces our significant commitment in developing innovative, enabling technologies in preanalytical sample preparation technologies to further enhance our position as the leading provider of molecular technologies for biopathogen detection."

Keynote speeches were given by Colonel George W. Korch Jr., Commander of the Medical Service Corps of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), and QIAGEN CEO Peer Schatz. In addition, in-depth presentations were given by QIAGEN Research & Development staff, led by Dr. Helge Lubenow, Director R&D Applications DNA, and Dr. Thomas Laue, Director R&D bioassay development. Approximately 50 participants from centers of excellence, military and governmental institutions, government contractors and system integrators discussed innovative technologies for the extraction and detection of biothreat agents using system biology technologies.

"QIAGEN's portfolio offers a trusted and technology-leading 'toolbox' for biodefense research, enabling routine analyte monitoring and diagnostics," said Thomas Schnibbe, Global Market Development Director for Applied Testing with QIAGEN. "Customers in biodefense have built significant confidence in our portfolio to enable and accelerate their projects. More than just providing technologies off the shelf, we counsel our clients during the development process, from concept to deployed system. Our researchers and engineers routinely work with our customers in this highly dynamic and innovative industry segment to ensure the best results and highest efficiencies in process development."

Further information about Biosecurity and Biodefense research can be found on QIAGEN's newly created Web page "QIAGEN - Enabling Pathogen Detection" under www.qiagen.com/Applications/Biosecurity/.

About QIAGEN:

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Italy, Australia, Norway, Austria, Canada, Sweden, and the Netherlands believes it is the world's leading provider of innovative enabling technologies and products for the separation, purification and handling of nucleic acids and proteins. QIAGEN has developed a comprehensive portfolio of more than 320 proprietary, consumable products for nucleic acid and protein separation, purification and handling, nucleic acid amplification, as well as automated instrumentation, synthetic nucleic acid products and related services. QIAGEN's products are sold in more than 42 countries throughout the world to academic research markets and to leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. In addition, QIAGEN is positioning its products for sale into developing commercial markets, including applied testing markets, clinical research, nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics, and genetic vaccination and gene therapy. QIAGEN employs more than 1,500 people worldwide. Further information on QIAGEN can be found at www.qiagen.com.

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), 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 acquisitions of 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).

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