QIAGEN Signs Agreement for the Acquisition of eGene

Business Wire, April 13, 2007

Participants in the Transaction:

QIAGEN, eGene and their respective executive officers, directors and other members of management or employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from eGene stockholders with respect to the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. Information regarding QIAGEN's executive officers and directors is available in QIAGEN's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2006, which has been filed with the SEC. Information regarding eGene's officers and directors is available in eGene's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the year ended December 31, 2006 which will be filed with the SEC shortly. You can obtain free copies of these documents from QIAGEN and eGene, respectively, using the contact information above. Additional information regarding interests of such participants will be included in the registration statement containing the proxy statement/prospectus that will be filed with the SEC and available free of charge as indicated above.

In addition, in connection with the execution of the merger agreement, Ming S. Liu, Ph.D. eGene's Chief Executive Officer, Varoujan Amirkhanian, eGene's Executive Vice President and Director, and Peter Sheu, eGene's Chief Financial officer, have entered into letter agreements with QIAGEN setting forth the terms under which these individuals will continue their employment with QIAGEN following the transaction. Additional information regarding these arrangements and the interests of such participants will be included in the registration statement containing the proxy statement/prospectus that will be filed with the SEC and available free of charge as indicated above. Directors and officers of eGene have agreed to vote their shares in favor of the transaction.

About QIAGEN:

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company, is the worldwide leading provider of sample and assay technologies for research in life sciences, applied testing and molecular diagnostics. The products are considered standards in areas such as pre-analytical sample preparation and molecular diagnostics solutions. QIAGEN has developed a comprehensive portfolio of more than 500 proprietary, consumable products and automated solutions for sample collection, nucleic acid and protein handling, separation, and purification and open and target specific assays. The company's products are sold to academic research markets, to leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, to applied testing customers (such as in forensics, veterinary, bio-defense and industrial applications) as well as to molecular diagnostics laboratories. QIAGEN employs more than 1,950 people worldwide. QIAGEN products are sold through a dedicated sales force and a global network of distributors in more than 40 countries. Further information about QIAGEN can be found at www.qiagen.com.

About eGene:

eGene developed the HDA-GT12[TM] (High-performance DNA Analyzer) for genotyping using 12 channels. The system analyzes the genetic fingerprints of living organisms while performing fast DNA sample screening and high-resolution DNA fragment analysis (2-5 bp). The System also analyzes the quality and quantity of RNA in the gene expression market. The Company sells cartridges that are specific to the type of analysis to be performed. All data is then received in digital form for appropriate transmission and storage. eGene (www.egeneinc.com) focuses on its core technologies of capillary electrophoresis, liquid handling and automation to develop and manufacture low-cost microfluidic, miniaturized digital analyzer systems, software and consumables for biological materials testing applications. These products detect, quantify, identify and characterize biomolecules including DNA and RNA at high rates of specificity and sensitivity while automating routine and non-routine laboratory and industrial procedures critical to product safety, development quality and productivity.