Synergy.

The Independent Expert (IE) seems to pay scant attention to the Synergistic benefits that accrue to Qiagen on purchasing the Cellestis business. There are very significant synergistic benefits that Qiagen seem unwilling to pay for.

Contrast this stance with the following public statements that describe the Synergistic benefits that Qiagen would gain.

"Cellestis has developed a technology that is highly complementary to our portfolio and which we expect to migrate onto our QIAsymphony, QIAensemble and our point of need platforms, thereby adding a new, unique assay menu to these QIAGEN platforms. We believe the addition of Cellestis will further strengthen our capabilities to offer innovative sample and assay technologies that are making improvements in life possible." - Peer Shatz, CEO Qiagen N.V.

"We have many of the same customers for HPV and the QuantiFERON test, particularly in the United States with large reference labs or in hospitals. And profiling the QuantiFERON CMV test has a potential to accelerate our fast growing leadership position in viral load monitoring. This would include monitoring of immune compromised patients such as those with HIV, Hepatitis, or people or patients taking medicines as pressed immune system. We also see a strong link to our industry leading transplantation position. In personalized healthcare we see significant opportunities given that several new classes of medicines require patients to be free of latent TB. We will also consider developing tests for other infections given that a number of medicines require for example latent viral testing before treatment initiation and this could be done with this technology. So this is a solid deal inline with our strategic and proposed at a full and fair price. We are adding next generation, unique and proprietary technology to query a previously untapped information source. QuantiFERON is highly synergistic with our molecular diagnostics portfolio and we will develop assays matching our DNA based products. We will be migrating this technology to our platforms. It provides us with strong leadership position in TB one of the most critical diagnostic areas. And this is a financially attractive deal." - Peer Schatz, CEO Qiagen N.V.

"Cellestis will provide us with exclusive access to QuantiFERON technology, which allows a new dimension of testing, pre-molecular testing where disease detection can be undertaken far earlier than possible with any other diagnostic method. We will migrate this technology to our automated platforms in particular to QIAensemble, and develop a range of tests that are highly complementary with our DNA and RNA-based molecular diagnostics." - Peer Schatz, CEO Qiagen.

"We believe QuantiFERON is highly complementary to our DNA and RNA based molecular diagnostics. So we see the opportunities where appropriate and clinically relevant of marrying our molecular diagnostics portfolio with QuantiFERON based tests.  This acquisition has a technology focus. But TB also has an attractive market dynamic." - Peer Schatz, CEO Qiagen

"We believe QIAGEN as an industry-leading company provides the best strategic fit in terms of capabilities and resources. As part of QIAGEN, we will be able to accelerate our growth much faster than as a standalone company and offer even greater benefits to patients and healthcare providers."  - Anthony Radford, CEO Cellestis.