{{Short description|Defunct molecular diagnostics company based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, US}}
{{Infobox company | name = Digene | logo = | type = | industry = | fate = | predecessor = <!-- or: | predecessors = --> | successor = <!-- or: | successors = --> | founded = {{Start date and age|1984}}<br>Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S. | founder = Floyd Taub | defunct = {{End date|2007}} (brought by Qiagen) | hq_location_city = | hq_location_country = | area_served = <!-- or: | areas_served = --> | key_people = | products = Diagnostics | owner = <!-- or: | owners = --> | num_employees = | num_employees_year = <!-- Year of num_employees data (if known) --> | parent = | website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> }} '''Digene Corporation''' was a molecular diagnostics company with company headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S. Floyd Taub, M.D, founded the company in 1984 and it was incorporated in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://delecorp.delaware.gov/tin/controller |title=Division of Corporations - Online Services |accessdate=2011-07-14 |url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721035421/https://delecorp.delaware.gov/tin/controller |archivedate=2011-07-21 }}</ref> He established identifying specific types of human papillomavirus as the companies chief project in 1986. He guided the company through development of unique methods to do this and Digene's acquisition of the Molecular Diagnostics division of Life Technologies.
In 1988, this group had created the first diagnostic test for human papillomavirus, and gained FDA approval for this test requiring radioactive reagents.The test was named ViraPap. Life Technologies, had been formed by the merger of GIBCO and Bethesda Research Laboratories in 1983. Clinical uptake of ViraPap was slow, and Life sold the test and associated intellectual property to '''Digene''' in 1990, soon after Digene was acquired by the Whitehead group. Digene's history in non-radioactive detection methods allowed it to modify the test to not require radioactive materials. This modified hybrid capture HPV test became Digene's most important product line.<ref name=History>{{cite book |last1=Hogarth |first1=Stuart |last2=Hopkins |first2=Michael |last3=Rotolo |first3=Daniele |title=Medical Innovation: Science, technology and practice |date=2015 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781138860346 |chapter-url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK379795/ |chapter=Chapter 5: Technological Accretion in Diagnostics: HPV Testing and Cytology in Cervical Cancer Screening}}</ref>
In 2007, Qiagen bought the company for US$1.6 billion.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2007-06-03|title=Netherlands' Qiagen buying Digene for $1.6 billion|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-digene-qiagen-idUSN0341150820070603|access-date=2020-05-01}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Biotechnology companies of the United States Category:Defunct companies based in Maryland Category:Companies based in Gaithersburg, Maryland Category:Biotechnology companies established in 1984 Category:Biotechnology companies disestablished in 2007 Category:1984 establishments in Maryland Category:2007 disestablishments in Maryland Category:2007 mergers and acquisitions