Qiagen

Qiagen NV, the Dutch diagnostics technology company that bought  Gaithersburg-based Digene for $1.6 billion in 2007, is preparing to clear out of Digene's old offices and move staff to an expanded Germantown headquarters.

The move has  been in the works for years, but Qiagen can finally push forward following recent FDA clearance of its 270,000-square-foot Germantown site for manufacturing the company's human papillomavirus (HPV) test. That HPV test, developed by Digene, was the impetus for the 2007 acquisition.