Thorsten studied Chemistry at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, and holds a PhD in Molecular Genetics. He joined QIAGEN in 1998 as a scientist for large-scale plasmid product development, and by 2001 was responsible for the entire plasmid product line. Thorsten has developed many successful products, including HiSpeed and Plasmid Plus. He is also an expert in nucleic acid isolation technologies and holds more than 20 patents and patent applications. Currently, he is the Senior Director of Scientific Affairs in the QIAGEN R&D department in Hilden, Germany.