New England Biolabs (NEB), Ipswich, Mass., a leading supplier of life science reagents, has entered into an agreement to acquire Fluorogenics Limited (FGL), a lyophilization research and development service company based in the UK. Under the terms of the agreement, FGL will become a wholly owned subsidiary of NEB.
With the point-of-care market becoming more focused on the development of robust, accurate, and cost-effective diagnostic tests for use outside of traditional hospital and laboratory settings, there is a growing need for reagents that can withstand ambient shipping and storage. Lyophilization is the preferred solution and is a well-established technology across a number of industries, making it desirable from a regulatory and feasibility perspective. NEB currently supplies research-use-only reagents for further development and validation by its customers in diagnostic assays, and is looking to increase its ability to offer lyophilized reagents.
“The acquisition of FGL enables NEB to combine our expertise in enzyme manufacturing and assay development with their expertise in lyophilization, providing a complete solution for our customers,” says Jim Ellard, CEO of New England Biolabs. “It also further solidifies our ability to service customers in the molecular diagnostics space.”
Martin Lee, co-founder CEO of Fluorogenics, says, “We are delighted to become part of an organization with which we share ideals, innovation, and technical excellence; a passion to make a difference through the delivery of scientific solutions that create value for our customers; and reduce the burden on our planet.”
According to New England Biolabs, FGL’s operations will continue without disruption to its existing customers and NEB will be making further investments to strengthen their operations. Further, NEB will be incorporating FGL’s capabilities into its existing OEM and customized solutions business, expanding the services that it offers.
For more information, visit New England Biolabs.
