LGC has announced a further strengthening of its nucleic acid chemistry (NAC) offering with the acquisition of BioAutomation Corporation (BioAutomation), manufacturer of the renowned MerMade oligo synthesis instruments.
1 May 2018, London, UK -- LGC has today announced a further strengthening of its nucleic acid chemistry (NAC) offering with the acquisition of BioAutomation Corporation (BioAutomation), manufacturer of the renowned MerMade oligo synthesis instruments.
This investment follows LGC’s acquisitions of Biosearch, Prime Synthesis and LINK Technologies, and will drive further growth in the oligonucleotide reagent and synthesised oligonucleotides markets.
Brian Kim, President and Managing Director, Genomics division, LGC, said, “We are delighted to have added BioAutomation to our growing NAC business unit. The acquisition will allow us to provide our oligonucleotide reagent customers a complete and fully-supported oligo synthesis solution, as well as helping to drive advancements in automation for all aspects of our oligo manufacturing processes.
Kim continued “BioAutomation’s MerMade brand instruments are the premium synthesisers on the market with a significant installed base. Like all of our NAC businesses, BioAutomation is certified to ISO 9001:2015, and is well known in the industry for its excellent customer service and technical support. BioAutomation and LGC’s existing portfolio in this market are highly complementary, and we are looking forward to utilising BioAutomation’s considerable expertise in our mission of using “Science for a safer world”.”
Jeff Scheumack, Founder and President, BioAutomation, added, “We are excited to be joining LGC’s NAC business. With our long-standing collaborations with Biosearch, Prime Synthesis and LINK Technologies, we see it as a logical progression for BioAutomation to join as the newest member of the LGC family. Adding our industry-leading MerMade synthesis platform to LGC’s impressive oligo reagent offering helps us better serve both of our customer bases going forward.”
BioAutomation was formed in 1999 and employs 17 full-time employees at its facility in Irving, Texas. It designs, develops, manufactures and supplies synthesisers for pharmaceutical, biotech, scientific research and development and academic applications globally. The synthesisers are sold under the MerMade brand, tailored to the customers’ applications and in a variety of configurations.
The MerMade range comprises 8 instruments capable of synthesising between 4 and 192 oligos simultaneously at scale ranges from 50 nmol (tens of micrograms of final product) to 200 umol (hundreds of milligrams of final product).
In addition, BioAutomation distributes consumables such as phosphoramidites, solvents, columns and trap packs that are used on synthesisers during the synthesis process.
About LGC
LGC is an international leader in the extended life sciences sector, including human healthcare, agri-food & the environment. LGC provides a comprehensive range of reference materials, proficiency testing schemes, genomics reagents and instrumentation, as well as research and measurement services. Its scientific tools and solutions enable organisations to advance research, develop new products and form an essential part of their quality and compliance procedures.
LGC’s 2,600 employees include internationally-recognised scientists who are experts in their field. Headquartered in London, it operates out of 19 countries worldwide and is extensively accredited to quality standards such as GMP, GLP, ISO 13485, ISO 17034, ISO 17043, ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 9001.
LGC has been home to the UK Government Chemist for more than 100 years and is the UK National Measurement Laboratory and Designated Institute for chemical and bio measurement. LGC has been privately-owned since 1996 and has diversified through internal investment and acquisition to be an international leader in its chosen niche markets. LGC is now owned by funds affiliated with KKR.
For more information, please visit www.lgcgroup.com
