With its recent acquisition of diagnostics outfit Enzymatics, Dutch Qiagen ($QGEN) has gained another strategic partner--the newly formed ArcherDX, which will focus solely on developing next-generation sequencing (NGS) products.
Beverly, MA-based Enzymatics brought ArcherDX under its wing in a 2013 acquisition. Under Enzymatics, the ArcherDX team commercialized the company's proprietary Anchored Multiplex PCR (AMP) technology, which aims to address the bottlenecks associated with using NGS in translational research. Now, with Qiagen's purchase of Enzymatics, ArcherDX has emerged from a reorganization as an independent company.
As part of the transaction, Qiagen has acquired all assets relating to Enzymatics' Enzyme Solutions Unit--including R&D, manufacturing, formulation and analytical capabilities. In addition, Qiagen will distribute ArcherDX's assay products. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
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| Stephen Picone |
Qiagen expects the deal to bring in about $20 million in incremental net sales in 2015, according to a company statement. Both Enzymatics and Qiagen say the acquisition means a wider distribution of targeted NGS assays.
"This relationship with QIAGEN will accelerate the global adoption of this very powerful ArcherDX technology," said Stephen Picone, co-founder of Enzymatics and now executive director of corporate development at ArcherDX, in a statement. "In addition, this relationship positions both companies to combine their respective competencies to provide comprehensive solutions for our pharmaceutical customers requiring companion diagnostics for precision medicine."
The products in ArcherDX's gene fusion assay line, dubbed Archer FusionPlex, are designed to detect both known and new gene fusions and mutations. The FusionPlex line of assays includes ALK, RET, ROS1; FGFR; NTRK; Heme; and Sarcoma panels, as well as a custom assay designer. This year, ArcherDX said it also plans to launch a series of AMP-based universal DNA enrichment panels to complement its growing line of RNA panels.
- get the release from Qiagen
- and read the statement from ArcherDX