Agilent Acquires ACEA Biosciences for $250 Million to Expand Cell Analysis Portfolio

On September 25, 2018 (Eastern Time), Agilent Technologies, headquartered in California, announced the signing of an acquisition agreement. The target company is ACEA Biosciences, a leading developer of advanced cell analysis instruments for life sciences research and clinical diagnostics. Headquartered in San Diego, ACEA Biosciences maintains large-scale manufacturing and R&D facilities in Hangzhou, China.

It is reported that the total transaction amount is $250 million, to be settled in cash.

“Expanding our influence in the field of cellular analysis is a highly strategic initiative for us,” said Jacob Thaysen, President of Agilent’s Life Sciences and Applied Markets Group. “Innovative cellular analysis methods are driving the market, enabling deeper insights into disease mechanisms and the discovery of potential therapies.”

Agilent is a diversified high-tech multinational corporation that was spun off from Hewlett-Packard in 1999. Currently, Agilent primarily focuses on the fields of communications and life sciences (the software developed by this company provided the test interface for the communication equipment aboard the Mars Exploration Rover).

In 2007, Agilent acquired the publicly traded company Stratagene, further solidifying its position in the life sciences research and diagnostics sectors. In 2010, the company acquired Varian Medical Systems, marking the largest acquisition since its inception and adding significant business lines, including nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), to its Life Sciences Group.

As the molecular diagnostics and cell analysis markets have continued to heat up in recent years, Agilent has undertaken multiple acquisitions to expand its influence in the cell analysis market. The company completed the acquisitions of Seahorse Bioscience and Luxcel Biosciences in 2015 and 2018, respectively. The former is a pioneer in Extracellular Flux (XF) assay technology in the United States, having invented the industry’s first Seahorse XF96 Real-Time Cell Energy Metabolism Analyzer/Bioenergetics Analyzer. The latter is an Irish biotechnology company primarily focused on developing in vitro cell assay kits based on real-time fluorescence microplate readers.

The previous two acquisitions brought Agilent mass spectrometry analysis and easy-to-use assay kits compatible with industry-standard microplate readers. This acquisition of ACEA Biosciences is largely driven by its flow cytometers and real-time cell analysis systems.

Founded in 2002, ACEA Biosciences is a biotechnology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of high-performance, cutting-edge cell analysis instruments for life science research and clinical diagnostics. The company has successively launched two breakthrough, highly differentiated platforms—the ACEA NovoCyte flow cytometer and the xCELLigence Real-Time Cell Analysis (RTCA) system.

xCELLigence® enables label-free, real-time monitoring of cell proliferation, records changes in cell size/morphology, cell-substrate adhesion quality, and cell invasion/migration. By replacing the time- and labor-intensive steps of traditional methods, RTCA significantly enhances efficiency and overall productivity. The flexibility, sensitivity, and reproducibility of RTCA make it one of the premier cell-based assay platforms.

Based on the xCELLigence® platform, ACEA Biosciences entered into a global cooperation agreement with Roche in 2007 to jointly develop and market the xCELLigence Real-Time Cell Analysis (RTCA) system. It is understood that this agreement remained in effect until 2012.

The NovoCyte® benchtop flow cytometer series was officially launched in 2014. Featuring 14 fluorescence detection channels, four lasers, volumetric counting, and a versatile high-throughput autosampler, the system enhances the expected performance of flow cytometry. With its high-performance, customizable NovoCyte® benchtop flow cytometer series, ACEA Biosciences is revolutionizing the field of flow cytometry.

Aisen Bio’s instruments are being widely used in academia and industry, covering a range of life science applications from basic research to clinical diagnostics, including preclinical drug discovery and development, toxicology and safety pharmacology, and various disease studies.

In addition, ACEA Biosciences also possesses a cell counting system approved by the CFDA and certified with CE-IVD. The company’s clinical flow cytometers are currently being commercialized primarily in China.

All of these provide Agilent with a development opportunity in the cell analysis market, enabling it to expand its team through strong complementarity and enhance its product portfolio, thereby increasing the company’s influence in the field of cell analysis.

This acquisition will bolster Agilent’s portfolio in the field of cell analysis. By integrating ACEA Biosciences’ products, Agilent will further expand its cell-based application products and services, enabling customers to obtain more information from a single sample. Meanwhile, by combining both parties’ current clinical kit instruments, Agilent will deliver more solutions to its customers.

Moreover, ACEA Biosciences has established a production base in Hangzhou, China, which will help Agilent expand its R&D, manufacturing, and operational capabilities in the Chinese market, further extending its commercial footprint.

“Acelis Bio enhances our presence in the cell analysis field,” said Todd Christian, Vice President and General Manager of Agilent’s Cell Analysis Division.

“Our shared mission with Agilent is to deliver innovative, high-performance solutions that help our customers advance scientific discovery,” said Wang Xiaobo, President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of ICell Bioscience. “This initiative will create more opportunities for both our employees and customers.”

Reference: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180925006263/en/Agilent-Expand-Portfolio-Capabilities-Cell-Analysis-Acquisition