Minneapolis, MN 6/7/18—Bio-Techne, whose businesses include developing and manufacturing high-quality purified proteins, has agreed to acquire Quad Technologies for an undisclosed amount. “We are confident that the novel, releasable, customizable, non­magnetic Quickgel technologies, offered by Quad Technologies for cell separation and activation, represent a breakthrough in process improvements for clinical-grade cell and gene therapy applications as well as for research use,” commented Bio-Techne President and CEO Charles R. Kummeth. “The strategic fit between the two companies is excellent given their shared goal to move our products into clinical applications. Bio­Techne provides us with the resources and quality proteins needed to functionalize our reagents,” stated Quad Technologies CEO Sean Kevlahan. Based in Massachusetts, Quad Technologies has 15 employees.

Quad Technologies’ products address a problem in cell therapy manufacturing by enabling higher recovery rates and increased viability of cells when separated for purification. In contrast to bead-based methods, Quickgel hydrogel can be immediately dissolved after use and is scalable. Earlier this year, the company announced a partnership with Sartorius (see IBO 1/31/18). For research labs, the company offers the MagCloudz cell separation kits which utilizes its technology for magnetic cell separation without the remnants of magnetic particles. Quad Technologies launched in April its cGMP grade Quickgel platform, which, according to Frank Mortari, vice president of Business Development at Bio-Techne, is being evaluated by customers for both activation and expansion T-cells. “The results to date are encouraging and as customers better appreciate the full spectrum of the advantages the Quickgel products provide, we expect continued adoption of these products in CAR-T applications,” said Mr. Mortari.

Bio-Techne currently offers cGMP proteins for cell therapy manufacturing. According to Mr. Mortari, the company has also been offering cell separation products, including both magnetic and non-magnetic beads for the research market, for over 30 years. “The use of cell-based immune therapies as an alternative treatment for  cancer—as opposed to traditional radiation, chemotherapy or surgery—is finding success with various pathologies,” he said. “As this field gains more market acceptance, Bio-Techne is positioning itself as a key provider of quality reagents in the cell therapy space.”

As Mr. Mortari explained, the acquisition of Quad Technologies helps establish Bio-Techne’s position in this market through its unique product offerings. “The acquisition provides another tool and opportunity to participate in this fast growing field by providing a game-changing technology that improves the cell enrichment, activation and expansion processes using the Quickgel technology,” he said. “Additionally, we will continue to develop cell media products and formulations that support the development of the therapeutic T-cell, and build our arsenal of dedicated reagents and technologies to better serve this specialized area of therapeutics in a manner that leads to better and more effective clinical products.”