Life Science Consumables
Company Announcements
In July, SYGNIS changed its name to Expedeon.
In August, Maravai Life Sciences completed a new debt financing, which finances its existing debt at a lower interest rate and provides Maravai access to an additional $50 million of capital.
Gene-based Consumables
Company Announcements
In June, the US Patent and Trademark Office granted Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier, co-founder of ERS Genomics, the University of California and University of Vienna, their first US patent with claims covering the use of CRISPR/Cas9 technology for gene editing. The patent covers the use of an optimized guide RNA format in all environments including human cells. The Office deemed the claims in this patent unrelated to the ongoing interference appeal between the Charpentier/UC/Vienna group and the Broad Institute/MIT/Harvard group.
Merck Life Science announced in June that Tongji University in Shanghai, China, has joined the company’s CRISPR Core Partnership Program. The Program has more than 70 partners.
In July, Oxford Gene Technology, a Sysmex company, announced it is now directly selling its Cytocell FISH products through Sysmex affiliates in Europe.
DNA Script, which is developing an enzymatic DNA synthesis technology, was awarded $2.7 million in July in non-dilutive financing from the Concours d’Innovation program of investment bank Bpifrance. To date, DNA Script has raised a total of $27 million.
In July, KromaTiD joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology Genome Editing Consortium. KromaTiD’s dGH is a commercial structural genomic platform capable of de novo detection of random, low-frequency and complex structural variations in batches of gene-edited cells.
In July, Streck signed a three-year distribution agreement with Argentinian distributor Cromoion.
Product Introductions
In June, Thermo Fisher Scientific introduced the Invitrogen TaqMan & SYBR Green Fast Advanced Cells-to-CT Kits for high-throughput expression analysis directly from cultured cells without RNA purification and without risking sensitivity.
Sales and Orders of Note
In July, the US Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service awarded 3M Molecular Detection a contract for pathogen detection instruments and kits, making the technology the primary method used by the organization for the detection of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli O157 (including H7).
Cell-based Consumables
Company Announcements
In June, Sphero AG partnered with immunoassay provider ALPCO to provide assays certified to work with its 3D InSight Islet Microtissues. Under the agreement, Sphero will include ALPCO STELLUX Chemiluminescent insulin and proinsulin ELISAs as part of its 3D InSight Diabetes Discovery Platform.
In June, RoosterBio joined the new NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT), which aims to enable scalable manufacturing and broad use of potentially curative therapies that utilize living cells as drugs. RoosterBio provides adult human marrow–derived stromal cells and paired bioprocess media systems.
Emulate, which develops Organs-on-a-Chips technology, announced in June that it secured a $36 million Series C financing round led by Founders Fund.
In July, AMSBIO and the University of Strathclyde launched ScreenIn3D, a joint venture company set up to develop a novel microfluidic screening platform using 3D spheroids. The company’s OncoScreen uses patient-derived tissue.
In August, Porvair released an extended range of BactiGrowth specially packaged plates designed to enable high-yield growth of bacteria, yeast, mammalian or insect cell lines. Volumes span 300 µL to 10 mL per well.
Product Introductions
In June, Eppendorf introduced CCCadvancedTM FN 1 motifs cell cultureware, featuring a ready-to-use growth surface with synthetic fibronectin-derived motifs to support cell attachment by mimicking native extracellular matrix proteins. The surface supports human-induced iPSCs.
In July, Fluidigm launched a T-ATACseq application for its C1 system. The new assay measures transposase accessible chromatin and T cell receptor reporter gene expression from each cell.
Irvine Scientific released in July the PRIMEXV NK Cell CDM, calling it the first commercially available chemically defined media, animal component-free medium for the ex vivo expansion of NK (natural killer) cells.
In July, Axol Bioscience debuted its human iPSC-derived atrial cardiomyocytes, which are ready to use in seven days from thaw.
Corning launched in July the Corning 1536-well Spheroid Microplate. The design allows scientists to generate, culture, assay and analyze 3D multicellular spheroids in one microplate.
In August, Bio-Techne introduced a new range of Tocris Bioscience-branded stem cell research compounds, which are suitable for use as ancillary materials in the development of stem cell therapies. The first compounds released are SB 431542 and DAPT, which are widely used in stem cell differentiation and reprogramming protocols, which will be followed by Y27632, CHIR 99021 and XAV 939.
Protein-based Consumables
Company Announcements
Thermo Fisher Scientific signed an agreement in July with BenchSci to utilize machine learning to mine antibody data published in peer-reviewed scientific journals that will then be displayed on its product-specific webpages.
Under a licensing and supply agreement signed in July, Cygnus Technologies agreed to provide Gyros Protein Technologies with reagents for host cell protein analysis, enabling the development of new Gyrolab immunoassay kits and applications for biotherapeutics development and manufacturing.
In July, SomaLogic obtained a license to apply GNS Healthcare’s REFS (Reverse Engineering & Forward Simulation) causal machine learning technology to SomaLogic’s SOMAscan-derived protein data sets.
In August, Canada’s Center for the Commercialization of Antibodies and Biologics for a new business segment in August, which announced distribution agreement with MédiMabs for its reagent antibodies.
Product Introductions
In July, Abcam launched a new antiPDL1 antibody clone MKP1A07310 (clone 7310) developed in collaboration with Merck KGaA. The antibody is important in assessing the expression of PDL1 in tumors from patients who might be able to benefit from PD 1/PDL1 checkpoint immunotherapy.
Ultivue launched in July the UltiMapper portfolio of reagents for high-throughput whole-slide, protein biomarker spatial detection and analysis in tissue. With a high level of multiplexing, the reagents can be used with instrumentation and software solutions currently found in most IHC labs. Ultivue’s InSituPlex technology combines DNA-barcoded antibodies with fluorescent DNA barcodes in a single-slide staining, signal amplification and imaging step assay.
In July, Bio-Rad Laboratories debuted a range of recombinant monoclonal antiranibizumab antibodies that are highly specific for the monoclonal antibody drug ranibizumab (Lucentis) or the complex of ranibizumab with its target, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA).
In August, Gyros Protein Technologies introduced the Gyrolab CHO-HCP E3G Kit for impurity analysis in the CMC (chemistry manufacturing and controls) bioprocess workflow of biotherapeutics. The kits were developed as part of its licensing and supply agreement with Cygnus Technologies, using Cygnus’ 3G CHO-HCP ELISA reagents.
