AbCellera Acquires TetraGenetics, Enhancing Capabilities to Generate Antibodies Against High-Value Targets
Summary
VANCOUVER, British Columbia & BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AbCellera (Nasdaq: ABCL), a technology company with a centralized operating system for next-generation antibody discovery, today announced it has acquired TetraGenetics, Inc. (TetraGenetics), a biotechnology company with a proprietary platform for generating recombinant human ion channels and other transmembrane proteins, in an all-cash transaction that includes an upfront payment, the potential for payments based on the achievement of technical milestones, and additional development and commercial milestone payments related to successfully developed therapeutics. TetraGenetics has leading technology and expertise in the expression and purification of ion channels, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR), and other transmembrane proteins, which are implicated in many human diseases, including pain and autoimmune disorders. “This acquisition recognizes our team’s innovation in creating new technologies to address these therapeutically important classes of proteins, and we’re excited to combine each company’s capabilities to discover new antibody treatments.” TetraGenetics, an AbCellera Company, empowers antibody discovery against difficult-to-drug targets by providing recombinant transmembrane proteins, including human ion channels and G protein-coupled receptors. TetraGenetics’ platform uses the protist Tetrahymena thermophila to quickly produce large quantities of properly folded, functional transmembrane proteins, which are challenging to express using conventional systems. AbCellera is a technology company that searches, decodes, and analyzes natural immune systems to find antibodies that its partners can develop into drugs to prevent and treat disease.