Abcam Expands Cell Engineering Capabilities Through Asset Purchase of Applied StemCell's Gene Editing Platform and Oncology Product Portfolio

PR82706

CAMBRIDGE, England and MILPITAS, California, Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Transaction adds comprehensive gene editing capabilities and engine to drive

expansion of Abcam's 'off-the-shelf' edited cell line portfolio    

Abcam plc, a global innovator in life science reagents and tools, is today pleased

to announce the asset purchase of the gene editing platform and oncology product

portfolio of Applied StemCell, Inc. (ASC) for life science research and diagnostic markets.

ASC is a long-established leader in the edited cell lines market, focused on developing

genome editing technologies into novel therapeutics to advance drug discovery.                

Over the last eleven years ASC has established a global reputation for solving

the most difficult knock-out and knock-in cell line development challenges.

They have successfully deployed their proprietary cell editing platform to create

cell lines for a broad range of diseases to support the life science and diagnostics

industries as well as to advance therapeutic drug discovery.  

The transaction includes a portfolio of cell lines and the well-regarded AccuRef reference

materials product line. The AccuRef product line (www.accuref.com) uses ASC gene edited

cell lines to mimic cancer mutations and create biologically-relevant quality control and reference

standards that span over 40 cancer genes. These materials are used by laboratories and kit

providers for next generation sequencing, sanger sequencing, PCR, and FISH/CISH testing.  

Commenting on the transaction, Cheri Walker, SVP of Corporate Development at

Abcam, said: "We are excited to expand and cement Abcam's position in the edited

cell line market, bringing in one of the most widely deployed and technically successful

cell engineering platforms into the Abcam family. The cell line market is in the early

stages of development as a research tool, where the ready provision of more choice,

with the right gene targets in the right cell lines, will allow the market to rapidly expand."

Abcam will expand the ASC platform to become its discovery engine for developing novel

edited cell lines, building upon the extensive range of knock-out cell lines acquired through

the Edigene transaction in 2019. Ready-made KO cell lines play a significant role in the study

and understanding of biological pathways and disease models.  

Ruby Tsai, Co-Founder and CSO of Applied StemCell, commented: "Following our strategic

decision to focus on stem cell and derivative service and products for both research and

therapeutic applications, we are pleased to be transitioning our oncology focused services and

products to the global team at Abcam. As recognized industry leaders in the provision of biologic

reagents and tools, Abcam is ideally placed to provide expert support to our global user-base."

The transaction closed on January 28, 2020. During the transition period, both parties will work

together to ensure continuity of service and project delivery. In addition, this exciting portfolio

and cell engineering capability will be deployed to further support Abcam's knock-out validation

initiative, an integral part of the organization's ongoing antibody quality initiative.  

Notes to Editors

About Abcam plc

As a global life sciences company, Abcam identifies, develops, and distributes

high-quality biological reagents and tools that are crucial to research, drug

discovery and diagnostics. Working across the industry, the Company supports

life scientists to achieve their mission, faster.

Abcam partners with life science organizations to co-create novel binders for

use in drug discovery, in vitro diagnostics and therapeutics, driven by the

Company's proprietary discovery platforms and world-leading, antibody expertise.

By constantly innovating its binders and assays, Abcam is helping advance the global

understanding of biology and causes of disease, which enables new treatments and

improved health. The Company's pioneering data-sharing approach gives scientists

increased confidence in their results by providing validation, user comments and

peer-reviewed citations for its 110,000 products.

With eleven sites globally, many of Abcam's 1,100 strong team are located in

the world's leading life science research hubs, complementing a global network

of services and support.

To find out more, please visit www.abcam.com and  www.abcamplc.com.

To learn more about the AccuRef product line visit www.accuref.com.

About Applied StemCell, Inc.

Applied StemCell, Inc. is a fast-growing biotechnology company with more than 11 years

of experience in genome editing and stem cell technologies. Our mission is to advance

genome editing technology innovation to enable in vivo/in vitro preclinical study as well as

develop more efficacious and safer gene and cell therapies.

More information can be found at www.appliedstemcell.com.

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Contacts

Media:

Abcam

Dr Lynne Trowbridge

Vice President, External Communications

T: +44 (0)781-516-7026

E: Lynne.Trowbridge@abcam.com

SOURCE: Abcam plc