NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Agilent Technologies announced today that it has agreed to acquire Belgium-based molecular diagnostics developer Multiplicom for €68 million ($70.6 million) in cash.
The deal is expected to close in mid-January. All 90 Multiplicom employees will be offered jobs within Agilent, the company said.
Multiplicom develops, manufactures, and commercializes molecular diagnostic tests. It was founded in 2011 as a spinoff from the University of Antwerp and non-profit life sciences research institute VIB of Ghent. In March, the company received the CE-IVD mark for its BRCA Tumor MASTR Plus Dx test, the first ovarian cancer companion diagnostic test to receive this designation in Europe. It also said it was looking to expand into the US market, and planned to launch its 26-gene BRCA Hereditary Cancer MASTR Plus panel in collaboration with an undisclosed CLIA-certified laboratory. And in May, the firm received a €1.9 million grant from the Belgian government to support its development of technologies and next-generation sequencing tests for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring.
"The acquisition of Multiplicom significantly strengthens our presence in the genomics market," Herman Verrelst, vice president and general manager of Agilent's genomics division, said in a statement. "Multiplicom's products and technology help expand our target-enrichment portfolio and enhance our next-generation sequencing workflow capabilities, providing immediate scale in adjacent markets."