Cambridge, UK and Beijing, CN: 16 July, 2019 – Abcam plc, a global innovator in life science reagents and tools, is today pleased to announce the acquisition of the entire live cell line and lysates portfolio of EdiGene Inc, a leading company focused on developing genome editing technologies into novel therapeutics for a broad range of diseases and into creative solutions to advance drug discovery.
Using their proprietary high throughput cell editing platform, EdiGene developed the industry’s largest off-the shelf diploid library of over 2,800 single clonal knockout (KO) cell lines targeting over 2,600 genes in commonly used human cancer cell lines (including HeLa, HEK293-T, A549, HCT116, Hep G2 and MCF7).
Ready-made diploid KO cell lines are an important tool for antibody validation. They also play a significant role in the study and understanding of biological pathways and disease models and can be used in screening and cellular assays. EdiGene’s cell lines and lysates are used by top academic researchers, global biopharmaceutical companies, and leading antibody companies.
Commenting on the acquisition, Cheri Walker, SVP of Corporate Development at Abcam, said: : “We are excited to be able to bring the same level of industry-leading quality and data to the cell lines market as we have to research antibodies. The cell line market is in the early stages of development as a research tool, where the provision of more choice, with the right gene targets in the right cell lines, will allow the market to rapidly expand.”
Dong Wei, CEO of EdiGene, commented: “Following our strategic decision to focus on advancing our pipeline of biotherapeutic products and high throughput genome screening services, we are pleased to be transitioning our complete cell line portfolio to the team at Abcam. As recognized industry leaders in the provision of biologic reagents and tools, we are confident Abcam will be able to provide expert support to our global user-base.”
The lysate range is expected to be available through the Abcam website in early Q4 2019, with the expanded cell line offering following throughout 2020. In addition, these products will be used to support further knock-out antibody validation, an integral part of Abcam’s on-going antibody quality initiative.
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.
About EdiGene Inc
EdiGene Inc was founded in 2015, and is now headquartered in Beijing, with operational subsidiaries in Guangzhou, China and Cambridge, USA. EdiGene’s mission is to translate the cutting-edge genome editing technologies into novel therapeutics for genetic diseases and cancer, and into creative solutions to advance drug discovery. Edigene leverages proprietary platforms to develop gene-editing therapies for a wide range of diseases, and to conduct high-throughput genome screening to enable dissection of functional big data in biological contexts.
More information can be found at www.EdiGene.com
Contacts
Media:
Dr Lynne Trowbridge
Vice President, External Communications
T: +44 7815 167026
E: Lynne.Trowbridge@abcam.com