Just a few months after securing CHF 40 million, Lunaphore, a medtech startup developing technology to enable spatial biology in every laboratory, is joining the Bio-Techne family to become the largest spatial biology player in the market. The global life sciences company providing innovative tools and bioactive reagents for the research and clinical diagnostic communities intends to finalize the acquisition later this year.
Lunaphore is a leading developer of fully automated spatial biology solutions using precision microfluidic technology capable of revealing hyperplex proteomic and transcriptomic biomarkers in tumours and other tissues at single-cell and subcellular resolution. Its product portfolio comprises COMET, an end-to-end spatial biology platform, SPYRE antibody panel kits and HORIZON image analysis software as well as LabSat, an automated tissue staining instrument.
Providing ultimate flexibility in panel design, Lunaphore’s technology and instrumentation empower researchers in immunology, immune-oncology, and neuroscience to push the boundaries of scientific discovery and accelerate therapeutic development. Moreover, its spatial biology technology enables the identification of biomarker “signatures” with clinical relevance, providing data necessary to support the development of diagnostic tools and streamline clinical trials, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
In April, Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ: TECH) and Lunaphore entered a strategic partnership to develop the first fully automated spatial multi-omic workflow. This fully automated multi-omics solution will utilize Lunaphore’s COMET instrument and SPYRE antibody panels as well as Bio-Techne’s RNAscope HiPlex technology to enable simultaneous hyperplex detection of protein and RNA biomarkers on the same slide at single-cell resolution.
The companies have now agreed to an acquisition deal, which is anticipated to close in Q3 this year. Lunaphore’s team, instrument portfolio, and technology will be integrated into Bio-Techne. Several Swiss investors have invested in Lunaphore over the last years including Ernst-Göhner Stiftung Beteiligungen, Swiss Entrepreneurs Fund, OCCIDENT, Redalpine and Alpana Ventures.
With thousands of products in its portfolio, Bio-Techne generated approximately $1.1 billion in net sales in fiscal 2022 and has approximately 3,000 employees worldwide. commenting on the acquisition, Chuck Kummeth, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bio-Techne said, “Lunaphore is very complementary to Bio-Techne’s leading spatial biology franchise, as COMET delivers an automation platform for our RNAscope assays, and we leverage our global commercial team to penetrate this rapidly growing market. We also see additional synergies with our leading portfolio of antibodies and other products.”
“We are excited to be joining Bio-Techne and combining capabilities to lead the Spatial Biology market,” said Dr. Ata Tuna Ciftlik, Chief Executive Officer of Lunaphore. “Our shared vision of tackling the translational and clinical research market while using our complementary best-in-class spatial proteomics and transcriptomics products is going to make a great impact on our customers in advancing research. In addition, Bio-Techne’s global reach and commercial and operational excellence will enable Lunaphore to accelerate its penetration into the high-growth spatial biology market We’re now joining forces to be the largest spatial biology player.”(Press release/RAN)
Photo L-R: Diego Gabriel Dupouy, Co-founder & CTO; Déborah Heintz, Co-founder and CMO and Ata Tuna Ciftlikm, Founder & CEO.
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