Biotechnology company Cellesce has been acquired by a global life science provider for an undisclosed sum. The Cardiff-headquartered firm has been bought by multi-national US firm, Molecular Devices LLC.
Cellesce specialises in contract development and manufacturing of large-scale patient-derived organoids (PDOs) for diverse applications, including large scale drug screening. The acquisition will strengthen Molecular Devices' human-relevant 3D biology research and accelerate adoption of relevant cell models for drug discovery.
Cellesce produces uniform, human-derived cell or organoid lines including off-the-shelf colorectal cancer, gastrointestinal, and breast cancer organoids — with pancreatic and lung organoids under development — all at a scale unmatched by any commercial technology available today. The company’s quality-assured, patented bioprocess workflow and unique bioreactors have been proven to increase productivity 20- to 60-fold.
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President of Molecular Devices Susan Murphy said: "By combining Cellesce’s expertise in producing industrial-scale PDOs with Molecular Devices’ market-leading end-to-end solutions for automated organoid screening, we will enable customers to accomplish advanced 3D biology research with a commercial offering that’s never been available before from one provider. This enabling technology will make over 100,000 compound primary screens with PDOs a reality and will accelerate industry adoption of organoids."
Vicky Marsh-Durban, chief executive of Cellesce said: "Molecular Devices has the capability, reputation, reach, and resources to ensure that the Cellesce technology can be further developed, and used to its full potential. We’re excited to bring our domain expertise and intellectual property to Molecular Devices, together maximising impact for customers in revolutionizing drug discovery and unlocking the full potential of human-relevant 3D biology research."
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Cellesce was initially backed by the Development Bank of Wales in 2017, followed by another two rounds of equity funding that brought the total investment to £1m.
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Mark Bowman, deputy fund manager for the Development Bank, said: “This acquisition is great news and signals a big vote of confidence in the Welsh biotech sector. Cellesce is a small Welsh company that is now part of a multi-national family with the backing of a global organisation. This gives Vicky and the team a great opportunity to firmly embed their exciting technology in the life sciences market while retaining the expertise and jobs in Wales. It represents exactly what our early stage equity funding can help technology businesses to achieve.”
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