ATDBio acquired by Biotage to provide platform for further growth

UK-based oligonucleotide synthesis company ATDBio today revealed it has been acquired by the Swedish life sciences company Biotage.

The acquisition, which consists of £45 million ($62 million) in cash and shares, provides Biotage with expertise in highly complex DNA and RNA production, will allow accelerated expansion of the UK company’s activities.

ATDBio’s founders are joining the Biotage group as part of the acquisition, continuing to work with existing and new customers on molecular diagnostics, nucleic acid-based therapeutics and vaccines plus new generation DNA and RNA sequencing technologies. Biotage is focused on workflow solutions and products for customers in drug discovery and development, analytical testing and water and environmental testing.

ATDBio was founded in 2004 by Professor Tom Brown Snr, one of the world's leading nucleic acids chemists, Dr Dorcas Brown, an expert in oligonucleotide synthesis, Dr Tom Brown Jnr and Dr Asha Brown. It has laboratories in Oxford and Southampton, UK.

During the Covid-19 pandemic ATDBio has been making nucleic acid primers and probes, working with customers to help them develop simpler, faster and more accurate diagnostic methods. Growth is also being driven by development of next-generation nucleic acid molecular diagnostics and therapeutics, plus gene-editing technologies. Recent developments at the company include funding from Innovate UK, the UK’s Innovation Agency, for a novel method of rapid, efficient and automatable production of large quantities of oligonucleotides for COVID-19 testing.

Dr Brown, director of ATDBio, said: “ATDBio is very proud to be joining the Biotage Group. With its global presence and world-leading separation science expertise, and our leadership in complex oligonucleotide synthesis, our businesses are highly complementary. With this exciting merger we look forward to scaling up our activities with existing and new customers. As ATDBio enters this exciting phase of growth, we would like to sincerely thank our remarkable staff for their ongoing hard work and our customers for their support.”