Abcam Acquires EdiGene’s Entire Live Cell Lines and Lysates Portfolio

Global life-sciences company, Abcam, has acquired the entire live cell line and lysates portfolio of gene-editing therapy developer, EdiGene, it was revealed in a July 16, 2019 press release.

EdiGene has developed a large off-the-shelf diploid library, comprising more than 2800 single clonal knockout (KO) cell lines that target more than 2600 genes in commonly used cancer cell lines, using its high-throughput cell editing platform. Ready-made diploid KO cell lines are important for antibody validation and play a significant role in the study and understanding of biological pathways and disease models. Additionally, diploid KO cell lines can be used in screening and cellular assays.

“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,” said Cheri Walker, senior vice president of corporate development at Abcam. “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.”

“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,” added Dong Wei, CEO of EdiGene. “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.”

Availability of the lysate range via Abcam’s website is expected early on in the fourth quarter of 2019 and the expanded cell line offering should follow in 2020. 

Source: Abcam