Assay developer DiscoveRx (Fremont, CA) today said it acquired the drug discovery services company BioSeek (South San Francisco, CA) for an undisclosed sum.
The deal creates a combined company with a wider array of offerings for drug discoverers, including DiscoveRx’ GPCR, Kinase, and NHR assay solutions using its β-galactosidase enzyme fragment complementation (EFC) and KINOMEscan™ core technologies; and BioSeek’s BioMAP drug screening platform, based on cell-based disease models that generate predictive biological activity profiles for potential treatments.
Pyare L. Khanna, DiscoveRx’s president and CEO, said in a statement that the acquisition of BioSeek provides new capabilities to DiscoveRx: “Expertise in primary cell disease models as well as a highly differentiated compound characterization service. These new capabilities further strengthen our position as a premier drug discovery solution provider that develops and commercializes high-value products and specialized services.”
BioSeek, formerly part of the Asterand Company, recently received a $46,770,000 grant award from EPA Toxcast® program for use of BioSeek’s human primary cell assay platform to help predict biological activity and potential toxicity of up to 60,000 additional samples, including environmental chemicals, pesticides, failed pharmaceuticals, and nanomaterials.