Heil\u00adbronn, Heidelberg\/Boston \u2014 Prota\u00adgen Protein Services (PPS) today announ\u00adced that it will merge with Gene\u00adWerk, an Amper\u00adsand port\u00adfo\u00adlio company. With the addi\u00adtion of Gene\u00adWer\u00adk\u2019s unique capa\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties in vector safety, charac\u00adte\u00adriza\u00adtion, and func\u00adtion\u00ada\u00adlity analy\u00adsis, PPS will comple\u00adment its current analy\u00adti\u00adcal test\u00ading offe\u00adring in protein charac\u00adte\u00adriza\u00adtion iden\u00adtity, purity, potency and capsid loading to become a full-service part\u00adner in gene therapy test\u00ading for the biophar\u00admaceu\u00adti\u00adcal indus\u00adtry. \u2014 ACXIT Capi\u00adtal Part\u00adners advi\u00adsed the majo\u00adrity share\u00adhol\u00adder of Prota\u00adgen Protein Services on the merger with GeneWerk<\/p>\n
The merger crea\u00adtes a leading part\u00adner for the world\u00adwide biophar\u00admaceu\u00adti\u00adcal indus\u00adtry to bene\u00adfit from the most advan\u00adced, inte\u00adgra\u00adted set of analy\u00adti\u00adcal services capa\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties in biolo\u00adgic deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment, espe\u00adci\u00adally in gene and cell therapy-rela\u00adted test\u00ading, from early deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment through drug appr\u00adoval to commer\u00adcia\u00adliza\u00adtion. The combi\u00adned orga\u00adniza\u00adtion will have more than 175 employees across four sites in Europe and North America.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe combi\u00adna\u00adtion of Prota\u00adgen Protein Services (PPS) and Gene\u00adWerk will estab\u00adlish a leading, analy\u00adti\u00adcal CRO serving the most thri\u00adving and inno\u00adva\u00adtive thera\u00adpeu\u00adtic segments within the global biophar\u00admaceu\u00adti\u00adcal indus\u00adtry. We are exci\u00adted to join forces with the Gene\u00adWerk team, who have estab\u00adlished unique, world\u00adwide excel\u00adlence in cell and gene therapy and helped to estab\u00adlish the indus\u00adtry stan\u00addard of inte\u00adgra\u00adtion site analy\u00adsis for all vector deli\u00advery systems,\u201d outlined Martin Bl\u00fcg\u00adgel, CEO Prota\u00adgen Protein Services GmbH.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe are impres\u00adsed by PPS\u2019 scien\u00adti\u00adfic back\u00adground and are eager to join with our scien\u00adti\u00adfic excel\u00adlence. By inte\u00adgra\u00adting our analy\u00adtic plat\u00adforms, programs and exper\u00adtise with PPS, we look forward to working closely with premier biophar\u00admaceu\u00adti\u00adcal compa\u00adnies to design, gene\u00adrate and deli\u00adver inte\u00adgra\u00adted, best-in-class analy\u00adti\u00adcal data packa\u00adges and stra\u00adte\u00adgic support along the full deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment spec\u00adtrum from deve\u00adlo\u00adpa\u00adbi\u00adlity, lead opti\u00admiza\u00adtion, clone selec\u00adtion and process deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment to vector safety, gene editing targets, sequence analy\u00adsis and gene expres\u00adsion,\u201d commen\u00adted Dr. Manfred Schmidt, Mana\u00adging Direc\u00adtor and Co-Foun\u00adder of Gene\u00adWerk GmbH.<\/strong><\/p>\n As part of today\u2019s announce\u00adment, PPS noted that it plans to signi\u00adfi\u00adcantly expand the labo\u00adra\u00adtory capa\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties of its US subsi\u00addiary BioAna\u00adly\u00adtix to include Gene\u00adWer\u00adk\u2019s tech\u00adno\u00adlogy plat\u00adforms and analy\u00adti\u00adcal capa\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties in order to better serve clients loca\u00adted in the Boston area biotech\u00adno\u00adlogy hub and else\u00adwhere in North America. Such service capa\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties will include the deter\u00admi\u00adna\u00adtion of fusion sequen\u00adces adja\u00adcent to known DNA or RNA frag\u00adments in mini\u00admal tissue samples down to the single cell level.<\/p>\n To support the inte\u00adgra\u00adtion and future growth of the combi\u00adned busi\u00adness, PPS also announ\u00adced that Amper\u00adsand Capi\u00adtal Part\u00adners has acqui\u00adred a majo\u00adrity owner\u00adship stake in PPS from Zukunfts\u00adfonds Heil\u00adbronn, PPS\u2019s initial private equity investor. About Prota\u00adgen Protein Services GmbH (PPS)<\/strong><\/p>\n Prota\u00adgen Protein Services (PPS) is a world leading CRO and reco\u00adgni\u00adzed expert in analy\u00adti\u00adcal services in protein science and gene therapy products. Over 20 years of market expe\u00adri\u00adence and the compre\u00adhen\u00adsive spec\u00adtrum of vali\u00adda\u00adted analy\u00adti\u00adcal methods ensure the highest quality for custo\u00admers in the phar\u00admaceu\u00adti\u00adcal, biotech and life science indus\u00adtry. The company is an excel\u00adlent part\u00adner for the biophar\u00admaceu\u00adti\u00adcal indus\u00adtry world\u00adwide to bene\u00adfit from the most advan\u00adced, inte\u00adgra\u00adted and complete analy\u00adtic services capa\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties and plat\u00adforms in biophar\u00admaceu\u00adti\u00adcal deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment, from clone selec\u00adtion through drug appr\u00adoval to commer\u00adcia\u00adliza\u00adtion. In working toge\u00adther with their phar\u00admaceu\u00adti\u00adcal part\u00adners, the PPS teams gene\u00adrate best-in-class analy\u00adtic data packa\u00adges and provide scien\u00adti\u00adfic, tech\u00adni\u00adcal and regu\u00adla\u00adtory support to advance, de-risk and acce\u00adle\u00adrate all stages of biophar\u00admaceu\u00adti\u00adcal deve\u00adlo\u00adp\u00adment by all-in-one-hand service with complete docu\u00admen\u00adta\u00adtion and outstan\u00adding project manage\u00adment to gain market success. www.protagenproteinservices.com<\/p>\n About Gene\u00adWerk GmbH<\/strong><\/p>\n Foun\u00added in 2014 by Prof. Dr. Chris\u00adtof von Kalle, Dr. Manfred Schmidt, and Dr. Annette Deich\u00admann with the parti\u00adci\u00adpa\u00adtion of the German Cancer Rese\u00adarch Center (DKFZ) Heidel\u00adberg, Gene\u00adWerk is a cell and gene therapy test\u00ading labo\u00adra\u00adtory focu\u00adsed on provi\u00adding precli\u00adni\u00adcal and clini\u00adcal trial pati\u00adent sample analy\u00adsis services. The company is reco\u00adgni\u00adzed as a leading provi\u00adder of vector inte\u00adgra\u00adtion site analy\u00adsis (ISA) services, a method that was deve\u00adlo\u00adped by the company\u2019s foun\u00adders and that the FDA and EMA recom\u00admend performing after the admi\u00adnis\u00adtra\u00adtion of both inte\u00adgra\u00adting and non-inte\u00adgra\u00adting cell and gene thera\u00adpies. www.genewerk.com<\/p>\n About Amper\u00adsand Capi\u00adtal Partners About zfhn Future Fund Heilbronn Advi\u00adsor: Tran\u00adsac\u00adtion Team ACXIT Capi\u00adtal Partners<\/strong> ACXIT Capi\u00adtal Part\u00adners is a leading inter\u00adna\u00adtio\u00adnal corpo\u00adrate finance and finan\u00adcial advi\u00adsory firm for mid-market clients, and entre\u00adpre\u00adneurs in Europe and beyond. Since 1998, we offer our clients compre\u00adhen\u00adsive corpo\u00adrate finance advi\u00adsory services inclu\u00adding M&A and capi\u00adtal markets advi\u00adsory as well as debt and stra\u00adte\u00adgic advi\u00adsory. As an inde\u00adpen\u00addent, priva\u00adtely owned firm we main\u00adtain offices and repre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adti\u00adons in Frank\u00adfurt, Munich, Zurich, Hong Kong and New York as well as strong alli\u00adances in the UK and Fran\u00adcisco. www.acxit.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Heil\u00adbronn, Heidelberg\/Boston \u2014 Prota\u00adgen Protein Services (PPS) today announ\u00adced that it will merge with Gene\u00adWerk, an Amper\u00adsand port\u00adfo\u00adlio company. With the addi\u00adtion of Gene\u00adWer\u00adk\u2019s unique capa\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties in vector safety, charac\u00adte\u00adriza\u00adtion, and func\u00adtion\u00ada\u00adlity analy\u00adsis, PPS will comple\u00adment its current analy\u00adti\u00adcal test\u00ading offe\u00adring in protein charac\u00adte\u00adriza\u00adtion iden\u00adtity, purity, potency and capsid loading to become a full-service partner [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[886,1364,1365,1366,1369,1372,1377],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-en","category-featured-en","category-private-equity-en","category-news-en","category-investors","category-consultant","category-corporate-finance-ma"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nMarina Pellon-Consunji, Part\u00adner at Amper\u00adsand Capi\u00adtal Part\u00adners<\/strong>stated: \u201cWe have been looking for the right oppor\u00adtu\u00adnity to expand the capa\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adties of our port\u00adfo\u00adlio company Gene\u00adWerk. We are proud to part\u00adner with the PPS team and look forward to helping further build a leading provi\u00adder of inno\u00adva\u00adtive, scien\u00adti\u00adfi\u00adcally-diffe\u00adren\u00adtia\u00adted test\u00ading and analy\u00adti\u00adcal services for large mole\u00adcule thera\u00adpeu\u00adtics, parti\u00adcu\u00adlarly in the rapidly-growing cell and gene therapy industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>
\nFoun\u00added in 1988, Amper\u00adsand is a middle market private equity firm with more than USD 2bn of assets under manage\u00adment dedi\u00adca\u00adted to growth-orien\u00adted invest\u00adments in the health\u00adcare sector. With offices in Boston and Amster\u00addam, Amper\u00adsand lever\u00ada\u00adges its unique blend of private equity and opera\u00adting expe\u00adri\u00adence to build value and drive supe\u00adrior long-term perfor\u00admance along\u00adside its port\u00adfo\u00adlio company manage\u00adment teams. Amper\u00adsand has helped build nume\u00adrous market-leading compa\u00adnies across each of the firm\u2019s core health\u00adcare sectors. Addi\u00adtio\u00adnal infor\u00adma\u00adtion about Amper\u00adsand is available at www.ampersandcapital.com.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>
\nSince its foun\u00adda\u00adtion in 2005, the zfhn Zukunfts\u00adfonds Heil\u00adbronn has been one of the major venture capi\u00adtal provi\u00adders in Germany. It prima\u00adrily supports young, inno\u00adva\u00adtive tech\u00adno\u00adlogy compa\u00adnies that are loca\u00adted in the Heil\u00adbronn area or are prepared to settle there in the short to medium term. The zfhn is priva\u00adtely finan\u00adced and endo\u00adwed with equity capi\u00adtal in the three-digit million range. It supports compa\u00adnies with capi\u00adtal, know-how and cont\u00adacts in the Heil\u00adbronn econo\u00admic region. The aim is to deve\u00adlop Heil\u00adbronn into a highly successful tech\u00adno\u00adlogy loca\u00adtion. This also includes the estab\u00adlish\u00adment and expan\u00adsion of clus\u00adters (MedTech, BioTech, Clean\u00adTech). www.zf-hn.de<\/p>\n
\nThomas Klack, Mana\u00adging Partner
\nKlaus Nest\u00adler, Part\u00adner Life Sciences
\nBastian Spren\u00adger, Director
\nAndreas Illmer, Associate<\/p>\n