MilliporeSigma (Billerica, Mass.; www.emdmillipore.com) announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Natrix Separations (www.natrixseparations.com), an Ontario, Canada-based provider of hydrogel membrane products for single-use chromatography. The transaction is expected to close in Q3 of 2017. Financial details were not disclosed.
Natrix is known for its unique technology platform capable of delivering high productivity and impurity removal in a single-use format, an ideal fit with next generation processing. This acquisition complements MilliporeSigma’s efforts to drive next-generation bioprocessing, ultimately enabling faster, more efficient technology for customers.
“The Natrix technology platform, and the development options and capabilities that this brings for single-use and rapid cycling chromatography, will allow us to accelerate our offering in mAb and vaccine manufacturing,” said Udit Batra, CEO, MilliporeSigma. “This acquisition creates tremendous opportunity to drive growth and advancement in next-generation processing—an area of increasing importance to our customers.”
Next-generation processing is any technology, expendable or system that changes the existing monoclonal antibody manufacturing template through unit operation intensification, connection of unit operations or fully continuous processing. Biomanufacturers are moving toward next-generation processing because of its many benefits, including increased plant productivity, facility flexibility, cost efficiencies and reduced risk. Next-generation processing is expected to triple in market size between 2020 and 2025.
Natrix markets both an anion exchange membrane and cation exchange membrane. Natrix is developing additional products to enable a fully single-use, full-scale biological purification process.
“Joining MilliporeSigma gives us the opportunity to collaborate with some of the best minds in the industry, allowing us to further the great work done by our scientists,” says John Chickosky, CEO, Natrix Separations. “I am truly excited to become part of a larger effort and see the benefits of this combination in the advances we will make for our customers and the global scientific community.”