NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Swiss biotech firm Esperite today announced it has acquired Santa Clara, Calif.-based karyotype testing firm InKaryo.
Esperite will acquire Inkaryo shares at a purchase price of $260,000 and assume the obligations of a two-year, 6 percent $280,000 convertible bond due in May. Except for a $40,000 cash payment on completion of the deal, Esperite is entitled to pay the purchase price in shares. If Esperite does so, the sellers of InKaryo may elect to collectively receive 73,530 new Esperite shares. Esperite is entitled to convert the convertible bond into Esperite shares at a conversion price of €2.99 ($3.18).
InKaryo's eKaryotype electronic whole-genome karyotype test offers cytogenetic analysis through next-generation sequencing. The NGS experimental protocol and proprietary bioinformatics analysis covers the full genome evenly and with high specificity, providing an accurate digital sequence output, Esperite said. It added that eKaryotype is a leap in quality yet a fraction of the cost compared to existing methods, such as array-based comparative genomic hybridization or chromosomal microarray analysis.
"The acquisition of InKaryo and its strong background strengthens our strategy to drive scientific development and our ability to create a solid pipeline of genetic tests," Esperite CEO Frederic Amar said in a statement.
As part of the deal, Esperite will add InKaryo founder Xitong Li to its scientific development team.
Earlier this week, Esperite signed an agreement with Premaitha to use the firm's Iona test for Esperite's own branded non-invasive prenatal test, called Tranquility.