Skip to main content
Premium Trial:

Request an Annual Quote

Mesa Laboratories Acquires Agena Bioscience for $300M

NEW YORK – Mesa Laboratories said on Tuesday that it has acquired mass spectrometry-based genetic analysis firm Agena Bioscience for $300 million in cash.

The deal is expected to close during Mesa's third fiscal quarter, which ends Dec. 31. It will be financed through a combination of cash on hand and proceeds from Mesa's credit facility, the company said in a statement.

Agena is expected to add between $63 million and $67 million to Mesa's revenues during the first year of ownership, excluding COVID-19-related revenues. Mesa, based in Lakewood, Colorado, said approximately 65 percent of that revenue is expected to be recurring and that the acquisition will likely deliver high single digit percent organic revenue growth.

San Diego-based Agena is also expected to add another $3 million to $5 million of COVID-19-related revenues during the first year of ownership, Mesa said, although the COVID-19 revenues will likely tail off significantly after that first year.

Agena received Emergency Use Authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration for its five-test SARS-CoV-2 panel in October.

"Agena brings an innovative approach to the challenges of clinical genomics," Mesa CEO Gary Owens said in a statement. "Their MassArray system is a proven platform which integrates the best of mass spectroscopy and multiplex PCR, providing a unique combination of sensitivity, cost effectiveness, fast turnaround time, ease of use, and flexibility."

"These benefits strongly address the needs of clinicians to apply patient-specific genomic information to make personalized treatment and monitoring decisions," he said.

Agena was founded in 2014 when Sequenom sold its bioscience business, with its flagship MassArray platform, for $31.8 million.

The Scan

Positive Framing of Genetic Studies Can Spark Mistrust Among Underrepresented Groups

Researchers in Human Genetics and Genomics Advances report that how researchers describe genomic studies may alienate potential participants.

Small Study of Gene Editing to Treat Sickle Cell Disease

In a Novartis-sponsored study in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that a CRISPR-Cas9-based treatment targeting promoters of genes encoding fetal hemoglobin could reduce disease symptoms.

Gut Microbiome Changes Appear in Infants Before They Develop Eczema, Study Finds

Researchers report in mSystems that infants experienced an enrichment in Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Finegoldia and a depletion of Bacteroides before developing eczema.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment Specificity Enhanced With Stem Cell Editing

A study in Nature suggests epitope editing in donor stem cells prior to bone marrow transplants can stave off toxicity when targeting acute myeloid leukemia with immunotherapy.