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WaferGen Biosystems, Takara Bio Ink Distribution Deal in Japan

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – WaferGen Biosystems said today that it has entered into an exclusive distribution agreement in Japan with Takara Bio for WaferGen's ICell8 Single-Cell System, SmartChip Real-Time PCR, SmartChip Target Enrichment, and Apollo 324 products.

Last month, the companies announced that Takara Bio USA — formerly known as Clontech Laboratories and now a subsidiary of Japan's Takara Bio — will acquire WaferGen for an aggregate cash price based on a multiple of WaferGen's 2016 revenues. That merger is expected to close in March 2017, the companies said today.

"The Asia-Pacific genomic analysis market is large and growing and WaferGen has been experiencing rapid uptake of our clinical research product line in the region," WaferGen President and CEO Rollie Carlson said today in a statement. "We are excited to have a strong partnership with Takara which has a leadership position in genomic research and single-cell analysis, and believe that our combined solutions have the potential to rapidly accelerate adoption of our clinical research products and now the ICell8 Single-Cell System in Japan."

The ICell8 can be used to isolate thousands of single cells, automatically identify cells of interest, and prepare single cells for next-generation sequencing analysis. The SmartChip Real-Time PCR and SmartChip Target Enrichment systems are high-throughput platforms for clinical research applications, such as the identification of variants associated with complex disease. The Apollo 324 is a compact, highly flexible system for automated NGS sample preparation.