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Roche to Acquire Enzyme Engineering Firm Kapa Biosystems

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Roche has signed a definitive agreement to acquire molecular biology enzyme firm Kapa Biosystems for an undisclosed amount, the company said today.

Kapa, headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, with an R&D and manufacturing facility in Cape Town, South Africa, provides optimized enzymes for next-generation sequencing, PCR, and real-time PCR applications.

The company has a proprietary protein engineering technology to generate enzymes with improved performance for specific applications, including novel DNA polymerases for sequencing sample prep. Last month, for example, Kapa said it would supply library prep reagents for 10X Genomics' GemCode platform.

"This acquisition builds on Roche's commitment to develop a differentiated NGS portfolio that will provide our customers with a complete genetic testing solution," said Roland Diggelmann, COO of Roche Diagnostics, in a statement, adding that it complements its existing NGS technology, such as target enrichment products.

The acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, adds to other purchases by Roche in the areas of genomics and molecular diagnostics this year, including microbial diagnostics firm GeneWeave and cancer diagnostics companies CAPP Medical and Signature Diagnostics.

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