Abcam delivers outstanding performance in new Biocompare antibody market report

  • Academic and industry scientists rank Abcam as their Overall Preferred Antibody Supplier
  • Peer recognition of Best Antibody Specificity demonstrates success of Company’s ongoing efforts to help life science industry address global reproducibility crisis

Cambridge, UK, 27 November 2019 – Today, Abcam plc, a global innovator in life science reagents and tools that support research, drug discovery and diagnostics, formally announced that it has received wide-reaching industry recognition as overall market leader, championing scientific reproducibility and exceptional customer service.

Recognition for excellence within specific research categories such as neurobiology, inflammation, infectious disease and stem cells reflect the Company’s focus on addressing the complex needs of disease-specific research. This recognition is based on Biocompare’s Antibody Market Survey & Report, which surveyed over 650 end-users of antibodies and custom antibody services across the life science industry.

Dr John Baker, Senior Vice-President, Product Portfolio and Innovation at Abcam, said: “Selected by scientists, this recognition acknowledges our commitment to high-quality products powering the scientific research that ultimately leads to crucial breakthroughs. The results recognise our relentless focus on providing outstanding technical support and overall customer experience. We collaborate with the life sciences industry to support the discovery and development of tomorrow’s medicines, and this is a testament to our ongoing success.”

The report investigated life scientists’ needs and preferences, information on antibody selection, key applications and purchasing considerations, as well as the impact of the availability of data on antibody validation and reproducibility. The need for improved data continues to dominate as the quality of life sciences reagents, such as antibodies1, is linked to the global reproducibility crisis that has impacted the industry as a whole.

Over the past year Abcam has significantly expanded its in-house platform capabilities, products and services offerings through a series of strategic partnerships and collaborations, including Custom Solutions and Commercial Partnerships. Most recently, Abcam launched the largest portfolio of knockout cell lysates on the market, enabling scientists’ access to “off-the-shelf” products previously unavailable at such a scale.

References

1. Bradbury A. et al., 2015. Reproducibility: Standardize antibodies used in research. Nature. 518(7537): pp 27-9.

Scientists poised to unlock their understanding of autophagy with new antibody-based insights

  • Improved understanding could influence future diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
  • World’s leading methods journal documents use of key antibody, developed as part of Abcam – University of Ottawa collaboration.

25 November 2019, Cambridge, UK – Abcam is excited to announce its involvement in a ground-breaking methodology paper published today in Nature Methods, describing a new technique that promises to significantly advance our understanding of autophagy – cells’ “waste management system.”

As part of a long-standing collaboration between senior author Ryan Charles Russell at the University of Ottawa and Abcam, a highly-sensitive RabMAb™ rabbit monoclonal has been developed with the ability to detect a vital step in the “autophagosome” formation process, the phosphorylation of protein ATG16L1. Autophagy facilitates cells’ removal of old and dysfunctional components as well as those that might be harmful. This process has been implicated in a number of chronic, life-threatening diseases including neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

In the Nature Methods paper, the team at the University of Ottawa describe a method whereby the phosphorylated version of protein ATG16L1 can be detected by Abcam’s RabMAb antibody (ab195242) through important protein assays such as Western blot, immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry. Phospho-ATG16L1 levels measured using the antibody directly corresponded to the rate of autophagy in the studied cells, meaning that this is also a sensitive tool for studying the rate of induction of new, active autophagosomes.

The RabMAb platform combines the unique properties of the rabbit immune system with Abcam’s antibody platforms to generate recombinant rabbit monoclonals with particularly high affinity and specificity. The recombinant antibody format delivers significantly higher reproducibility and enhanced batch to batch consistency.

Full details can be found in the paper:  https://www.nature.com/articles/s41592-019-0661-y

Learn about RabMAb recombinant rabbit monoclonal antibodies here.

Read about Abcam’s Custom Solutions offering here.

Abcam agrees to acquire Expedeon’s Proteomics and Immunology business, expanding offerings into the fast-growing conjugation segment

  • Acquisition of leading protein conjugation technologies and products with wellknown industry brands, including Lightning-Link® and CaptSureTM
  • Complementary to Abcam’s existing antibody and multiplex growth strategy, with high customer overlap
  • Acquisition expected to be accretive from the first full year of ownership (FY21)1 and to deliver a ROIC (pretax) ahead of the Group’s WACC by the third full year of ownership (FY23)

Abcam plc (AIM LSE: ABC), a global leader in the supply of life science research tools, today announces that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Expedeon Ltd, Innova Biosciences Ltd. and TGR BioSciences (the “Proteomics and Immunology business”) from Expedeon AG (“Expedeon”) for a cash consideration of €120 million (the “Acquisition”). Background to and reasons for the Acquisition Protein labeling is a large, growing market – essential to biological research in proteomics. Proteomics research requires the use of molecular labels that are covalently attached to a protein of interest to facilitate detection or purification of the protein or its binding partners. The Acquisition represents a compelling strategic fit for Abcam:

  • Accelerates Abcam’s strategic ambition within the complementary antibody conjugation and labeling market, where there is high customer overlap
  • Expands Abcam’s addressable market by leveraging Expedeon’s technologies in conjugation with Abcam’s deep expertise and experience in customer service, digital marketing and sales
  • Provides opportunity to combine Expedeon and Abcam’s technologies to create new valueadded products to support customer needs

Principal terms and financial effects of the Acquisition

  • Proposed acquisition of Expedeon’s Proteomics and Immunology business for a cash consideration of €120 million on a cash-free / debt-free basis
  • Acquisition to be funded from a drawdown of the Group’s Revolving Credit Facility and existing cash resources Acquisition subject to approval by Expedeon shareholders at a general meeting to be held on December 19, 2019. If approved by Expedeon shareholders, the Acquisition is expected to close in early 2020 The proposed transaction results in the acquisition of substantially all the revenues, profits and assets of Expedeon. The most recently audited results of Expedeon, for the 12 months ended December 31, 2018, were revenues of €13.1m (£11.3m), adjusted EBITDA of €1.0m (£0.9m) and Net assets of €46.5m (£40.0m)2
  • The Acquisition is expected to be neutral to Abcam’s adjusted earnings in the current financial year (FY20) and accretive from the first full year of ownership (FY21)1. The Acquisition is expected to deliver a ROIC (pretax) ahead of the Group’s Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) by the third full year of ownership (FY23)

Alan Hirzel, CEO of Abcam, commented: “Abcam’s growth strategy is committed to building out conjugation and assay capabilities. Expedeon’s portfolio of products and technology, combined with Abcam’s antibody and protein strengths, will put our company in a strong position to address the growing need for antibody conjugation and multiplexing solutions. We look forward to taking these innovation capabilities to market to provide a broader array of distinctive products for our customers.”

Analyst and Investor Conference Call A conference call for analysts and investors will be held at 1400 GMT / 0900 EST, today. To participate in this call, please contact Mary Whittow at FTI Consulting (Mary.Whittow@fticonsulting.com / +44 (0)20 3327 1366) for dial-in details.

1. Before acquisition and integration related costs 2. Based on an average EUR:GBP exchange rate of 1.16:1

Ondra LLP provided advice to the Board of Directors of Abcam in relation to this transaction.

For further information, please contact: Abcam + 44 (0) 1223 696 000 Alan Hirzel, Chief Executive Officer Gavin Wood, Chief Financial Officer James Staveley, VP Investor Relations J.P. Morgan Cazenove – Nominated Advisor and Joint Corporate Broker +44 (0) 20 7742 4000 James Mitford / Hemant Kapoor

Numis – Joint Corporate Broker +44 (0) 20 7260 1000 Garry Levin / Duncan Monteith

FTI Consulting (Media enquiries) +44 (0) 20 3727 1000 Ben Atwell / Brett Pollard / Natalie Garland-Collins

Abcam and BrickBio announce a partnership to incorporate conjugation-ready sites into recombinant antibodies across Abcam’s portfolio

Cambridge, UK – Nov. 8, 2019 — Abcam plc, a global innovator in life science reagents and tools, is today pleased to announce a strategic partnership with BrickBio, experts in site-specific protein modification and a Tiger Gene portfolio company, covering the use of BrickBio’s proprietary platform for introducing conjugation-ready sites into antibodies and other proteins in both mammalian and bacterial expression systems.

Under the partnership, Abcam will have exclusive rights to the platform for the creation of novel conjugation-ready recombinant products for the research tools market, as well as rights to commercialize the platform across its recombinant antibody and protein portfolio for diagnostic use. In addition, Abcam will make a financial investment in BrickBio and work together with the BrickBio team to further industrialize the platform.

BrickBio’s platform provides an unparalleled ability to site-selectively modify proteins in a broad range of eukaryotic and bacterial cell lines. Using a proprietary engineered tRNA synthetase/tRNA pair, the platform can readily incorporate unnatural amino acids that can then be coupled to a second molecule for labeling or other research applications, or to create protein-conjugate therapeutics including Antibody-Drug-Conjugates (ADCs).

Commenting on the partnership and investment, Cheri Walker, SVP of Corporate Development at Abcam, said: “We are excited about the opportunity to partner with BrickBio, an innovative team that has developed one of the most exciting technologies that we have seen in the recombinant antibody space. The market needs easy and reliable conjugation-ready solutions, and together, Abcam and BrickBio plan to deliver these solutions to the market. We are committed to incorporate this technology across our in-house recombinant antibody and protein portfolios.”

John Boyce, CEO of BrickBio and Co-Founder of Tiger Gene, commented: “With one of the largest and highest quality recombinant antibody portfolios in the market, Abcam was a natural fit to be our exclusive partner to take our technology to scientific researchers. We are excited to work together to further industrialize the platform and see it widely introduced into the research segment of the market. At the same time, BrickBio will focus on becoming a critical platform for therapeutic partners, enabling biopharma clients to solve difficult protein-based drug development needs, helping to build high performing protein therapeutics, such as ADCs, for controlled labeling and manufacturing.”

About BrickBio Inc

BrickBio, a Boston-based biotechnology company, empowers next-generation unnatural amino acid coupled protein conjugation with its site-specific and site-selective platform. The platform technology spans prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression systems, enabling the development of unique biologics and protein therapeutics with enhanced characteristics, including improvements to half-life, dosage and efficacy. With the broadest toolkit of bioconjugation handles, BrickBio can optimize any conjugate and is uniquely situated to push the frontier of biologics with the selective modification of multiple distinct sites on a single protein. BrickBio is working with partners to develop best-in-class therapeutics and RUO kits with its proprietary bioconjugation strategies.

Engineered knockout cell lysates for reproducible proteomic analysis

Cambridge, UK, 7th November 2019 – Abcam’s new engineered knockout cell lysates enable proteomic studies by providing researchers with “true negative” controls.

Acquiring reliable off-the-shelf knockout mouse models or cell lines that match specific experimental requirements can be challenging, and often need to be sourced directly from individual researchers or labs. Abcam’s newly-launched collection addresses this issue by providing access to over 2,800 diploid KO cell lysates, the largest selection currently available to researchers.

The lysates are useful for studies requiring loss-of-function phenotypes at the proteomic level as well as routine applications such as Western blotting and mass spectroscopy. They also can be used to support antibody and target validation. The use of diploid cells makes the lysates well suited to the more complex studies often carried out in cancer research.

Derived from commonly used immortalized cell lines, KO lysates have been engineered using CRISPR-Cas9 and are accompanied by Sanger sequencing and Western blotting validation data. Corresponding wild-type controls are also provided so that the biological impact of each KO lysate can easily be assessed within a consistent cellular background.

Abcam’s KO cell lysates deliver:

  • Access to thousands of CRISPR-Cas9-engineered KO cell lysates of interest, without needing to generate or purchase a KO cell line, saving on average 4–12 weeks’ work in the lab
  • Minimal preparation required
  • Diploid KO lysates derived from commonly used cell lines including HeLa, HEK293T, A549, HCT116, Hep G2 and MCF

Abcam Enters Cell Editing Market Through Acquisition of EdiGene’s Knockout Cell Lines and Lysates Portfolio

  • Largest off-the-shelf diploid KO library, over 2,800 cell lines

Cambridge, UK and Beijing, CN: 16 July, 2019 – Abcam plc, a global innovator in life science reagents and tools, is today pleased to announce the acquisition of the entire live cell line and lysates portfolio of EdiGene Inc, a leading company focused on developing genome editing technologies into novel therapeutics for a broad range of diseases and into creative solutions to advance drug discovery.

Using their proprietary high throughput cell editing platform, EdiGene developed the industry’s largest off-the shelf diploid library of over 2,800 single clonal knockout (KO) cell lines targeting over 2,600 genes in commonly used human cancer cell lines (including HeLa, HEK293-T, A549, HCT116, Hep G2 and MCF7).

Ready-made diploid KO cell lines are an important tool for antibody validation. They also play a significant role in the study and understanding of biological pathways and disease models and can be used in screening and cellular assays. EdiGene’s cell lines and lysates are used by top academic researchers, global biopharmaceutical companies, and leading antibody companies.

Commenting on the acquisition, Cheri Walker, SVP of Corporate Development at Abcam, said: : “We are excited to be able to bring the same level of industry-leading quality and data to the cell lines market as we have to research antibodies. The cell line market is in the early stages of development as a research tool, where the provision of more choice, with the right gene targets in the right cell lines, will allow the market to rapidly expand.”

Dong Wei, CEO of EdiGene, commented: “Following our strategic decision to focus on advancing our pipeline of biotherapeutic products and high throughput genome screening services, we are pleased to be transitioning our complete cell line portfolio to the team at Abcam. As recognized industry leaders in the provision of biologic reagents and tools, we are confident Abcam will be able to provide expert support to our global user-base.”

The lysate range is expected to be available through the Abcam website in early Q4 2019, with the expanded cell line offering following throughout 2020. In addition, these products will be used to support further knockout antibody validation, an integral part of Abcam’s on-going antibody quality initiative.

About Abcam plc

As a global life sciences company, Abcam identifies, develops, and distributes high-quality biological reagents and tools that are crucial to research, drug discovery and diagnostics. Working across the industry, the Company supports life scientists to achieve their mission, faster.

Abcam partners with life science organizations to co-create novel binders for use in drug discovery, in vitro diagnostics and therapeutics, driven by the Company’s proprietary discovery platforms and world-leading, antibody expertise.

By constantly innovating its binders and assays, Abcam is helping advance the global understanding of biology and causes of disease, which enables new treatments and improved health. The Company’s pioneering data-sharing approach gives scientists increased confidence in their results by providing validation, user comments and peer-reviewed citations for its 110,000 products.

With eleven sites globally, many of Abcam’s 1,100 strong team are located in the world’s leading life science research hubs, complementing a global network of services and support.

To find out more, please visit www.abcam.com and www.abcamplc.com.

About EdiGene Inc

EdiGene Inc was founded in 2015, and is now headquartered in Beijing, with operational subsidiaries in Guangzhou, China and Cambridge, USA. EdiGene’s mission is to translate the cutting-edge genome editing technologies into novel therapeutics for genetic diseases and cancer, and into creative solutions to advance drug discovery. Edigene leverages proprietary platforms to develop gene-editing therapies for a wide range of diseases, and to conduct high-throughput genome screening to enable dissection of functional big data in biological contexts.

More information can be found at www.EdiGene.com

Contacts

Media:
Dr Lynne Trowbridge
Vice President, External Communications
T: +44 7815 167026
E: Lynne.Trowbridge@abcam.com

New tissue clearing kits and reagents for faster, accurate 3D imaging

Abcam’s tissue clearing kits and reagents enable easy and rapid clearing for 3D imaging of tissues and cell culture models.

Traditionally, 3D imaging of thick tissue sections and 3D cell culture models (organoids, microtissues, spheroids) has presented many technical challenges, including laborious and time-consuming tissue processing, layer-by-layer 2D imaging of thin sections and in silico 3D reconstruction. By contrast, tissue clearing reagents can expedite detailed 3D imaging by reducing the need for these steps, while providing a truer reflection of biological structures.

Developed with Visikol’s HISTO™ technology, Abcam’s tissue clearing kits use simple protocols, standard laboratory equipment, and are compatible with immunostaining, fluorescent protein and chemical dyes. Clearing is also reversible, for conventional H&E or IHC staining following 3D imaging.

To facilitate the set-up and use of Abcam’s tissue clearing kits, a selection of recombinant antibodies for key markers (Neun, S100 and Iba1) have been validated for use with the kits. Tissue clearing reagents can be purchased as part of a kit or as individual products , for greater flexibility.

Find out more at: www.abcam.com/tissueclearing

NanoString and Abcam Enter Commercial Partnership to Provide Expanded Menu of Antibodies for GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler

  • Abcam to Develop Conjugated FFPE IHC Validated Antibodies Compatible with the GeoMx DSP

Seattle and Cambridge, UK, 1 April, 2019 — NanoString Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:NSTG), a provider of life science tools for translational research and molecular diagnostic products, today announced a commercial agreement with Abcam plc (AIM:ABC), a global innovator in life science reagents and tools, for the manufacture and sale of antibodies specifically for use with NanoString’s new GeoMx™ Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP).

“Researchers using our GeoMx DSP platform often want to customize their analysis. We have partnered with Abcam to facilitate access to their broad portfolio of high quality, validated antibodies to augment our off-the-shelf GeoMx Protein Panels. Abcam’s proven track record of antibody quality and performance was a key consideration in ensuring the success of our customer’s spatial profiling research”, said Brad Gray, president and CEO of NanoString.

Under the terms of the agreement, Abcam will leverage its collection of over 6,000 recombinant monoclonal antibodies, validated for use with IHC in either fresh frozen or formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples, to create bespoke antibody content for NanoString’s GeoMx DSP platform. This will enable GeoMx DSP users to more rapidly dissect and explore cellular interactions at a local level and facilitate discovery of novel biology.

“We are excited to be partnering with NanoString to support the GeoMx DSP users’ ground-breaking research. Our recombinant monoclonal antibodies help ensure robust and quantitative spatial protein analysis of even the most challenging samples and may ultimately accelerate vital biomarker discoveries”, said John Baker, SVP of Product Portfolio and Innovation at Abcam.

Abcam will manufacture and sell GeoMx-formatted antibodies through its catalog and website directly to GeoMx DSP users.

Abcam collaborates with Visikol to develop new tools for improved tissue clearing and 3D imaging

New Jersey, USA and Cambridge, UK – 25 March 2019: Abcam, a global innovator in life science reagents and tools, and Visikol, a contract research organisation focused on advancing drug discovery, have announced a collaboration to develop new reagents and kits for improved tissue clearing and 3D imaging.

Tissue clearing methods, which are essential to get a better view of complex structures such as the brain and nervous system, have advanced the understanding of neuroscience. These methods are also being rapidly adopted into the drug discovery and safety toxicology fields, where it’s vitally important to characterise 3D cell culture models in their entirety.

Dr. Tom Villani, Chief Scientific Officer, Visikol, commented: “Despite being an established technique, challenges such as antibody optimisation and labelling remain as tissue clearing requires the combination of several highly complex disciplines. This collaboration addresses the industry need for improved tools to undertake rapid tissue clearing and 3D imaging that generates high-quality data.”

Michael Chipchase, Senior Product Manager, Kits and Assays, Abcam, commented: “Collaboration with industry partners is part of Abcam’s strategy to provide scientists with the tools they need. By combining our expertise in antibody development and validation with Visikol’s expertise in tissue clearing, we can advance understanding of important biological processes to support the future development of critical diagnostics and therapeutics.”

Find out more at: www.abcam.com/tissueclearing

Abcam wins the UK-China Business award

China represents an important market for us and we are thrilled to announce that Abcam has been chosen as the winner of the Cambridge Business Weekly UK-China Business Award.

This new award category, which acknowledges the most effective ambassador for UK/China trade and trust over the last 12 months, has been jointly promoted by the Cambridge China Centre and Business Weekly. The award marks a significantly growing and increasingly dynamic trade profile between Cambridge and China.

China is looking to become a world powerhouse in scientific and technological innovation by 2050. The amount of life science research conducted in China has significantly expanded in recent years. Prominent Cambridge-based companies have made great strides in breaking down barriers and forging new alliances. We are proud Abcam has been unanimously chosen as the winner for our efforts and we plan to continue to understand this developing market, so we can support the advancement of biological discovery.

Abcam serves this expanding market by providing expertise and troubleshooting the needs of local researchers. The size of our China team has grown to over 300 employees, five times the number we had in 2014, with the expansion of our manufacturing, logistics and marketing capabilities.

Yvonne Chien, Senior Vice President, said: “We have been operating in China for more than 10 years and we are inspired by the quality and quantity of scientific discovery. We see this market as a source of innovation for the long term and we look forward to continuing our strong relationship with China.”