The life science group Sartorius is expanding its bioanalytics portfolio by acquiring a majority stake in ALS Automated Lab Solutions GmbH.

The laboratory technology company based in Jena, Germany, develops, manufactures and markets solutions for the automated analysis, selection and isolation of cells. With these solutions, ALS enables life science customers to significantly reduce time to result and cost in cell line development and antibody discovery. Other application areas are the development of cell and gene therapeutics as well as rare single cell molecular diagnostics in cancer and prenatal research.

Sartorius is initially purchasing 62.5 percent of the shares in ALS as of January 3, 2022. The remaining 37.5 percent will be acquired in 2026. ALS currently employs around 30 people and is expected to generate sales in the high single-digit million-euro area in 2021, with a double-digit EBITDA margin.

“We are helping our customers to increase their overall R&D efficiency. By doing so, we are contributing toward getting medicines faster to the market. With the acquisition of a majority stake in ALS, we are extending our offer in the field of bioanalytics by another complementary technology, further broadening our position in life science research. As a result, we are also strengthening our access to customers in very early stages of drug development,” said Gerry Mackay, member of the Executive Board and Head of the Lab Products & Services Division of Sartorius.

“We are delighted to join the Sartorius family. There is strong interest in our products and solutions from life science customers all over the world. This transaction will further enhance regulatory expertise as well as access to local support. Both are important factors for our customers,” said Jens Eberhardt, CEO and co-founder of ALS.

“The combination with Sartorius will enable ALS to speed up new developments and to complement our existing product portfolio with additional consumables, reagent kits and protocols. This is a fundamental step in our journey from a manufacturer of laboratory systems to a provider of complete end-to-end solutions,” said Gerd Bornmann, CEO and co-founder of ALS.

About ALS

ALS Automated Lab Solutions develops, manufactures and sells high-quality automated solutions for life sciences in a broad range of areas including molecular diagnostics, cancer and stem cell research, cell line development and bioprocessing. The company’s core competencies are in automated cell manipulation, cell sorting and isolation, microscopic high-content imaging and analysis as well as liquid handling. The ALS CellCelector™ is the world’s leading single cell and colony picking platform and is based on a multi-patented, unique cell and colony isolation technology which provides unmatched flexibility, high-quality results, operational reliability, cost-effectiveness and simple use. ALS Automated Lab Solutions GmbH is headquartered in Jena, Germany.

About Sartorius

The Sartorius Group is a leading international partner of life science research and the biopharmaceutical industry. With innovative laboratory instruments and consumables, the Group’s Lab Products & Services Division concentrates on serving the needs of laboratories performing research and quality control at pharma and biopharma companies and those of academic research institutes. The Bioprocess Solutions Division with its broad product portfolio focusing on single-use solutions helps customers to manufacture biotech medications and vaccines safely and efficiently. The Group has been annually growing by double digits on average and has been regularly expanding its portfolio by acquisitions of complementary technologies. In fiscal 2020, the company earned sales revenue of some 2.34 billion euros. At the end of 2020, nearly 11,000 people were employed at the Group’s approximately 60 manufacturing and sales sites, serving customers around the globe.

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