Bruker has entered a definitive agreement to acquire functional cell biology company PhenomeX for a total equity value of $108m.

The company will initiate a tender offer to purchase all of PhenomeX's outstanding shares for $1.00 per share, payable in cash.

PhenomeX offers single-cell biology research tools for delivering insights into cellular function and new perspectives on phenomes and genotype-to-phenotype linkages.

PhenomeX was established at the start of 2023 by a merger between Berkeley Lights and IsoPlexis. The company now has more than 400 instruments installed.

PhenomeX CEO and director Siddhartha Kadia stated: “By joining forces with Bruker, a respected and innovative global leader in life science research tools, we will not only enhance PhenomeX’s differentiated, high-value technologies but also our customers’ abilities to discover novel antibodies and accelerate development and manufacturing of cell and gene therapies.”

PhenomeX delivers biology workflows with software, instruments and molecular biology reagents.

Its product portfolio consists of the IsoLight and IsoSpark proteomics barcoding platforms, as well as the Beacon Optofluidic platform.

The Beacon Optofluidic system enables researchers to advance biologics product development by concurrently characterising numerous individual cells.

The IsoLight and IsoSpark instruments simplify the automated measurement of both the extracellular and intracellular proteomes of single cells, supporting translational research efforts.

Bruker NANO Group president Dr Mark Munch stated: “The unique single-cell analysis platforms of PhenomeX are enabling researchers to more rapidly and precisely unlock new insights in functional cell biology research leading to important discoveries across the large and rapidly growing markets of antibody therapeutics, cell line development, cell therapy and gene therapy.”

The deal is anticipated to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2023.