Cell-engineering company, MaxCyte, Inc., announced it will acquire SeQure Dx, which focuses on editing assessment services for cell and gene therapies, for $4.5 million. The all-cash deal includes additional consideration of up to $2.5 million if SeQure Dx meets predefined revenue thresholds, according to DealPulse’s M&A database, which harnesses both AI and attorneys to digest the granular deal points of publicly-announced transactions. During January – November 2024, SeQure DX incurred losses of approximately $6.5 million with $1.7 million in revenue, but MaxCyte anticipates substantial improvement in profitability in the coming year.
“This strategic acquisition strengthens MaxCytes ability to serve ex vivo and in vivo cell and gene therapy (CGT) developers with an innovative suite of tools and services spanning early R&D through clinical development and commercialization,” according to the companies’ joint press release. “SeQure Dx specializes in assays that deliver precise editing confirmation and risk assessment for off-target effects, applicable across a wide range of viral and non-viral gene editing modalities.”
One of the first successful human gene therapy clinical trials was completed in 1990, when scientists used modified viruses to alter melanoma patients’ genes to better equip their own immune systems to attack tumors. As the following diagram depicts, scientists harness viruses – due to their ability to integrate DNA into the host’s genome – to insert particular genes into patients’ cells.
In Vivo Gene Therapy Overview
Source: BioNinja
The goal is to transform the person’s body to produce the protein that will enable them to better fight a particular disease. In the example of the melanoma patients, the new genes enabled the patients’ lymphocytes to infiltrate and attack their cancer. This is “in vivo” therapy where the process occurs inside the body. “Ex vivo” therapy, on the other hand, is when the process is outside the body: scientists extract the patients’ cell, alter them in the lab, and then insert them back into the patient rather than using a viral vector.
Gene Therapy Market Size (USD Billion)
Source: Nova Advisor
During the decades following the 1990 clinical trial, biotechnology companies have sought to expand such therapies – to varying degrees of success. As one study explains, “With that promise of gene therapy, it is rather surprising to follow the complex multiple-decade history of gene therapy setbacks and complications. However, the excitement associated with gene therapy has finally translated into clinical utility within the past few years, with the FDA and other world regulators approving their use, opening the door for correcting or replacing broader disease genetics.”
MaxCytes seeks to be at the forefront of this emerging market, which is projected to grow to $52.4 billion by 2033.
