Roche finalizes acquisition of Kapa Biosystems to strengthen next-generation sequencing product offerings

PLEASANTON, Calif., Dec. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) today announced regulatory clearance to finalize acquisition of Kapa Biosystems, Inc. (Kapa), a privately-held company headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, US. Kapa Biosystems is a provider of genomic tools in the life sciences sector that employs proprietary technologies to optimize enzymes for next-generation sequencing (NGS), as well as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR applications.¹

"The completion of this acquisition represents significant advancement in Roche's commitment to develop a differentiated NGS portfolio that will provide our customers with a complete genetic testing solution," said Dan Zabrowski, Head of Roche Tissue Diagnostics and Sequencing Solutions. "Combining Kapa's proprietary protein engineering technology and impressive portfolio of NGS reagents with Roche's offerings and expertise adds to an already robust portfolio of NGS target enrichment products. We look forward to building on our NGS offerings with this unique technology and the combined experience of Kapa and Roche employees."

Trey Foskett, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Kapa Biosystems remarked, "We are excited to officially become part of the Roche family and look forward to further contributing, on a global scale, to the future of genomics and sequencing. This partnership will accelerate our ability to pioneer new technologies and expand our product portfolio, with the ultimate goal of improving healthcare through more personalized medicine."

Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

About Kapa Biosystems

Kapa Biosystems, co-founded by Trey Foskett, Paul McEwan, Ron McEwan and Chris McGuinness in 2006, has pioneered the use of directed evolution to develop a suite of high-performance reagents for a range of life science applications. Their products are used by thousands of scientists around the world and cited in more than 4,000 peer-reviewed publications. They are continuing to develop innovative solutions that accelerate genomics research that can impact the future ability to diagnose, monitor and treat cancer and complex inherited and infectious diseases. Kapa Biosystems is based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, and has a research, development and manufacturing facility in Cape Town, South Africa.

For more information, visit http://www.kapabiosystems.com/

About Roche

Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world's largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and neuroscience. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management. Roche's personalised healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostics that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. Founded in 1896, Roche has been making important contributions to global health for more than a century. Twenty-nine medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and chemotherapy.

In 2014, the Roche Group employed 88,500 people worldwide, invested 8.9 billion Swiss francs in R&D and posted sales of 47.5 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit roche.com.

All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.

Roche Sequencing Media Relations
Jacquie Bucher
Phone: +1 520.468.9145
Email: [email protected]

References
¹ Kapa Biosystems products are For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

SOURCE Roche

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