Massachusetts-based Quanterix has agreed to acquire magnetic bead technology developer EMISSION in a deal worth up to $70m to expand its diagnostics capabilities.
Based in Georgetown, Texas, EMISSION manufactures large-scale, uniform, dye-encapsulating magnetic beads for low and mid-plex assays.
The company also offer a mid-plex platform that reads these proprietary beads.
Quanterix will vertically integrate EMISSION’s proprietary bead technology to drive its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) business.
Additionally, Nasdaq-listed Quanterix will integrate these highly controlled beads into its next-generation platform and develop a new multi-plex segment for third-party OEM customers.
EMISSION CEO Van Chandler said: “EMISSION was built on our high-quality bead technology, and we believe that better beads and ultimately better multi-plex assays should be within everyone’s reach.
“Having known and worked with the Quanterix team for years, we are excited to join forces, as we support the upcoming Simoa platform and a shared vision for expanding the technology’s reach to all labs.”
Under the agreement, Quanterix will acquire EMISSION for $10m in cash, with an additional $10m payable upon meeting certain technical milestones. Performance-based milestones could bring up to $50m in earnout payments, funded by the achievement of these criteria.
The transaction is expected to boost revenue and gross margins in 2026. It is expected to close in January 2025.
Quanterix CEO Masoud Toloue said: “As we expand our technology stack toward higher multi-plex and multi-omic capabilities, it is imperative we control core components.
“EMISSION’s proprietary bead technology has already been validated on our upcoming new Simoa platform and will enable us to provide OEM beads to other non-Quanterix platforms.
“We look forward to welcoming EMISSION’s innovations and colleagues to the Quanterix team.”
Quanterix specialises in ultra-sensitive biomarker detection. Its Simoa technology enables the detection of biomarkers at very low blood, serum, or plasma levels.
In September this year, the diagnostic company announced the commercial availability of the Simoa p-Tau 217 Planar Kit for Alzheimer’s disease test development.
Quanterix also provides precision instruments, digital immunoassay technology, and a CLIA-certified Accelerator laboratory.
Its research supports advancements in the understanding and management of diseases across multiple fields, including neurology, oncology, immunology, cardiology, and infectious diseases.