Swiss life sciences company, Lunaphore Technologies SA, has announced its agreement to be acquired by Bio-Techne Corporation, a global leader in innovative tools for the research and clinical diagnostic communities. The acquisition is expected to close in the third quarter of this year. Lunaphore, renowned for its fully automated spatial biology solutions, utilizes precision microfluidic technology to uncover hyperplex proteomic and transcriptomic biomarkers at single-cell and subcellular levels.
Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Tolochenaz, Switzerland, Lunaphore is a leading developer of fully automated spatial biology solutions using precision microfluidic technology capable of revealing hyperplex proteomic and transcriptomic biomarkers in tumors and other tissues at single-cell and subcellular resolution. Providing ultimate flexibility in panel design, Lunaphore’s technology and instrumentation empower researchers in immunology, immune-oncology, and neuroscience to push the boundaries of scientific discovery and accelerate therapeutic development. Lunaphore’s spatial biology technology enables the identification of biomarker “signatures” with clinical relevance, providing data necessary to support the development of diagnostic tools and streamline clinical trials, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
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| Lunaphore Co-founders: CEO Ata Tuna Ciftlik, CTO Diego Gabriel Dupouy, CMO Déborah Heintze |
Lunaphore’s instrument portfolio includes COMET™, an end-to-end spatial biology platform, with staining, imaging, and image preprocessing steps integrated into a fully automated, high-throughput instrument that delivers true walk-away automation with unmatched scalability, reproducibility, and tissue morphology. Eliminating the need to conjugate antibodies, researchers can leverage their existing antibody libraries and decades of know-how on Lunaphore’s platforms to scale assays into endless multiplexing possibilities. Designed for use with standard pathology slides, COMET™’s superior tissue profiling capabilities enable the analysis of 40 different spatial biomarkers per sample in each automated run, allowing for virtually unlimited plex. The product portfolio is complemented by SPYRE™ antibody panel kits and HORIZON™ image analysis software. Lunaphore also offers LabSat®, an automated tissue staining instrument that offers a 30-minute turn-around time, delivering a much faster and hands-off staining solution compared to manual methods where turnaround times can take several days.Bio-Techne and
Lunaphore recently announced a strategic partnership to develop the first fully automated spatial multiomic workflow. This fully automated multiomics solution will utilize Lunaphore’s COMET™ instrument and SPYRE™ antibody panels as well as Bio-Techne’s RNAscope HiPlex technology to enable simultaneous hyperplex detection of protein and RNA biomarkers on the same slide at single-cell resolution.
“Lunaphore is very complementary to Bio-Techne’s leading spatial biology franchise, as COMET™ delivers an automation platform for our RNAscope assays, and we leverage our global commercial team to penetrate this rapidly growing market. We also see additional synergies with our leading portfolio of antibodies and other products,” said Chuck Kummeth, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bio-Techne. “Lunaphore is seeing strong initial traction with its COMET™ instrument, as this fully integrated, fully automated spatial biology system delivers the end-to-end automation that is in high demand from translational researchers. We anticipate COMET™ to play an important role as spatial biology gains traction in clinical applications. We are excited to welcome Lunaphore’s talented team, instrument portfolio, and technology to Bio-Techne.”
Dr. Ata Tuna Ciftlik, Chief Executive Officer of Lunaphore, winning the World Economic Forum pitch contest during the Venture Leaders China in 2017
“We are truly excited to be joining Bio-Techne and combining capabilities to lead the Spatial Biology market,” said Dr. Ata Tuna Ciftlik, Chief Executive Officer of Lunaphore. “Our shared vision of tackling the translational and clinical research market while using our complementary best-in-class spatial proteomics and transcriptomics products is going to make a great impact on our customers in advancing research. In addition, Bio-Techne’s global reach and commercial and operational excellence will enable Lunaphore to accelerate its penetration into the high-growth spatial biology market. We’re now joining forces to be the largest spatial biology player.”
"Great to see what the Lunaphore Co-founders achieved over the years, a new step forward to bring this amazing innovation to the global market," said Jordi Montserrat, Co-founder and managing partner of Venturelab.
Dr. Ata Tuna Ciftlik presenting Lunaphore on stage during the TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award in 2018
"China and the Chinese market are moving at all fronts. If you would like to have a strong basis to grab this opportunity, the Venture Leaders China program could be the best way," said Ata Tuna Ciftlik, CEO of Lunaphore about his participation in Venture Leaders China in 2017.
Lunaphore participated in
Venture Leaders Technology 2014,
Venture Leaders China 2017, won
Venture Kick Stage 3 in 2015, and was ranked in the
TOP 100 Swiss Startup Award from 2014 to 2019.
