CrownBio expands in vitro services through OcellO acquisition
Crown BioScience will boost its preclinical in vitro drug development service offerings through the acquisition of OcellO.
JSR Life Sciences company Crown BioScience (CrownBio) has acquired contract research organization (CRO) OcellO located in the Netherlands, adding high content imaging and advanced tumor organoid analytic capabilities.
“This acquisition combines the strength of CrownBio and OcellO to enhance its in vitro services portfolio and offers customers the ability to better evaluate multiple drug combinations and targets, across a wider range of cancer and assay types,” CrownBio CEO Armin Spura told Clinical Insider.
He added: “The result will be to improve predictability and clinical relevance moving from in vitro to in vivo phases of drug development.”
According to the firm, the acquisition makes CrownBio the only global source licenced to offer its clients specialized Hubrecht Organoid Technology (HUB) for drug development programs.
While Spura said “no jobs will be lost as a result of the acquisition,” under the terms of the agreement, OcellO’s CEO and chief scientific officer Leo Price will join CrownBio as senior vice president and will lead the firm’s in vitro business in Europe and the US.
“We’re excited to bring together employees from both companies to strengthen our competitiveness by integrating OcellO’s expertise in high content imaging alongside CrownBio’s in vitro and in vivo preclinical testing services,” Spura said.
No financial details regarding the deal have been divulged.
Image: iStock/Zhanna-Hapanovich