PerkinElmer to Acquire WUK-based Horizon Discovery

PerkinElmer announced it will acquire Horizon Discovery, a Cambridge, England-based cell engineering company. The acquisition will expand PerkinElmer’s life sciences discovery and applied genomics solutions offerings, and bring together the companies’ genotypic and phenotypic approaches for drug discovery and development. The transaction carries a total enterprise value of approximately $368 million. The deal is worth $383 million, PerkinElmer announced.

“One of the key fundamentals for molecular research and drug discovery is being able to knock down a gene or function and explore the results to discover actionable insights and new clinical trial candidates faster,” said Prahlad Singh, president and CEO of PerkinElmer. Singh said that the acquisition positions PerkinElmer to add CRISPR and RNA interference (RNAi) solutions to its existing portfolio(s).

The investment will additionally help PerkinElmer provide tools aimed at furthering next-generation cell imaging and customizing cell lines for biological models — both of which contribute to the future of precision medicine.

Solutions from PerkinElmer feature a range of immunoassay platforms, high-content screening (HCS), in vivo imaging, microfluidics, robotic liquid handling technologies, and next-generation sequencing library preparation kits.

In addition to CRISPR and RNAi reagents, Horizon provides cell models, cell engineering, and base editing offerings that enhance understanding of gene function, drivers and contributors of genetic disease, and biotherapeutics delivery.