Roche to buy NimbleGen for $272.5M

Swiss drug major Roche has signed a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of NimbleGen, a privately-held, Madison, Wisconsin, USA-based company active in high-density DNA microarrays, which are a widely-used R&D tool in pharmaceutical research for the understanding of genetic causes of disease and predisposition factors, comparative genomic analysis and identification of potential drug targets. Under the terms of the deal, Roche will pay NimbleGen's shareholders $272.5 million.

"This acquisition represents a further milestone in our strategy to strengthen our position as a major player and complete solution provider in the genomics research market by extending our activities into the microarray segment," said Severin Schwan, chief executve of Roche Diagnostics. "The Array Systems from NimbleGen are highly synergistic and will complement the existing Roche portfolio of innovative genomic research tools such as the LightCycler qPCR systems and the high-throughput Sequencing Systems from the recently acquired company 454 Life Sciences," he added.

NimbleGen will become a fully integrated part of Roche Applied Science, a global business area of the Diagnostic Division of the group. The US company will continue to develop and market array systems through Roche Applied Sciences' global sales and distribution network. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter, subject to approval by NimbleGen's shareholders and regulatory clearance.