Swiss drugmaker Roche has signed an agreement to acquire Kapa Biosystems, a provider of genomic tools in the life sciences sector that uses proprietary technologies to optimize enzymes for next-generation sequencing (NGS). The company is based in Wilmington, Massachusetts, US and has a R&D and manufacturing facility in Cape Town, South Africa.

Kapa is developing solutions to accelerate genomics research that can affect the future ability to diagnose, monitor and treat cancer and complex inherited and infectious diseases.

Its proprietary protein engineering technology is highly customizable and allows for the generation and screening of large numbers of enzyme variants. Tailored enzymes with improved performance for specific applications can be selected rapidly, expediting product development timelines. Its portfolio of NGS reagents includes enzymes such as novel DNA polymerases with the potential to improve the performance of the entire sequencing workflow.

Roland Diggelmann, CEO of Roche diagnostics division, said: “This acquisition builds on Roche’s commitment to develop a differentiated NGS portfolio that will provide our customers with a complete genetic testing solution. Kapa’s technology and products complement our current expertise and offerings such as the portfolio of target enrichment products for NGS.”

Paul McEwan, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Kapa Biosystems, added: “Joining Roche provides us access to their broad product portfolio, global reach and clinical expertise that will accelerate our strategy of offering comprehensive NGS workflow solutions to more laboratories around the world.”

Financial details of the acquisition, which is subject to the usual closing conditions, were not disclosed.

Earlier this month, Roche agreed to acquire GeneWeave BioSciences, an in vitro diagnostics company focused on clinical microbiology. The company’s proprietary Smarticles technology uses biology to rapidly detect drug resistance and measure susceptibility information without the need for enrichment, culture or sample preparation.

Under the terms of the agreement, Roche will pay GeneWeave’s shareholders $190 million upfront and up to $235 million in contingent product-related milestones. Once the transaction has closed, GeneWeave will be integrated into Roche Molecular Diagnostics.

GeneWeave’s first system in development is the vivoDx – a fully automated, random access system designed to meet laboratories’ needs to address the detection of multidrug-resistant organisms and antibiotic therapy guidance. The technology is currently being evaluated in multiple sites across the US.

“This technology has the potential to provide healthcare professionals access to quick and accurate diagnoses that can lead to rapid, informed treatment decisions,” said Diggelmann. He added that GeneWeave will continue to focus on the development and manufacturing of diagnostics solutions based on Smarticles technology.