04
July 2011

LGC acquires KBioscience

LGC is pleased to announce that its Genomics division and KBioscience have come together to create a market-leading genomic services and solutions provider. The combination has been enabled through the acquisition by LGC Limited (‘LGC’) of KBiosciences Limited (‘KBioscience’) on 1 July. The founders of KBioscience remain partners and significant shareholders in the enlarged business alongside LGC.

The acquisition of KBioscience, with its unique expertise in genotyping services, chemistries and related products, extends and complements LGC’s cutting-edge genomic services and products, supplied through its LGC Genomics division.

The combining of LGC’s and KBioscience’s activities furthers LGC Genomics’ aim to become Europe’s leading provider of genomic services and related products. Both KBioscience and LGC have established national and international reputations.

Formed in 2002, KBioscience has almost 10 years’ experience developing and optimising genotyping assays using the company’s patented fluorescence-based competitive allele-specific PCR (polymerase chain reaction) technique, KASP. KBioscience’s scientists have contributed significantly to the development of new, genotyping technologies making affordable projects accessible to a broad range of customers independent of project size. 

LGC's products and services in DNA sequencing and extraction are fully complementary to the systems and services developed by KBioscience. The combined business benefits from a significant shared customer base and will use the knowledge and skills of the LGC and KBioscience teams to deliver a comprehensive set of genomics services, products and future innovations.

Phil Robinson, Managing Director and one of the three founding partners of KBioscience, commented, “I am very excited at the opportunities that our acquisition by LGC holds - the combination of LGC’s well-known qualities and KBioscience’s knowledge, expertise and innovation skills will open a range of market opportunities in Europe, North America and Asia, accelerating our development in the genomics market”.


David Richardson, Chief Executive of LGC, said, “The enhanced LGC genomics service and products will deliver real benefits to our customers in research, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and clinical markets. LGC is determined to take the lead in providing quality and outstanding customer service in these important areas of science”.