Western & Cellular Analysis Sales Specialist

Bio-Techne launches expanded R&D Systems AI-Engineered Designer Protein portfolio. Bio-Techne Corporation, a global provider of life science tools, reagents, and diagnostic products, today announced the launch of new additions to its R&D Systems(TM) AI-Engineered Designer Protein portfolio, designed to improve reproducibility and performance across advanced cell culture and cell therapy development workflows. The R&D Systems AI-Engineered Designer Protein platform enables the design and creation of new protein-based solutions to help researchers overcome current variability and scalability challenges in advanced cell culture by improving the stability and activity of critical reagents. By improving protein performance characteristics such as heat stability, activity, and solubility, Bio-Techne helps researchers achieve consistent results and scalable workflows from discovery through therapeutic development. These improvements are critical as cell therapies and organoid systems move toward clinical and commercial scale, where minor variations in cell signaling inputs can significantly impact outcomes. A guide to advancing biotherapeutic research eBook. Welcome to your essential guide to advancing biotherapeutic research. These additions build on Bio-Techne's strategy to develop a comprehensive portfolio of next-generation signaling technologies, following an earlier expansion of the R&D Systems AI-Engineered Design Protein portfolio. Together, these innovations, including hyperactive cytokines, heat-stable growth factors, and signaling pathway agonists, support stem cell culture, organoid development, and regenerative medicine workflows by enabling more controlled, reproducible systems across the continuum from basic research through process development and scaled-up manufacturing. Early adopters of R&D Systems AI-Engineered Designer Proteins are already seeing measurable gains in cell expansion and overall workflow performance across demanding applications: "Many patient-derived Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL) samples fail during initial outgrowth due to insufficient cell expansion," said Dr Branden Moriarity, Associate Professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Minnesota. "IL-2 Heat Stable Agonist Protein provides a promising proliferation advantage to TIL samples and also provides clear operational advantages that would reduce the cost of goods for TIL therapies." This real-world feedback underscores the broader potential of the R&D Systems AI-Engineered Designer Protein platform. With its latest expansion to include additional cytokines and growth factors, the platform is designed to enable more consistent, scalable, and cost-efficient advanced cell culture workflows. As cell therapy advances from early research into clinical and commercial manufacturing, achieving consistency, robustness, and scalability across increasingly complex workflows is critical, Its AI-Engineered Designer Proteins are designed to overcome these challenges by delivering enhanced stability, activity, and performance-enabling more reproducible results and supporting seamless scale-up from discovery through production." Will Geist, President, Protein Science Segment, Bio-Techne The newly launched proteins include: * FGF-4 Heat Stable - Designed to support pluripotent stem cell maintenance, embryonic development research, and differentiation workflows requiring sustained growth factor activity. * FGF-7 Heat Stable - Engineered to support epithelial and tissue regeneration workflows, including advanced 3D culture systems and organoid expansion that require sustained stability at elevated temperatures. * FGF-8b Heat Stable - Optimized for developmental biology, organoid modeling, and regenerative medicine applications where precise morphogenic signaling is critical. * IL-3 Heat Stable - Designed to support hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell expansion and differentiation across early-stage and lineage-committed cell populations requiring sustained cytokine stability in culture. * IL-15 Hyperactive - Engineered to drive increased expansion of NK cells and T cells, supporting cell therapy workflows and immunotherapy research, where enhanced signaling strength and persistence are vital. The expansion of the AI-Engineered Designer Protein portfolio reinforces Bio-Techne's leadership in developing high-performance signaling molecules for advanced biological systems. These innovations support organoid culture, stem cell differentiation, and cell therapy manufacturing; areas where reproducible scale-up from discovery to production is increasingly a requirement for success. Be the first to rate this article

Bio-Techne has launched new additions to its R&D Systems AI-Engineered Designer Protein portfolio, aimed at improving reproducibility and performance in advanced cell culture and cell therapy development. The platform uses artificial intelligence to design protein-based solutions that address variability and scalability challenges in cell culture. The technology enhances protein characteristics such as heat stability, activity, and solubility, which are critical as cell therapies and organoid systems scale towards clinical and commercial applications. The expanded portfolio includes hyperactive cytokines, heat-stable growth factors, and signalling pathway agonists supporting stem cell culture, organoid development, and regenerative medicine workflows. Dr Branden Moriarity from the University of Minnesota noted that the IL-2 Heat Stable Agonist Protein shows promising results in patient-derived tumour-infiltrating lymphocyte samples whilst reducing costs for TIL therapies.

Merck KGaA's $11.3 billion Bio-Techne buy bolsters CGT ambitions in biggest deal since 2014. German life sciences and pharmaceuticals conglomerate Merck KGaA announced Thursday it has struck a definitive agreement to acquire U.S. research tools provider Bio-Techne Corp. (NASDAQ: TECH) for $11.3 billion in cash, marking its largest life sciences takeover since the 2014 Sigma-Aldrich purchase and sharpening its bet on the fast-growing cell and gene therapy sector. Under the deal terms, Merck will pay $73 per share for Bio-Techne, representing a 24% premium to the target's Wednesday closing price and a 36% premium to its 30-day volume-weighted average price. The transaction is the first major acquisition under chief executive Kai Beckmann, who assumed the top role in May, and extends a years-long strategy of scaling the group's life sciences division into its primary growth driver. The buyout announcement ignited a sharp rally in Bio-Techne shares, which closed 20.02% higher at $70.67 on Thursday. The narrow spread to the offer price reflects broad market confidence the transaction will clear regulatory review. Trading volume surged to 51.3 million shares, roughly 1,378% above the stock's three-month daily average of 3.5 million. Peer life sciences tools names also advanced: Danaher Corp. finished up 2.31%, while Repligen Corp. gained 4.93%. Strategically, the acquisition stitches together an end-to-end cell and gene therapy (CGT) value chain for Merck. Bio-Techne's sprawling portfolio covers research reagents, recombinant proteins, analytical instruments and GMP-grade bioprocessing materials, anchored by a catalog of more than 6,000 proteins and 425,000 antibodies used across drug discovery and commercial manufacturing. Those assets will plug directly into Merck's existing capabilities in mRNA production and CGT process development, creating a fully integrated platform from lab bench to clinical-scale biomanufacturing. "Bio-Techne brings unmatched scale to our reagent portfolio and is a huge, huge plus for our customers," Jean-Charles Wirth, CEO of Merck's Life Science sector, said on a media call. Merck forecasts approximately €140 million in annualized cost synergies to be fully realized within three years of closing, which would add roughly 5% to its bottom line based on 2025 net income of around $3 billion. The company intends to fund the acquisition through a combination of cash reserves and new debt, and confirmed it will maintain its investment-grade credit rating. The deal, already approved by both companies' boards, is on track to close in late 2026 or early 2027. Wall Street analysts broadly characterize the combination as a strong strategic fit with limited antitrust risk. Puneet Souda, an analyst at Leerink Partners, wrote in a client note that Merck is securing "an attractive asset with strong long-term potential" even amid near-term pressures in the research tools market. The transaction lands against a backdrop of resurgent global healthcare M&A, with more than $419 billion in deals completed year-to-date in 2026 - the strongest pace since 2021. Under former CEO Belén Garijo, Merck laid the groundwork for its expansion with a series of targeted buys including Exelead, Mirus Bio and SpringWorks Therapeutics, strengthening its positions in mRNA, CGT and rare disease therapies.