Proteintech acquires the Martinsried company ChromoTek, a leading manufacturer of so-called nanobodies. The combined companies intend to better address the growing research market and the challenges of customers.
Like ChromoTek, the Proteintech Group, based in Rosemont, Illinois, USA, is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of research antibodies. ChromoTek develops and markets innovative reagents based on nanobodies of Camelids. In contrast to conventional antibodies, these nanobodies consist of a single polypeptide chain. They are the smallest known antibodies and are only found in camellias in mammals. Their small size of only about one tenth of that of conventional antibodies allows them to recognise even hard-to-reach epitopes. In addition, they are particularly stable due to their special physicochemical properties.
ChromoTek was founded in 2008 as a spin-off from the Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) of Munich. It all began when researchers discovered the opportunities presented by alpaca single-domain antibodies also known as nanobodies. 2010, Bayern Kapital and HTGF arranged the seed financing. The transaction marks HTGF’s 10th successful exit during the coronavirus crisis. ChromoTek has offices in Martinsried (Germany) near Munich and Islandia (NY, USA).
Through their merger, the two companies intend to meet the growing research market and customer challenges with an international presence and a complementary portfolio of nanobodies and antibodies. According to their own statements, ChromoTek GmbH will remain as a company within the Proteintech Group and will even grow at the Martinsried site.
“Our fit-for-purpose nanobody-based tools perfectly complement the comprehensive antibody coverage of the proteome that Proteintech offers,” said Dr. Marion Jung, CEO of ChromoTek. “It is exciting to be working together with a company that shares our values in reproducibility and quality for the benefit of research and beyond.”
Dr. Jason Li, CEO of Proteintech said, “This new partnership will deliver considerable value to the market. With global manufacturing across three continents, not only will we serve the research market better, but we’ll also deeply impact translational science and therapeutic applications.”
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