London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

‘Amazon of antibodies’ Abcam buys up US supplier in $340million deal

‘Amazon of antibodies’ Abcam buys up US supplier in $340million deal

Cambridge-based biotech Abcam is buying Californian diagnostics pioneer BioVision in a $340million cash deal to bring one of its long-term partners in-house.
Abcam was launched in 1988 by founder Jonathan Milner who cycled around local research companies with an ice-bucket containing antibodies to sell to local scientists working in nearby labs.

It now has more than 1,100 employees in 11 countries, with a market cap of around $3billion, and is known as the “Amazon of antibodies” supplying proteins, assay kits and reagents to two thirds of the world’s scientific researchers.

BioVision started supplying Abcam with its biochemical and cell-based assay kits in 2003, and sales of its products which are used in research, diagnostics, and drug discovery have more than doubled over the past five years.

The firm said the acquisition will give Abcam more control over the innovation and distribution of its target company’s product portfolio.
The bid is subject to

review and approval of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and by a vote of Chinese parent company Boai NKY Medical Holdings’ shareholders. If approved, the deal is expected to close before the end of the 2021 calendar year.

For the 12 months ended 31 December 2020, BioVision reported revenues of $33.8 million (£24.3 million), operating profit of $12.6 million (£9.1 million) and net assets of $21.9 million (£15.7 million).

Revenues included approximately $5 million of COVID-19 related product sales which are not expected to repeat.

Abcam says the acquisition will be funded from existing cash resources and a partial drawdown of its revolving credit facility.

Alan Hirzel, CEO of Abcam, said: "This acquisition represents a compelling opportunity to secure a proven portfolio of high-quality products, including a leading portfolio of biochemical and cell-based assay kits, that will allow us to better serve customer needs.

“BioVision has sustained strong growth over many years and, together with Abcam’s brand, reach and capabilities, we are confident we are well positioned to build on this success and reinforce Abcam’s ability to serve life scientists globally."

Analysts at Peel Hunt described the acquisition as a “compeling strategic fit.”

They said: “We think this deal is an incremental positive to the Abcam story, helping to accelerate its in-house innovation and product manufacture/catalogue: as evidenced by the improved margin trajectory as well as securing that other primary marker of Abcam’s success: revenue growth.

“Our positivity is muted a little by the price for BioVision (at 10x revenue), but we recognise that high growth tools companies that add value to Abcam’s offering are very hard to find.”

Abcam shares rose 1.91%, or 26p, to 1,384.00p.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×