Bruker has formed a new, single division out of the various spatial biology assets it has acquired over the years.
Now under a single operational banner, it includes the company’s previous Bruker Spatial Genomics subsidiary—once known as Acuity Spatial Genomics—as well as the technologies obtained through its prior purchases of NanoString and Canopy Biosciences.
“The formation of Bruker Spatial Biology brings together the coordination of spatial platforms that are best-in-class across spatial genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics,” Mark Munch, president of Bruker’s nanotech and scientific instruments group, said in a statement.
“Bruker Spatial Genomics enables direct visualization of the 3D genome, which complements the recent additions of GeoMx and CosMx, cutting-edge highly sensitive and high-plex tools for the study of spatial transcriptomics at both regional and single-cell resolution,” Munch said. “Further rounding out our portfolio is CellScape, which enables targeted, quantitative spatial proteomics with best-in-class resolution and dynamic range.”
The GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler and CosMx Spatial Molecular Imager come courtesy of NanoString, which filed for bankruptcy near the top of this year after it lost a $31 million patent lawsuit to 10x Genomics centered around the GeoMx and CosMx platforms.
Bruker put forward the winning bid for NanoString’s portfolio this past April, outdoing Patient Square Capital’s offer by paying about $392.6 million through a Chapter 11 auction. The legal battle continues, with NanoString having countersued in an antitrust case that includes Harvard University—while in Europe, one of the patents-at-issue has been invalidated by a German court, and the overturning of an EU injunction has paved the way for the resumption of CosMx sales on the continent.
Meanwhile, Canopy Biosciences, with its CellScape and ChipCytometry multiplex analysis approaches, has operated as a Bruker unit since late 2020 following a $29.2 million deal. That catalog has included biomarker imaging for immunology, immuno-oncology and cell therapy, as well as single-cell, tissue and suspended cell-based discovery offerings.
“By bringing these diverse and complementary spatial platforms together, we can tailor solutions for each customer’s unique spatial research by providing choices across the entire spectrum from discovery to translational while avoiding compromises inherent with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach,” said Todd Garland, former chief commercial officer of NanoString, who will serve as president of the new division.