Simulated Bed fellows: Tosoh buys purification firm Semba

Tosoh Bioscience says it will complement its resins business through the addition of continuous chromatography firm Semba Biosciences.

The deal, which closed earlier this month, saw Pennsylvania-based Tosoh add all Semba’s staff and assets for an undisclosed fee. The acquisition will boost the firm’s downstream bioproduction portfolio, made up of chromatography resins, with the addition of Semba’s simulated moving bed (SMB) chromatography systems (see text box below).

“Coupled with Semba’s revolutionary multi-column chromatography technology we have found a perfect complement to offer unparalleled efficiency and productivity in downstream processes,” a Tosoh spokeswoman told this publication.

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She added that “synergies of our product offerings allow us to seamlessly integrate Semba in Tosoh Bioscience. Semba’s multi-column chromatography instruments will be added to our product portfolio, with a team of dedicated product managers, support specialists, applications scientists, and an R&D team to continue to develop their technology and offer the best in customer support.”

The deal may trigger more M&A from Tosoh, the spokeswoman suggested, telling us the firm has “an exciting pipeline of new developments in the area of downstream bioprocessing and technologies related to single-use applications.”

She also added that on the back of the Semba buy, Tosoh Bioscience is planning on creating a global center of excellence for continuous chromatography in Madison, Wisconsin.