Danaher boosts lipid services through PNI acquisition

Danaher will increase its lipid service offerings through the acquisition of Canadian-based technology and solution firm Precision Nanosystems.

The deal, of which financials have not been disclosed, sees lipid nanoparticle tech firm Precision Nanosystems (PNI) join Danaher Corporation’s family of life science companies, which include Cytiva and Pall.

PNI offers consumables, equipment, and reagents to help manufacture lipid nanoparticles for the delivery of genetic medicines, including messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines.

Image: iStock/ Atstock Productions

Through the acquisition, Danaher gains PNI’s GenVoy delivery technology, which enables production of RNA-loaded lipid nanoparticles made with the NanoAssemblr microfluidic-based production tool.

According to Danaher, it anticipates that mRNA technology will be used to advance different vaccines and treat other conditions such as genetic diseases and cancer.

Danaher group executive, Emmanuel Ligner told BioProcess Insider the acquisition is part of the firm’s strategy of constantly looking out for relevant technologies, and “constantly listening to our customers in terms of what they need, [and] what the new technologies are.”

He added the acquisition “is not on the back of COVID-19,” despite lipid nanoparticles being an integral part of both Moderna and Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines.

Danaher will retain 150 members of staff and PNI’s Vancouver, Canada manufacturing facility, which is currently under development.

Once complete, the biomanufacturing plant will create jobs in the local area and Danaher will employ domestic talent to advance the Canadian life sciences sector.

“I think what is important when we make such acquisitions is we don’t acquire a product, primarily we acquire talent,” Ligner told us.

He continued: “We are very, very keen on making sure that the PNI talent and the associates […] continue to stay focused on their technology [and] on their customers and for us to help them to succeed even further is for us to bring that technology to a broader number of customers.”