Repligen builds in cell therapy with $1.5bn BioLife takeover
Life sciences equipment and consumable manufacturer Repligen has reached a deal to buy cell therapy specialist BioLife Solutions for approximately $1.5 billion.
The cash-and-stock deal will expand Repligen's presence in the fast-growing market for cell therapies, a market that the company predicts will grow from less than $7 billion last year to reach around $19 billion by the end of the decade.
BioLife has made a name for itself in the category with its biopreservation media, cold-chain logistics, and cell processing tools for the cell and gene therapy (CGT) sector, which Repligen described as "a differentiated, high-margin recurring revenue business."
Repligen is offering $31 per share for BioLife, a 6% premium on its closing price yesterday, and shares in the Nasdaq-listed company were trading up 3% to around $30 at the time of writing. The deal – which has been approved by both companies' boards – is roughly two-thirds in stock and one-third in cash.
Olivier Loeillot, Repligen's president and chief executive, said the acquisition "represents a natural next step in the evolution of our strategy and further strengthens our position as a leading provider of mission-critical technologies for biologics manufacturing."
He added that along with expanding Repligen's presence in cell therapies, it will also "add a deeply embedded, high-margin consumables business with attractive recurring revenue."
Repligen's main product lines include equipment and instrumentation for filtration, chromatography, fluid management, and process analytics used in the development and manufacturing of antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), mRNA, plasmid DNA, and viral vectors.
According to preliminary second-quarter results from the two companies, BioLife is expecting revenues of $23 million, a 21% increase on the same period of 2025, while Repligen's quarterly revenues were $194 million in the first three months of the year, up 15%.
"Cell therapy represents a significant and growing portion of the global pharma pipeline, while commercial revenues are projected to grow at more than 20% annually through the end of the decade," said the company in a statement on the deal, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The company estimates that there are more than 1,100 cell therapies in the global industry pipeline, making it the second most popular modality in biologics after proteins.
Around 160 BioLife employees will join Waltham, Massachusetts-headquartered Repligen after the deal closes, adding to its current headcount of approximately 2,000.
