PerkinElmer, Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire Nexcelom Bioscience for $260 Million in cash. The transaction is expected to close during the second quarter of 2021.

Nexcelom is a leading, global provider of automated cell counting instruments, image cytometry workstations, assays and a variety of cell reagents, consumables, and fit-for-purpose cell counting method selection and development instructions that follow ISO Cell Counting Standards and aid in the development of cell and gene and immuno-oncology therapies, virology drugs and vaccines.

Commenting on the transaction, Prahlad Singh, president and chief executive officer of PerkinElmer said, “We are looking forward to bringing Nexcelom’s expertise and technologies in drug development together with our passion and solutions for drug discovery. This combination will expand our efforts to help academic, government and biopharmaceutical organizations streamline their complete workflows and support efforts to accelerate time to target and time to market for novel therapies.”

PerkinElmer’s existing biologics, vaccine and cell and gene research solutions feature industry-leading high content, in vivo, and cell painting screening technologies; innovative immunoassays; CRISPR, RNAi and DNA tools and custom cell lines; cell plate readers and advanced automation; microfluidics and analytical platforms.

The agreement to acquire Nexcelom comes just five months after PerkinElmer added Horizon Discovery, a leader in gene editing and modulation.