Bird & Bird LLP has advised US life sciences company Unchained Labs on the acquisition of German rap.ID Particle Systems GmbH.
Unchained Labs is a life sciences company that offers platforms and systems to biologics researchers. rap.ID is a leading provider of systems used for particle identification in biopharmaceutical development and quality control. This is an important part of the development of pharmaceuticals as contaminated particles can reduce the quality of a drug and shut down its production. rap.ID's first-of-its-kind Single Particle Explorer identifies particles by their shape and then forensically analyses them by their chemical and elemental makeup. In minutes, researchers can determine the contaminated particle, track it back to the source, and fix the workflow or manufacturing process. The acquisition of this and rap.ID's other tools will complement and expand Unchained Labs' existing biologics tools portfolio.
The transaction was managed in only four weeks, including due diligence, negotiations and notarization of the share purchase agreements with a focus on intellectual property rights. In connection with this transaction, Unchained Labs raised $17 million in a series D financing. Novo Ventures, Canaan Partners, TPG Biotech and Tri-Valley Ventures all participated in the financing.
This transaction is another example of Bird & Bird's in-depth transaction, corporate/M&A experience in the life sciences and healthcare sectors. The Bird & Bird team was led by partner Stefan Muench with associates Michael Gassner and Benedikt Weiss (Corporate/ M&A, Munich), as well as partner Dr. Alexander Csaki (Regulatory & Administrative, Munich), partners Dr. Alexander Duisberg, Dr. Henriette Picot and associate Lara Ueberfeldt (all IT/Commercial, Munich), partner Dr. Markus Koerner and counsels Christian Lindenthal and Thomas Urband (all Trademarks, Munich), Dr. Christopher Maierhoefer and associates Christina Hollnberger and Dominic Igel (all Patents, Munich), partner Dr. Ralph Panzer (Munich), Counsel Gerrit Wiedow (Hamburg) and associate Regina Donauer (Munich), all Employment.
Background
This is Unchained Labs' 6th acquisition in just over three years. It has grown to over 180 employees, $50M+ in revenue, nine product lines and has direct distribution around the world.
