Applied Biosystems Completes Acquisition Of The Research Products Division Of Ambion, Inc.

Applied Biosystems Group, an Applera Corporation business, announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the Research Products Division of Ambion, Inc., a premium provider of innovative products for the study and analysis of ribonucleic acid (RNA), the central molecule used in gene expression and regulation.

"We are excited about the many opportunities for sales growth and new products that we anticipate as a result of this strategic acquisition," said Catherine M. Burzik, president of Applied Biosystems. "We welcome Ambion's employees and anticipate a smooth integration of product lines and personnel as we accelerate the delivery of more complete workflow solutions to our global customer base."

The research and development, manufacturing, and other operations of Ambion's Research Products Division will continue to be based in Austin, Texas, and its approximately 300 employees will be integrated into the Applied Biosystems' global workforce of approximately 4,000 employees. Ambion will become a center of excellence within the Molecular Biology Division's consumables business with a focus on expanding the range of innovative consumables products in the Applied Biosystems portfolio.

Founded in 1989, Ambion develops and supplies products for stabilizing, synthesizing, isolating, detecting, amplifying and quantifying RNA (ribonucleic acid). Many of these products have emerged as important tools in serving the growing needs of the ongoing genomics revolution. RNA is a single-stranded molecule that delivers the genetic message of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) from the nucleus of a cell to the cytoplasm where proteins are made.

Recent Ambion product introductions include cutting-edge reagents associated with microRNA (miRNA) and RNA interference (RNAi).

MicroRNA, first described in a 1993 manuscript, is a class of small, regulatory molecules, each of which is thought to regulate the activity of multiple genes. Since 2000, several research groups have provided evidence that miRNAs may act as key regulators of processes as diverse as early development, cell proliferation and differentiation, apoptosis and fat metabolism, and oncogenesis.

RNA interference, first described in a 1998 publication, is a biological mechanism by which double-stranded RNA induces gene silencing. Using Ambion products such as siRNA (small interfering RNA) reagents, scientists for the first time can easily reduce the expression of a particular gene in mammalian cell systems, in some instances by 90% or more, to analyze the effect that gene has on cellular function. The simplicity of the technique, as well as the wide availability of high quality Ambion kits and reagents for performing RNAi experiments, have contributed to its rapid adoption by the research community.

SOURCE: Applied Biosystems