Merck Acquires HUB Organoids Holding B.V., Expands Next-Gen Biology Portfolio

Reinforces company’s commitment to differentiated solutions that enable faster and more effective drug developmentHUB’s organoid offering complements company’s cell culture portfolio of media, reagents, and benchtop instrumentationOrganoids provide drug response data earlier in the development process while helping to maintain project scale

Merck, a leading science and technology company, announced the closing of the transaction to acquire HUB Organoids Holding B.V. (HUB) following regulatory clearances and the fulfilment of other customary closing conditions. The acquisition, which closed on December 23, 2024, is a strategic step aligned with the company’s commitment to providing novel next-generation biology solutions to the life science industry, specifically by enabling wider access to HUB’s technology for more faster and more effective drug development. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

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Merck scientist working in company's Burlington, MA, USA cell culture facility (Photo: Business Wire)

“The use of organoids offers tremendous potential to improve the drug discovery process,” said Jean-Charles Wirth, Head of Science and Lab Solutions, Life Science business of Merck. “HUB’s advanced technology, combined with our cell culture expertise and broad portfolio, makes us a valuable resource for researchers looking to leverage the power of 3D cell culture to understand the impact of drug response earlier in the development process.”

HUB possesses the foundational patent portfolio on organoids and a robust service offering ranging from new model generation to assay development and high-throughput screening, enhancing Merck’s offering of cell culture tools to academia, biotech, and pharma customers. The team of approximately 70 employees is celebrating the acquisition together at the HUB campus in Utrecht, Netherlands.

About Merck

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. Around 63,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2023, Merck generated sales of € 21 billion in 65 countries.

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics.

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