Bristol-based Shaw & Co has provided corporate finance advice to the shareholders of AMSBIO, a leading life science research supplier, on its sale to Europa Biosite.

Headquartered in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, AMSBIO is a premier provider of life science products and services with expertise in biospecimens, stem cells and 3D cell culture, glycobiology and molecular biology, and an extensive product portfolio. AMSBIO supports manufacturers, academic groups and revenue-generating biotechs to develop innovative methods, processes, products and medicines globally.

Europa Biosite is a leading European distributor of life science products, employing over 150 people with offices in Sweden, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK. It is backed by Adelis Equity, a specialist in the healthcare sector that invested in the company in 2021.

The deal will enable Europa Biosite to further expand its life science offering, especially in the fast growing areas of biospecimens, stem cell research and regenerative medicine. It will also facilitate both product and customer collaboration between the two companies in Europe, while providing Europa Biosite with access to the globally significant North American market.

Established in 1987, AMSBIO has international offices in Alkmaar (The Netherlands), and Cambridge (United States), and employs 32 people worldwide. Its products and services include:

• A diverse and customisable biorepository range.

• A strong and varied stem cell and iPSC portfolio for research into regenerative medicine and drug discovery including materials for the sourcing, growing, storing, differentiating and manufacturing of stem cells.

• 3D cell culture products for use in disease modelling and personalised medicine, aiding in the creation of cultures that are relevant, robust and reproducible.  

• An extensive range of ready-to-use and custom kits for drug discovery and biomedical research.

• Bespoke solutions to meet life science research requirements, especially around viral delivery, aptamers, antibodies, protein expression, CAR-T development, magnetic beads, cryopreservation media, and tissue procurement.

• Specialised products and expertise in glycobiology research that are vital for cellular biology and drug discovery.

Since its inception in 2011, Shaw & Co has overseen a number of major deals in the healthcare and life sciences sector including the £31.5m sale of CRO Nanopharm to Aptar Pharma, a business focused on respiratory delivery research, and the raising of £40m of funding for small molecule experts CatSci.

Jim Shaw, CEO & Founder, Shaw & Co, said: “BioPharma is a burgeoning sector for M&A across the globe. We ran a robust competitive process that garnered a huge amount of interest from international investors with Europa Biosite being chosen as the ideal strategic partner to take the company forward.”

Addleshaw Goddard LLP provided legal advice to major shareholder Alex Sim and AMSBIO on the deal. The team was led by Murray Jack and Yavor Georgiev from the company’s Glasgow office.

Alex Sim, CEO & Co-Founder, AMSBIO, said: “We were in dialogue with several potential buyers and selected Europa Biosite due to it being the strongest partner to continue the growth and development of the company I founded 37 years ago. Europa Biosite has proven itself to be a leader within our industry, and we are eager to continue this journey together.”

Sune Schmolker, CEO, Europa Biosite, said: “I am immensely proud to lead Europa Biosite in bringing together best-in-class life science companies with our mission to raise the standard of life science distribution. We look forward to welcoming AMSBIO colleagues to Europa Biosite and Alex Sim to Europa Biosite’s Group Leadership Team.”

Lucia Morris, Investment Manager, Adelis Equity Partners, said: “Over the past 3.5 years we have supported Europa Biosite in adding premier businesses to the Group – developing its capabilities to support both suppliers and customers. We are excited to welcome AMSBIO into the fold, and will continue to develop the Group through M&A.”