Newswise — Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: BIO and BIOb), a global provider of life science research and clinical diagnostic products, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase RainDance Technologies, Inc. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Bio-Rad expects the transaction to close during the first quarter of 2017. The company will discuss the acquisition further during Bio-Rad’s upcoming fourth-quarter and full-year 2016 financial results conference call.

Based in Billerica, Massachusetts, RainDance Technologies’ foundational intellectual property portfolio and product lines encompass a wide range of biological reactions in droplets, with applications in life science research and clinical research. These genomic tools provide ultra-sensitive detection of genetic variations in cancer as well as inherited and infectious diseases, enabling research in areas such as non-invasive liquid biopsy.

“We are pleased to have RainDance join Bio-Rad,” said Norman Schwartz, Bio-Rad President and CEO. “The company’s droplet-based solutions will extend our reach into next generation sequencing applications and strengthen our position in the area of Droplet Digital PCR. We look forward to expanding our offering to provide life science and clinical diagnostics customers with solutions for a wide range of nucleic acid detection applications.”