Intrexon Corporation, a Germantown, Maryland-based company specializing in synthetic biology, has agreed to acquire ActoGeniX, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on cellular therapeutics and based in Ghent, Belgium, for $60 million in a cash-and-stock transaction.

ActoGeniX is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of ActoBiotics, a proprietary class of orally available biopharmaceuticals. ActoBiotics’ proprietary TopAct platform enables the molecular engineering of food-grade microbes (Lactococcus lactis) to generate biologically contained ActoBiotics for in situ expression and secretion of biotherapeutic proteins and peptides, including cytokines, enzymes, hormones, and monoclonal antibodies to the oral and gastrointestinal tract.

Intrexon's channel collaborators currently use the company’s suite of technologies in cellular and gene therapies for cancer, orphan genetic disorders, blindness, infectious diseases, tissue repair, as well as synthetic biology-mediated production of active pharmaceutical ingredients. The addition of the ActoGeniX platform brings two more clinical-stage assets to Intrexon’d portfolio and adds a technology platform for biological and small-molecule effectors selectivel to the oral and gastrointestinal tract, offering an alternative to customary delivery mechanisms such as injectable medicines.

Under the agreement, ActoGeniX stockholders will receive approximately $30 million in cash and $30 million in Intrexon common stock. Completion of the transaction, anticipated in the first quarter, is subject to customary closing conditions.

Source: ActoGenix