Neogen Corporation announced Jan. 2 that it has acquired the assets of the Edmonton-based Delta Genomics Center — a major animal genomics laboratory in Canada.
With the acquisition, Delta’s laboratory operations will be renamed Neogen Canada, and become Neogen’s fifth animal genomics laboratory — joining locations in the U.S., Scotland, Brazil, and Australia. The acquisition is intended to help accelerate the growth of Neogen’s animal genomics business throughout Canada.
Delta is a major supplier of genetic testing to Canada’s purebred beef associations, commercial beef cattle producers, and national genomics research community. The laboratory has been a significant, long-term customer of Neogen’s comprehensive suite of genomic products.
“Neogen and Delta have enjoyed an exceptional working partnership, and this acquisition will only strengthen that relationship. Delta’s management and scientific staff will remain in place with Neogen, and will continue their work to help us grow our genomics business,” said Dr. Stewart Bauck, Neogen’s vice president of agrigenomics. “Adding Delta’s facilities, complementary expertise, local support, and impressive customer base strengthens Neogen’s animal genomic capabilities and presence. This laboratory in Edmonton will provide our Canadian customers the same access to the best animal genomics technology as our customers elsewhere in the world.”
“The sale of the genomics laboratory to Neogen fulfills the vision of the founders of Delta Genomics to create a commercially viable business that will provide value to Canadian livestock producers for the long term,” said Dr. Graham Plastow, chairman of Delta Genomics, Inc.
With both state-of-the-art animal genetic facilities and comprehensive bioinformatics to interpret genetic test results, Neogen offers animal owners unparalleled identity and trait determination and analysis. For example, Neogen can provide a cattle producer with DNA test results that can predict that animal’s performance in the herd on such traits as weight gain, pregnancy rate, calving ease, and susceptibility to disease. Neogen provides veterinary genomic solutions for cattle, both beef and dairy, swine, sheep, dogs, and poultry.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Neogen Corporation develops and markets products dedicated to food and animal safety. The company’s Food Safety Division markets dehydrated culture media, and diagnostic test kits to detect foodborne bacteria, natural toxins, food allergens, drug residues, plant diseases and sanitation concerns. Neogen’s Animal Safety Division is a leader in the development of animal genomics along with the manufacturing and distribution of a variety of animal healthcare products, including diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, veterinary instruments, wound care and disinfectants.
