Merck KGaA agreed to acquire Bio-Techne for about $11.3 billion, a deal positioned to deepen the German company’s presence across the life-science value chain. The transaction adds Bio-Techne’s multiomics, analytical technologies, and integrated workflow solutions, including ProteinSimple instruments and RNAscope multiplex RNA in situ hybridization. Merck KGaA said the purchase would broaden capabilities across discovery, translational research, development, testing, and commercial manufacturing, with specific emphasis on tools used by cell-therapy developers. The company also expects cost synergies of roughly €140 million by year three after closing. The price is $73 per share in cash, representing a 36% premium to Bio-Techne’s one-month volume-weighted average trading price. Bio-Techne’s board highlighted near-term cash value, while Merck KGaA said the deal would be funded through existing cash and new debt, with closing targeted for late 2026 or early 2027. Why it matters: combining large-scale manufacturing and customer reach with Bio-Techne’s workflow portfolio could accelerate platform adoption in cell and gene therapy pipelines, where analytics and process tooling increasingly influence development timelines and downstream scale-up.