NuGEN Technologies

About NuGEN Technologies

NuGEN Technologies, established in 2000 and headquartered in San Carlos, California, carved out a specialized niche in the life sciences sector by providing genomic sample preparation solutions. The company focused on developing and commercializing proprietary kits and reagents for next-generation sequencing (NGS), enabling researchers and scientists to analyze DNA and RNA from a wide array of sample types. Its product portfolio was particularly adept at handling challenging samples, such as those with low input quantities or variable quality, including materials from single cells, whole tissues, and liquid biopsies.

The business operated by selling its innovative sample preparation products directly to the life science research and applied markets. Clients included university research departments, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and diagnostic laboratories that relied on the company's technology for applications like predicting disease risk and drug response. NuGEN's offerings, such as the Ovation® and Celero™ product lines, provided simplified workflows that aimed to reduce the time and cost associated with preparing samples for complex genomic analysis. These products supported research in critical areas, from cancer to the discovery of novel coronaviruses.

A significant milestone in the company's history occurred in August 2018, when it was acquired by Tecan Group, a Swiss-based global provider of laboratory instruments and automation solutions, for a purchase price of $54.5 million. The acquisition was completed on August 31, 2018, integrating NuGEN into Tecan's Life Sciences Business segment. This strategic move was designed to merge NuGEN's expertise in NGS reagents with Tecan's strength in laboratory automation, creating comprehensive, automated workflow solutions for genomic research. Following the acquisition, NuGEN became Tecan's center of excellence for NGS reagents.