Thermo Fisher Scientific buys RNAi company

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., a Waltham company that provides tools and services to researchers in such fields as the pharmaceuticals and biotech industries, announced today that it has acquired a firm specializing in RNA interference.

Terms of the acquisition for Open Biosystems Inc. were not disclosed. Thermo Fisher Scientific, which has annual revenues of about $10 billion, said Open Biosystems had sales last year of about $14 million.

Thermo Fisher Scientific said in a press release: "RNA interference is a method for blocking, or 'silencing,' the expression of genes to study their function and to develop therapies targeting genes that may cause disease. Open Biosystems, which is based in Huntsville, Alabama, specializes in short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) and viral-vector systems for delivering shRNA into living cells."

In a statement, Thermo Fisher Scientific president and chief executive Marijn E. Dekkers added: "The acquisition of Open Biosystems further strengthens our market-leading position in synthetic RNAi products with highly complementary technologies based on advanced shRNA. This combination brings together leading technologies for analyzing gene function, allowing us to create a powerful tool set for our customers who are performing cutting-edge life science research."

Open Biosystems will be integrated into Thermo Fisher's Analytical Technologies Segment, the company said.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)