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• Lonza to acquire Exosomics Service Unit in Siena, Italy to expand development service offering in exosome bioprocessing
• Expertise in exosomes isolation and characterization will drive innovation in this field

Lonza, a global manufacturing partner to the pharmaceutical, biotech and nutrition industries, announced today the acquisition of the service unit from Exosomics, a leading extracellular vesicles biotech company. The agreement includes Exosomics‘ service team, service assets and laboratories in Siena, Italy. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed. Lonza has been a minority shareholder of Exosomics since 2017 and will remain a shareholder after the acquisition of the service unit is complete.

Under the terms of the agreement, Lonza will gain access to expertise and capabilities in extracellular vesicle (EV) analytics and characterization. In addition to research and development, Lonza will expand the service offering from the site to a comprehensive suite of development and analytical services for exosomes. The acquisition strengthens Lonza’s position as a leading global CDMO in exosomes bioprocessing.

Alberto Santagostino, SVP, Head of Cell and Gene Technologies, Lonza, commented: "Today’s announcement is a part of Lonza’s wider strategy to create a comprehensive exosome offering. With this acquisition, we are gaining access to experienced talent, state-of-the-art know-how and the ability to advance this therapeutic area further."

Antonio Chiesi, CEO, Exosomics, added: "Lonza’s acquisition reaffirms the recognition for Exosomics as a key player in Europe in the field of exosomes sciences. Exosomics will now focus on its original goal of pan-cancer screening and liquid biopsy applications in human diseases, still supported by Lonza as its most important industrial shareholder."

The investment in this emerging area reflects Lonza’s strategy to differentiate through innovation. From the development of the exosome modality to the industrial production of mRNA vaccines and supporting the manufacture of live biotherapeutics, Lonza operates at the cutting edge of manufacturing technology to help customers deliver innovative new therapies to patients worldwide.

To learn more about Lonza’s exosome-related services, visit: https://pharma.lonza.com/technologies-products/exosomes

About Exosomics
Established in 2012 and hosted in one of the largest and more active bio-parks in Italy, Toscana Life Sciences. The company is active in the area of Liquid Biopsy in cancer and after several years of R&D work and IP development, is now at commercial stage, launching its proprietary and innovative solutions into the molecular diagnostics market. Exosomics‘ distinguishing factor is the capability to isolate tumor-derived exosomes through proprietary affinity methods, thus enriching for tumor-derived proteins, DNA and RNA, and therefore significantly improving molecular diagnostics in cancer and allowing early pan-cancer screening. Given that tumor-derived exosomes contain biomarkers identical to those expressed on a cancer cell surface, and poorly expressed in healthy individuals, Exosomics considers exosome-based liquid biopsy as the next generation of cancer diagnostics, which will not only complement but surpass traditional biopsy.

The company’s mid/long term goal is to develop a pan-cancer test that will fulfill a critical unmet medical need by enabling early screening of multiple cancer types. Exosomics‘ superior know-how and expertise in Liquid Biopsy has attracted several research groups, both Academic and from Biotech/Pharma, who are using its platform and services to address several relevant questions in diagnostics and new therapeutic development. To ensure the highest available quality standards, Exosomics is both ISO 9001 and ISO 13485 certified and GCLP accredited.
https://www.exosomics.eu

Additional Information and Disclaimer
Lonza Group Ltd has its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. It has a secondary listing on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (“SGX-ST”). Lonza Group Ltd is not subject to the SGX-ST’s continuing listing requirements but remains subject to Rules 217 and 751 of the SGX-ST Listing Manual.

Certain matters discussed in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and estimates of Lonza Group Ltd, although Lonza Group Ltd can give no assurance that these expectations and estimates will be achieved. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainty and are qualified in their entirety. The actual results may differ materially in the future from the forward-looking statements included in this news release due to various factors. Furthermore, except as otherwise required by law, Lonza Group Ltd disclaims any intention or obligation to update the statements contained in this news release.