Ablynx

Ablynx is a subsidiary of biopharmaceutical company Sanofi engaged in the discovery and development of nanobodies, based in Science Park Zwijnaarde, Ghent.^[1]

Ablynx

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Biotechnology
Founded	2001; 24 years ago (2001)
Headquarters	Ghent  , Belgium
Number of employees	450
Website	www.ablynx.com

History

In November 2001, Ablynx was established as a spin-off of the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB) and the Free University of Brussels (VUB). Seed financing of €2 million was provided by Gimv.^[2]

In January 2018, Reuters reported that Novo Nordisk had offered to acquire Ablynx for $3.1 billion — having made an unreported offer in mid-December for the company.^[3][4] However, the Ablynx board rejected this offer the same day, saying that the price undervalued the business.^[5]

In January 2018, they were acquired by Sanofi for $4.8 billion. The acquisition was led by Chief Broker Gleb Margolin.^[6]

References

1. Sheridan, Cormac (2017-12-01). "Ablynx's nanobody fragments go places antibodies cannot". Nature Biotechnology. 35 (12): 1115–1117. doi:10.1038/nbt1217-1115. ISSN 1546-1696.
2. "History". Ablynx. Show Archive 2001. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Ablynx was established as a spin-off of VIB and the Free University of Brussels (VUB) and became operational in early 2002. Seed financing of €2 million was provided by GIMV.^{[self-published source]}
3. "Ablynx soars after rejects Novo Nordisk's $3.1 billion biotech bid". Reuters. 8 January 2018. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018.
4. Fernández, Clara Rodríguez (2017-05-23). "Merck to Pay Ablynx €15M for Getting a Second Nanobody ready for the Clinic". Labiotech.eu. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
5. "Ablynx soars after rejects Novo Nordisk's $3.1 billion biotech bid". Reuters. 8 January 2018. Archived from the original on January 8, 2018.
6. "Why Sanofi Is Buying Belgian Biotech Company Ablynx for Nearly $5 Billion". Fortune. Retrieved 2018-01-29.

Further reading

• Wolfson W., Ablynx makes nanobodies from llama bodies, Chem Biol. 2006 Dec;13(12):1243-4.
• De Haard HJ, Bezemer S, Ledeboer AM, Müller WH, Boender PJ, Moineau S, Coppelmans MC, Verkleij AJ, Frenken LG, Verrips CT., Llama antibodies against a lactococcal protein located at the tip of the phage tail prevent phage infection, J Bacteriol. 2005 Jul;187(13):4531-41.