Mars Petcare acquired OptiGen, LLC, a DNA diagnostics company specializing in canine inherited eye disorders.
The acquisition includes licenses to a portfolio of genetic disease tests patented in the US, Australia and countries in Europe, and an extensive biobank of more than 150,000 samples collected over 20 years representing various canine eye diseases. Moving forward these samples will be used to discover new genetic health markers for dogs.
With this acquisition, Wisdom Panel genetic test kits will now be able to detect over 185 genetic disease mutations that will help breeders select the best breeding matches for genetically healthy offspring. The test kits are provided by Wisdom Health, Mars Petcare's companion animal genetics business.
The acquisition was finalized April 10, 2018, and the companies will manage the transition over the course of 2018. The acquisition of OptiGen comes in addition to another genetic research company acquisition earlier in January 2018. In January, Mars Petcare announced their acquisition of Genoscoper Laboratories. Genoscoper is a Finland-based molecular diagnostics specialist for companion animals. Even before this acquisition, the companies had been working together to use genetic analysis to identify pets’ health risks and make veterinarians' jobs easier.
