Momentum Biotechnologies Acquires OmicScouts to Expand Mass Spectrometry-Based Drug Discovery Platform
Key Insights
Momentum Biotechnologies (search) has completed the acquisition of Munich-based OmicScouts GmbH (search), a leader in mass spectrometry-based proteomics, to enhance its drug discovery service offerings.
The acquisition provides Momentum with access to well-validated proteomic assays that enable clients to progress from high-throughput screening to cell-based assays and biomarker discovery.
OmicScouts' chemoproteomic capabilities will help close the gap between biochemical hit identification and downstream preclinical assays, addressing long-standing client requests.
Momentum Biotechnologies (search), a contract research organization specializing in mass spectrometry-based drug discovery, has successfully completed the acquisition of OmicScouts GmbH (search), a Munich-based leader in mass spectrometry-based proteomics. The transaction, announced on March 5, 2025, positions the combined entity to offer an expanded portfolio of drug discovery services spanning from high-throughput screening to advanced proteomic analysis.
Strategic Expansion of Service Capabilities
The acquisition addresses a critical gap in the drug discovery pipeline that Momentum's clients have long identified. "Our clients have long requested our help triaging and further interrogating the hits we uncover through high-throughput screens," said Can Ozbal, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Momentum Biotechnologies (search). "With the addition of OmicScouts' leading chemoproteomic capabilities, we are now able to take projects beyond hit identification to interrogate target engagement, selectivity/specificity, and global drug response, effectively closing the existing gap between biochemical hit triage and downstream cell-based and preclinical assays."
The integration provides Momentum with access to a broad portfolio of well-validated proteomic assays that enhance and extend existing service offerings. This enables clients to seamlessly progress from high-throughput screening into cell-based assays while discovering new targets and biomarkers through comprehensive proteomic analysis.
Leadership Integration and Geographic Expansion
OmicScouts' co-founder and CEO Hannes Hahne, Ph.D., will transition into a new role as President and member of Momentum's global executive leadership team. "OmicScouts was founded from our desire to give researchers the tools and talent needed for proteomics-based drug discovery," Hahne explained. "The Momentum team shared a similar vision to make high-throughput mass spectrometry accessible to drug developers, and I am excited to combine forces towards an even bigger vision of providing the ultimate drug discovery cascade with screening through proteomics."
The acquisition enables immediate geographic expansion into the European market, furthering Momentum's strategic commitment to providing scientific services to biopharmaceutical innovators worldwide. The transaction represents an excellent cultural and strategic fit, with both organizations distinguished by technical excellence and deep client trust.
Scientific Advisory Board Enhancement
Two of OmicScouts' co-founders and scientific advisers, Mathias Wilhelm, Ph.D., and Bernhard Kuster, Ph.D., will join Momentum's Scientific Advisory Board. Wilhelm expressed enthusiasm about serving as an advisor for the combined organization as they continue to develop service offerings and provide insights through high-quality mass spectrometry data.
Kuster highlighted the broader implications of the merger: "My lab continued to work closely with Hannes and OmicScouts to translate cutting-edge proteomics methods from academia into tangible therapeutic innovations. The impact of proteomics on drug discovery is only starting to gain recognition, and we are excited to accelerate these advancements."
Comprehensive Drug Discovery Platform
Peter Batesko, Lead Director of Momentum and CEO of Care Equity (search), the healthcare investment firm backing Momentum, emphasized the strategic value of the combination. "OmicScouts and Momentum are both distinguished by technical excellence and deep trust from their clients. This combination allows us to integrate OmicScouts' proteomics expertise with our screening technologies and ultimately accelerate the drug design process for clients."
Momentum Biotechnologies (search), founded in 2014, provides specialized mass spectrometry technologies through services including affinity-selection mass spectrometry (ASMS), covalent binding assays, chemoproteomics, and small-molecule analysis. OmicScouts focuses on supporting drug and biomarker discovery through system-wide assays that monitor protein activity and function in physiological contexts, enabling identification of drug targets, target engagement markers, molecular mechanisms of action, and drug response biomarkers.
The combined organization will operate under the name OmicScouts, a Momentum Biotechnologies (search) Company, maintaining both companies' commitments to customer satisfaction, scientific rigor, and ongoing technological innovation while offering an integrated drug discovery platform from screening through proteomics.