Germantown-based Intrexon agrees to acquire Medistem

Intrexon Corp., of Germantown, a developer of synthetic biological products targeting health, food, energy and environmental industries, said it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire San Diego-based Medistem Inc., a stem-cell company, in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $26 million.

Medistem is a developer of endometrial regenerative cells (ERCs), which are universal donor adult stem cells that stimulate new blood vessel formation, and are capable of generating different tissues, including heart, brain, pancreas, liver, bone, cartilage and lung.

Intrexon said it intends to employ its integrated synthetic biology platforms to engineer a diverse array of cell-based therapeutic candidates using Medistem’s ERCs.