Pelago Bioscience has acquired RG Discovery in a move that creates an integrated drug discovery partner combining advanced biology capabilities with specialist chemistry expertise. The deal brings together Stockholm-based Pelago Bioscience, a contract research organization known for its cell-based target engagement technologies, with Lund-based RG Discovery, which provides medicinal chemistry, peptide chemistry, custom synthesis, ADME, and bioanalysis services. Together, the companies aim to support biotechnology and pharmaceutical customers across the full design-make-test-analyze cycle, from early hit identification through lead optimization.
Strategic Rationale
The acquisition reflects the growing need for closer coordination between biology and chemistry in modern drug discovery programs. By adding RG Discovery’s medicinal chemistry and synthesis capabilities to Pelago Bioscience’s target engagement platform, the combined business intends to reduce workflow fragmentation and improve the speed of scientific decision-making. The enlarged organization will offer customers a single specialist partner able to design, synthesize, test, and refine compounds within a more connected discovery process.
Closing the Discovery Loop
Pelago Bioscience’s proprietary CETSA-based platform measures how compounds engage with their targets directly in living cells and tissues. With RG Discovery now part of the group, those biological insights can be fed more directly into the next round of compound design and synthesis, creating a continuous chemistry-to-biology feedback loop. This integrated approach is designed to reduce vendor handoffs, strengthen data interpretation, and help research teams move more efficiently from hit discovery to lead development.
RG Discovery’s Role
Founded in 2011 by former AstraZeneca scientists, RG Discovery has built a strong position as a drug discovery CRO focused on complex chemistry challenges. The company employs around 40 scientists and operates from Medicon Village in Lund, where it maintains chemistry and analytical infrastructure supporting a broad range of discovery activities. Its expertise in medicinal chemistry, peptide chemistry, custom synthesis, ADME, and bioanalysis will expand Pelago Bioscience’s ability to serve customers seeking more integrated research support.
Leadership Perspective
Michael Dabrowski, Chief Executive Officer of Pelago Bioscience, said the combination strengthens the company’s ability to help customers progress drug discovery programs with greater speed and confidence. He emphasized that modern discovery work increasingly depends on the seamless integration of compound design, synthesis, and in-cell target engagement data. Johan Evenäs, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of RG Discovery, said joining Pelago Bioscience would allow RG Discovery to extend its impact by pairing its chemistry expertise with a leading target engagement platform.
The acquisition positions Pelago Bioscience as a broader drug discovery CRO with capabilities spanning both biology and chemistry. By integrating RG Discovery’s medicinal chemistry and custom synthesis strengths with Pelago Bioscience’s CETSA-based target engagement platform, the combined company aims to provide a more efficient route for customers advancing early-stage drug programs. The transaction also reinforces Sweden’s position as a hub for specialist drug discovery services supporting pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide.