Biotechnology Company with Saratoga Footprint to Buy 23andMe

SARATOGA SPRINGS — 23andMe, the genetic testing company that uses saliva samples to reveal the ancestry of its customers, is reportedly being purchased by a biotechnology company with Saratoga connections.

The Associated Press reported this week that Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is buying 23andMe for $256 million after the genetics company filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.

“We believe we can help 23andMe deliver and build upon its mission to help people learn about their own DNA and how to improve their personal health, while furthering Regeneron’s efforts to improve the health and wellness of many,” Regeneron Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer George Yancopoulos said in a statement.

A member of 23andMe’s board said that the transaction would ensure the protection of customer privacy, choice, and consent with respect to their genetic data.

Regeneron, which is based in Tarrytown, New York, purchased the former Quad Graphics printing facility in Saratoga Springs last year. Quad Graphics had ceased its operations in May 2024, causing hundreds of workers to lose their jobs. 

According to its corporate fact sheet, Regeneron has more than 13,000 employees worldwide. The company has offices scattered across the globe, including its headquarters in Tarrytown and an industrial operations and product supply facility in Rensselaer.

Regeneron, called “one of the region’s largest employers” by the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation, had a reported revenue of more than $13 billion in 2023. In 2020, the company signed a $450 million contract with the U.S. government to manufacture and supply REGN-COV2, a double-antibody cocktail designed to combat the coronavirus. The cocktail was administered to President Donald Trump when he was infected with COVID-19 in October 2020.