Merck KGaA has agreed to buy Bio-Techne Corp. for an enterprise value of approximately $11.3 billion, in a bid to strengthen its life sciences business. The company is offering $73 per share in cash, a 36% premium to Bio-Techne's one-month volume-weighted average trading price, and  a 24% premium to the company’s previous close on June 24. The deal will expand Merck’s position in multi-omics, spatial biology, cell and gene therapy, precision diagnostics and advanced research tools.