• by Tony Silber , January 12, 2022

Crain Communications, the diversified Detroit-based media company, has acquired Kneed Media, parent of the Journal of Precision Medicine and its accompanying event series, the Precision Medicine Leaders Summit.

In an announcement this week, Crain said the Kneed Media brands will join forces with Crain’s GenomeWeb, the online news organization covering the molecular biology and personalized medicine space. GenomeWeb was acquired by Crain in 2019.

The Kneed brands provide coverage of precision medicine, from early research through to the clinic, Crain said in a press release.

The acquisition was finalized on Dec. 22. Crain did not disclose terms of the transaction.

“Kneed Media’s commitment to informing the precision-medicine community aligns perfectly with GenomeWeb’s editorial mission of tracking the adoption and implementation of genomics and biomarker-driven healthcare strategies,” Crain CEO KC Crain said. “Through live and virtual events and the journal, Kneed Media brings together key opinion leaders in precision medicine to deliver the next generation of targeted therapies and treatments to patients worldwide.”

Kneed is led by Nigel Russell, its founder-president, and Deanna Russell, chief of operations.

“We’re delighted to join the GenomeWeb family at a time when the prevalence of precision medicine is increasing across the globe,” Russell said. “Through this agreement, we look forward to leveraging the scale of GenomeWeb’s comprehensive market-leading platform in both the research and clinical markets.”

Crain is a 106-year-old privately held company, with a portfolio of 21 brands and 650 employees. Among its best-known titles are Automotive News, Ad Age, Modern Healthcare, Plastics News and Pensions & Investments.