EMD Millipore purchases Amnis Corporation
The Life Science division of Merck KGaA of Germany, EMD Millipore, declared its willingness to purchase Seattle-based Amnis Corporation that creates, develops, and sells high-speed cell imaging instrumentation, a technology employed in flow cytometry applications used for cell analysis and research in academia, as well as biotech and pharmaceutical industry.
Housing a staff of 40 people, Amnis generated sales worth $14 million in 2010. The transaction that is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2011 has not yet disclosed its terms and conditions are undisclosed, and is subject to regulatory approvals and closing.
Jonathan DiVincenzo, head of EMD Millipore’s Bioscience business unit said, “Amnis’ technology will put EMD Millipore at the forefront of cell analysis by providing us access to break-through, combined imaging flow cytometry, addressing several unmet needs in the field of cell analysis and systems biology. Today there are no comparable alternatives that enable our customers to combine flow cytometry and image analysis in one integrated solution. With this acquisition, EMD Millipore becomes the only provider of this technology.”
The acquisition significantly enhances EMD Millipore’s product portfolio in the attractive growth segment of flow cytometry.2Specifically, the business will complement EMD Millipore’s existing Guava product range, a business EMD Millipore acquired in 2009.
DiVincenzo added, “With Amnis we acquire a business with a talented workforce, a strong intellectual property position, and unique know-how which will position us to create tremendous value for our customer’s research outcomes in the flow cytometry workflow.”
Co-founder and CEO of Amnis, David A. Basiji, commented, “The combination of Amnis with EMD Millipore will greatly accelerate development of novel applications in imaging flow cytometry, enhance our customer support, and accelerate product development.”
“We look forward to becoming a member of Merck KGaA of Germany and the new possibilities to pursue compelling opportunities in both the life science research and clinical markets,” added William E. Ortyn, Amnis’ co-founder and President.