Affymetrix' scientific advisory board chairman, Dr Lubert Stryer, has been awarded the 2006 US National Medal of Science for his many contributions to molecular biology and biochemistry.
Dr Stryer has made contributions to fluorescence energy transfer, light-directed chemical synthesis. Vision research and directed chemical synthesis.
"This is a well-deserved recognition for a man who has devoted himself to science and education," said Dr Stephen Fodor, CEO of Affymetrix.
"Lubert approaches science just as he approaches life, with imagination, dedication and a sense of urgency. We are honored to be a part of his life."
Mettler-Toledo has completed the sale of its Berger SFC business to Thar Instruments and in the process has created a supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) giant that should enable the advancement of new technologies and capabilities to customers in pharmaceutical drug discovery and development.
"Berger SFC brings an excellent reputation and deep experience in the development of Supercritical Fluid Chromatography, and compliments Thar's SFC technologies. We are excited about the future advancement to broaden the scope of SFC technology as a result of this acquisition," said Dr Lalit Chordia, CEO of Thar.
"The combination of Berger SFC and Thar Instruments will result in a fully integrated SFC instrumentation company that will have the necessary critical mass to further penetrate the rapidly developing analysis and purification market, while providing competent support and service to customers around the world."
Fluidigm has appointed Bioke as its exclusive Benelux distributor for RT- PCR (real-time polymerase chain reaction) and genotyping products including the recently released BioMark system.
The BioMark system provides a dramatic increase in throughput over conventional RT-PCR platforms with its nanofluidic chips that automatically combine samples and PCR reagents.
Oxford Instruments (OI) is to acquire Worldwide Analytical Systems (WAS) as part of Jonathan Flint's, Oxford Instrument's CEO, planes to double the size of the company over the next five years.
WAS' ARK/Spark optical emission spectrometers, used to measure elements contained in various metal alloys and other materials, will significantly strengthen Oxford Instruments Industrial Analysis (OIIA) division's range of industrial spectrometers.
"This acquisition is part of our on-going strategy to deliver added value to our customers and to grow our share of the OES market. We are delighted that WAS will be joining us, and look forward to working with them to deliver an enhanced service to our customers," said Bradley Boyer, president of the OIIA division.
Not content with the acquisition of Biosite, Inverness Medical has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire point- of-care diagnostic healthcare company Hemosense in an all stock deal that values the firm at $165m.
"With the acquisition of HemoSense, Inverness takes another step in our strategy of providing diagnostic testing to hospitals, physicians' offices, and the home for patient self testing," said Ron Zwanziger, Chairman and CEO of Inverness.
"HemoSense is a particularly good fit with Biosite and QAS, which we have recently acquired. As health care moves closer to personal responsibility, Inverness is and will remain at the forefront with the materials and methods that allow individuals to take better control of their health."
Qiagen has completed its acquisition of Digene, which is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Qiagen North American Holdings, Inc.
"We are pleased with the overwhelming support from both QIAGEN and Digene shareholders and believe their commitment is a testament to the significant benefits this combination creates," said Peer Schatz, CEO of Qiagen.
Not content to rest on its laurels, the company has also expanded its business scope in Asia by opening a new Hong Kong subsidiary to strengthen its service capabilities and facilitate access to the company's leading portfolio of sample and assay technologies.
The move will hope to enhance the growth of its Asian business that is already witnessing growth of over 60 per cent.
"Our new local team and infrastructure will allow us to increase our support of our customers for our sample and assay technologies in research, pharmaceutical development, applied testing and molecular diagnostics," said Dr Frauke Ehlert, general manager of QIAGEN China & Hong Kong.
TTP Labtech, has further expanded it US facilities to keep up with the growing demand for its mosquito, comPOUND and Acumen eX3 offerings. The announcement follows the recent appointment of distributors in Japan, India and Australia..
"TTP LabTech is celebrating 20 years in automation in 2007. This, along with our greatly increased worldwide presence and expanded US office, makes it a very exciting time for the company and the response from customers has been tremendous," said Ben Schenker, US Sales & Support manager.
