GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), today announced it has acquired MicroCal LLC, a provider of innovative instruments for the study of molecular interactions in pharmaceutical, biomedical and life science research. The acquisition of MicroCal will allow GE Healthcare to expand its offering of technologies for the rapidly growing areas of protein science and drug discovery research. Financial terms were not disclosed. MicroCal develops and manufactures microcalorimeters that provide detailed information on the structure, function and binding properties of a wide range of biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and antibodies. The growing trend towards structure-based drug design together with the expansion in biopharmaceutical development is driving an increase in the use of microcalorimetry as a standard technique in pharmaceutical research. MicroCal’s proprietary technology, which is complementary to GE Healthcare’s Biacore platform, provides scientists with detailed information across several stages of the drug discovery process, reducing the potential for late-stage drug candidate failures. MicroCal’s technology is already used in over one thousand laboratories worldwide. Peter Ehrenheim, President and CEO of GE Healthcare’s Life Sciences business, said, “MicroCal is a company with a strong reputation for innovation in microcalorimetry and is a great strategic fit with our Life Sciences business. The combination of GE Healthcare’s expertise in protein science together with the talent of the team at MicroCal will help us drive development of new technologies and create an extensive offering across the full spectrum of the drug discovery and development process.” GE Healthcare plans to develop the MicroCal facility in Northampton, Massachusetts into a centre of excellence for microcalorimetry. This acquisition is consistent with GE’s strategy to invest in high-technology, innovative businesses that deliver strong top-line growth and expanded margins. “We are very excited to be part of GE Healthcare,” said Richard Brown, CEO, MicroCal. “We see great potential for this business. The resources of GE Healthcare and the wider GE group will allow us to significantly widen our reach and to jointly develop new technologies, products and applications which will help scientists increase their understanding of molecular interactions. The MicroCal team very much looks forward to working with GE Healthcare’s leadership to realize the potential of this great technology.” MicroCal was majority owned by private equity firm Riverside Partners, which invested in the company in 1999. Brian Guthrie, General Partner at Riverside Partners said: “MicroCal has grown considerably during our investment in the company and has excellent prospects for continued growth as a part of GE Healthcare. We have enjoyed our partnership with the talented and dedicated MicroCal team and wish them and GE Healthcare ongoing success.”