Company Announcements

In October, Molecular Devices, a Danaher company, announced that the European Patent Office upheld its European Patent No. 1802752 (Parallel Patch Clamp System) in its original form, following a recent Opposition Proceeding. The Patent’s claims are directed to systems and methods of making high-throughput electrophysiological measurements. The decision is open to appeal.

SCIENION announced in October that a French subsidiary, Cellenion, opened in May. Cellenion is focused on controlled cell dispensing technologies in the field of bioprinting and single-cell dispensing.

In October, BIOKÉ, a Cell Signaling Technology Europe company, announced it will exclusively distribute ACEA Biosciences’ NovoCyte flow cytometer in Benelux countries.

In November, Berkeley Lights (BLI) announced a two-year strategic collaboration agreement with Roche, which will leverage BLI’s opto-nanofluidic systems and devices to increase therapeutic discovery. The collaboration focuses on the innovation and automation of Roche’s antibody discovery technology using BLI’s platform.

Fluxion Biosciences announced in November that its IonFlux automated patch clamp family, previously distributed by Molecular Devices, will now be sold exclusively by Fluxion and its partners.

Product Introductions

In September, Greiner Bio-One and EMBL announced the development of the CELLview slide for live-cell imaging. It includes round/conical wells that provide a reduction in the impact of the meniscus effect and the ability to use multichannel pipettes.

TTP Labtech launched in September the sol-R microplates, which are designed to enhance the productivity and performance of its laser scanning fluorescence cytometers for muiltiplexed, no-wash immunoassay and phenotypic applications.

BERTIN launched in September the InCellis cell imager, featuring brightfield, phase contrast and fluorescence microscopy. All images can be processed either with the embedded apps or exported to other software.

In October, ACEA Biosciences launched the addition of a 561 nm laser to its NovoCyte cytometers. The two NovoCyte yellow laser systems (NovoCyte 3000 VYB and 3000 RYB) give customers the ability to excite yellow and green fluorophores of conjugated antibodies.

GE Healthcare Life Sciences released in October new IN Cell imaging systems software for high-content analysis. It is designed to minimize user input and eliminate the need for complex pre- and post-image processing of cell image data. It is built on GE’s Predix software platform.

In November, Fluxion Biosciences launched the IonFlux Mercury, its second generation IonFlux automated patch clamp family of products. New features include extended recording times and integrated current clamp. The IonFlux Mercury replaces the IonFlux 16, and the IonFlux Mercury HT replaces the IonFlux HT.

Fluidigm introduced in November a modular set of high parameter Maxpar mass cytometry panels for immune-oncology research, designed for use with the Helios and CyTOF systems. They enable researchers to simultaneously profile T cell subpopulations across 34 markers to identify all major T cell subsets, measure checkpoint molecular expression, identify activation states and determine homing status. Options include modular panel sets and customized markers.

In November, Merck KGaA introduced the CellASIC ONIX2 Microfluidic System for advanced live-cell imaging. Used with lab microscopes, the next generation system allows precise control and manipulation of cell culture environments.