Santa Clara, CA 3/7/18—Agilent Technologies has agreed to acquire Advanced Analytical Technologies, Inc. (AATI) for $250 million in cash. AATI provides automated CE technology for the separation of biomolecules, such as nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates and small molecules, for analysis. “Technology advances in genomics, metabolomics and proteomics are driving growth and demand for innovative new solutions,” commented Dr. Stefan Schuette, vice president and general manager of Agilent’s Liquid Phase Separations Division. “The value of this acquisition is in the expanded capabilities for emerging applications that Agilent and AATI together can offer.” Based in Iowa, AATI has 101 employees.

Asked about the benefits of AATI’s systems, Knut Wintergerst, Agilent’s Marketing and Support manager for its Microfluidics Business, told IBO, “AATI’s product portfolio provides offerings for QC of long-read libraries, automated sample QC and compelling fg/μL sensitivity. We will also be adding a talented team to help advance our R&D and assay development efforts.”

 In describing application areas in which AATI has gained traction, outside of NGS library QC, he cited a number of QC applications. “AATI’s portfolio offers great strengths to expand into adjacent segments where QC is required, among which are DNA fragment analysis, QC of oligos, but also QC of proteins once suitable assays have been developed. This allows Agilent to cover all aspects of biomolecule QC in genomics, metabolomics and proteomics workflows.”

The acquisition looks to position Agilent for an expanded range of solutions for omics markets, and to supplement its CE business for NGS QC.