Company Announcements

Life Technologies announced the closure of manufacturing sites in Camarillo, California, and Bromborough, UK. Operations will be consolidated at the Frederick, Maryland, and Warrington, UK, facilities.

Life Technologies formed the GIBCO Cell Therapy Systems product portfolio in June, which offers products to support cell therapy applications, including regenerative medicine.

Biotage A/S named Andres Wikström vice president of Operations in May. He was previously responsible for R&D. Anthony Rees, formerly CEO of MIP Technologies, was named chief scientific officer.

Agilent appointed Dr. Teng Chai Hock as vice president and general manager for Southeast Asia Pacific and Korea field operations in June.

Pall named Michael Egholm chief technology officer in June. Most recently, he served as chief technology officer and vice president of R&D at 454 Life Sciences.

For the year ending April 3, Halma’s Health and Analysis revenues increased 6.6%, 3% on an organic basis, to £176.0 million ($279.4 million), or 38% of total revenues (see IBO 7/31/10). By business segment, Water and Health Optics sales declined 7% and 1%, respectively. Photonics and Fluid Technology sales grew 25% and 9%, respectively. Revenues in the US and Mainland Europe increased 11% and 2%, respectively, but UK sales declined 3%. Rest of World/Asia sales rose 9%, with Far East and Asia sales up 28%.

In July, Illumina named Nicholas J. Naclerio, PhD, senior vice president, Corporate Development. Previously, he was co-founder and executive chairman of clinical diagnostics firm Quanterix.

Illumina named Gerald Möller, PhD, to its Board in July. He is an advisor at HBM Bio Ventures AG and previously was with Boehringer Mannheim.

Illumina appointed B. Melina Cimler, PhD, vice president, Quality and Regulatory Affairs, in July. She was previously president of PandiaDx Consulting.

In vitro diagnostics firm STRATEC Biomedical Systems AG acquired Ballista, a provider of precision optics technology, in July for $5.2 million. Ballista had 2009 sales of $2.7 million.

QIAGEN NV appointed Dr. Ellen E. Sheets chief medical officer in July. She was formerly general manager and chief medical officer at Predictive Biosciences.

Millipore announced a strategic alliance with BioOutsource to offer biosafety services for biopharmaceutical manufacturers.

Sales/Orders of Note

In July, Techcomp announced it had won a $1 million tender from the United Nations Office for Project Services for two Biosafety Level 3 turnkey labs for India. In 2009, Techcomp’s Indian sales grew 32.5% to $5.0 million.