Company Announcements

Fiscal 2009 sales ended March 31 for Takara Biotech’s Genetic Engineering Research segment declined 7.5% to ¥16,733 million ($166.5 million) to make up 88.5% of company revenues. Segment operating income fell 8.4% to ¥3,819 million ($38.0 million). Sales of research reagents and large-scale scientific instruments both declined. The company will focus on developing real time PCR and cell engineering products. By the end of fiscal 2012, it expects the cumulative benefits of the transfer of production of Clontech Laboratories products to China to amount to ¥1.0 billion ($10 million).

Sigma-Aldrich agreed to distribute Glycosan BioSystems’ HyStem fully customizable synthetic extracellular matrix for stem cell research.

In August, PerkinElmer opened a second specialized GMP services facility for custom radiosynthesis.

Exiqon A/S’s Research Product sales grew 21% organically in the third quarter. The company plans to outsource manufacturing of all Research Product lines by the end of the first quarter of 2010.

Fluorotechnics’ fiscal 2009 sales ended June 30 more than tripled to AUD 3.2 million ($2.4 million). Operating loss totaled AUD 5.6 million ($4.1 million). The company attributed the sales shortfall to foreign exchange movements, quality control issues and curtained customer spending. The company forecasts fiscal 2010 sales of AUD $10–$12 million ($7–$9 million).

Olink Bioscience expanded its comarketing and codevelopment agreement with Abnova to include US distribution.

In September, Commonwealth Biotechnologies agreed to acquire GL Biochem (Shanghai) and associated businesses, which supply research-grade peptide products and peptide reagents.

Product Introductions

Prolias introduced its first family of ProSpectrum Ligands, which are focused on cardiovascular disease.

Sigma-Aldrich announced in August that its new Sigma Advanced Genetic Engineering Labs will leverage its exclusive CompoZr Zine Finger Nuclease gene-editing technology to define, develop and offer a new generation of genetically engineered rodent research models that can be generated in as little as four months.

Thermo Fisher Scientific introduced the Thermo Scientific Cellomics Synaptogenesis High Content Screening Reagent Kit, a fixed end-point assay based on immunofluorescence detection.

VisEn Medical released the Annexin-Vivo 750 imaging agent for measuring and monitoring apoptosis and cell death in vivo.

Corning Life Sciences introduced the High Yielding Performance Flask Manual (HYPERFlask M) cell-culture vessel, featuring 10 interconnected polystyrene growth surfaces.