Company Announcements

In April, Sigma-Aldrich entered into a license agreement with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to offer two membrane scaffold proteins used in Nanodiscs, which are self-assembled systems that render soluble in aqueous media typically insoluble yet biologically and pharmacologically significant targets.

In April, BioTime agreed to acquire Xeenex, which holds the exclusive licenses to market the GeneCards and PanDaTox GeneCards databases of human genes.

Empire Genomics named Funakoshi as a Japanese distributor in April.

In April, SeraCare Life Sciences named Charlie Mamrak, former CEO of PML Microbiologicals, CEO. Former Millipore CEO Fran Lunger was named chairman.

Life Technologies announced in April a $20 million expansion for production of Advanced Granulated Technology and dry powder media products at its GIBCO cell culture–manufacturing facilities in Inchinnan, Scotland. Products will ship from the new facility starting in 2014.

Integral Molecular appointed Funakoshi as its exclusive Japanese distributor.

In April, Pathogenica agreed to launch and distribute its HAI (Hospital Acquired Infection) BioDetection Kit in Japan on Life Technologies’ Ion Torrent Platform.

Diagnostics firm Hologic agreed to acquire molecular diagnostics maker Gen-Probe in April for $82.75 per share or $3.7 billion. In 2011, Gen-Probe reported product sales of $562.6 million, to which Research Products and Services contributed $10.2 million.

In May, ZyGEM named TATAA Biocenter as a distributor for Sweden and other selected countries.

Product Introductions

TAP Biosystems introduced the RAFT System for the production of reproducible three-dimensional cell cultures in a 96-well plate format.

In April, Rockland Immunochemcials released 95 antibodies, developed through a partnership with the National Cancer Institute, which are involved in signal transduction and cancer research.

Exiqon introduced in April its seventh-generation miRCURY LNA miRNA Arrays for expression profiling, consisting of 3,100 unique capture probes.

Exiqon released miRNA qPCR panels for stem cell research, consisting of 85 qPCR and 11 control assays. They can detect down to five copies of miRNAs.

In May, Exiqon launched Toxicology Focus miRNA PCR Panels, which hold up to 88 qPCR.

EMD Millipore introduced the Magna ChIP HT96 kit, which utilizes a single buffer.

Thermo Fisher Scientific released the new Maybridge Chiral Resolution Screening and Purification Kits, which reduce development time to one day.