Oxford Gene Technology Buys FISH Probes Company
An OGT spokesperson told IBO that Cytocell has 30 employees and that the acquisition brings OGT’s total number of employees to 100. Cytocell’s product lines, which are CE marked, consist of the Aquarius Liquid Probes and the Chromoprobe Multiprobes Systems, as well as a design service for custom FISH probes. OGT told IBO: “OGT’s microarray products are commonly used to study developmental disorders, with some adoption within cancer research, while Cytocell products have a strong cancer focus with a growing developmental disorder portfolio. In addition, microarray results are often confirmed using FISH probes. As such, the two technologies complement each other well and allow OGT to sell more products to the same customer base.”
Begbroke, UK 3/4/14—Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) has acquired Cytocell, a UK-based provider of FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridization) probes for the detection of gene rearrangements related to inherited genetic disease and cancer. The purchase price was not disclosed. Cytocell sales grew 20% to £4.5 million ($7.0 million=£0.64 = $1) in the last financial year. “Cytocell brings to the OGT Group innovative DNA technology, an excellent team and a strong brand with a reputation for high quality FISH products,” said OGT CEO Dr. Mike Evans. “This is a great opportunity to add to our portfolio of class leading technologies and position ourselves for growth across new geographical markets and customer application areas.” OGT stated that the acquisition complements its CytoSure cytogenetics array and next generation sequencing products, adds to its North American product offerings and strengthens its distribution network. Cytocell Managing Director Dr. Martin Lawrie will join OGT’s executive committee.
