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INDUSTRY
NEWS
PERKINELMER ACQUIRES ANALYTICA OF BRANFORD
May 05, 2009 – PerkinElmer, Inc. announced that it has acquired Analytica of Branford, Inc., a recognized pioneer and leader in mass spectrometry (MS) and ion source technology. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
According to its press release, PerkinElmer will integrate Analytica's current manufacturing operations into its Shelton, CT facility, while utilizing Analytica's existing Branford facility for R&D projects. Craig Whitehouse will become an employee of PerkinElmer and oversee PerkinElmer's MS R&D operations.
Located in Branford, Connecticut, Analytica was founded in 1987 by Craig Whitehouse, who developed one of the first electrospray ion sources for MS. Electrospray ionization sources interfaced to mass spectrometers have since become widely used tools in analytical applications. Since 1989, Analytica has been marketing its technology for existing mass spectrometers and acting as a supplier to other analytical instrument companies.
SIGMA-ALDRICH CHAIRMAN HARVEY RETIRES
May 5, 2009 – Sigma-Aldrich Corporation announced that Dr. David R. Harvey retired as Chairman effective today. He will continue as a Director of the Company. At the Board meeting held today, the Directors elected Dr. Jai Nagarkatti, currently President and Chief Executive Officer and a Director of the Company, to the additional position of Chairman. The Board also appointed Mr. Barrett Toan, currently a Director of the Company, to the position of Presiding Director.
Dr. Harvey joined the Company in 1974 and has served in a number of roles. He began his career with the Company as the senior executive in charge of European operations, served as President of Aldrich Chemical and Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Sigma-Aldrich before being elected as President of the Company from 1995 to 2004, as Chief Executive Officer from 1999 to 2005 and as Chairman since 2001. He has been a Director of the Company since 1981.
Dr. Nagarkatti joined the Company in 1976 and held roles in R&D, production, operations and sales before being elected President and Chief Operating Officer in 2004. He became Chief Executive Officer in 2006 and has served as a Director of the Company since 2005.
PERKINELMER NAMES FRIEL CHAIRMAN
April 29, 2009 – PerkinElmer, Inc. announced that its board of directors has appointed the Company's president and chief executive officer, Robert F. Friel, to the additional role of chairman of the board of directors. The announcement comes in conjunction with the Company's annual shareholders meeting held on April 28, 2009. The appointment of Mr. Friel to chairman is part of PerkinElmer's 2007 leadership succession plan designed to support the Company's growth strategy and provide strong leadership continuity. Friel succeeds Gregory L. Summe, chairman since 1999, who did not stand for reelection.
DIONEX NAMES WITNEY AS PRESIDENT & CEO
April 14, 2009 – Dionex Corporation announced that Dr. Frank Witney will become its President, Chief Executive Officer and a member of its Board of Directors, effective April 30, 2009.
Dr. Witney replaces Dr. Lukas Braunschweiler, who resigned in order to accept a new position as Chief Executive Officer of Ruag Holding AG, a Switzerland-based aviation, defense and technology company.
Dr. Witney brings to Dionex 25 years of experience in leadership and innovation in the life science and analytical instrumentation industry. Dr. Witney joins Dionex from Affymetrix, Inc. where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. While at Affymetrix, he led and integrated the Panomics, Inc, business after its acquisition by Affymetrix in December 2008. He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Panomics, Inc. (formerly Genospectra, Inc.) from July 2002 to December 2008. Prior to joining Panomics, Dr. Witney was President of Drug Discovery Tools at PerkinElmer Life Sciences. He assumed this position after PerkinElmer's acquisition of Packard BioScience Company, where he was President and Chief Operating Officer. From 1983 through 2000, Dr. Witney held a series of management positions at Bio-Rad Laboratories, most recently as Group Operations Manager of the Life Science Group. Dr. Witney was a post-doctoral fellow at the National Institutes of Health and holds a doctorate in molecular and cell biology from Indiana University. He also is a member of the ALSSA Board of Directors.
CYBIO AG AND LABCYTE JOIN ALSSA
April 9, 2009 – The ALSSA Board of Directors recently received application for membership submitted by CyBio AG and Labcyte Inc..
CyBio AG is based in Jena, Germany. The Group's principal activities are the development, manufacture and marketing of laboratory systems. Their products include solutions for pharmaceutical and agro chemical research, liquid handling, incubation, imaging reader, software and system integration to achieve fully automated screening technologies. The Group has operations in Germany, rest of Europe, Asia and US. Holger Wolf, CEO, will serve as the official representative to ALSSA and Tina Frohlich, Marketing Director, will serve as the alternate contact. Additional information about the company and their products is available on their web site at www.cybio-ag.com
Labcyte Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, provides products for assay miniaturization and automation. They specialize in low-volume liquid handling for the life sciences. Their premier technologies for automating reagent and sample transfer include 'touchless' acoustic droplet ejection (ADE) for pico-to-nanoliter transfer, and non-contact magnetic feedback. Mark D. Fischer-Colbrie, President & CEO, will serve as the official representative to ALSSA and Richard Ellson, CTO will be the alternate. Additional information about the company and their products is available on their web site at www.labcyte.com.
ANALYTIK JENA PURCHASES 51% OF CYBIO
February 23, 2009 – Analytica Jena AG announced that it has acquired a majority of CyBio AG by increasing its ownership of the company to 51.19 percent. According to the announcement, the acquisition will add CyBio’s expertise in high-throughput screening in the pharmaceutical market to Analytik’s Jena’s products for DNA purification and PCR.
ROGERSON ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF VARIAN
February 9, 2009 – Varian, Inc. reported that its Board of Directors has elected Garry W. Rogerson, the company's President and Chief Executive Officer, as Chairman of the Board. He replaces Allen J. Lauer, who retired from the Board upon expiration of his director term at the annual meeting of stockholders held on February 5, 2009. Rogerson will continue as the company's Chief Executive Officer.
QIAGEN APPOINTS EXECUTIVES
February 5, 2009 – QIAGEN announced that Gisela Orth has joined the Company as Vice President Global Human Resources on February 2. In her new role, she will assume responsibility for the company's global human resource department and all related activities including recruitment, human resources marketing, retention, compensation and benefits, and personnel development. Ms. Orth will be a member of QIAGEN's Executive Committee and will be based at the Company's site in Hilden, Germany.
On January 27, QIAGEN announced that Stephane Perrey has joined the Company as President of its fully-owned subsidiary QIAGEN KK on January 1. Dr. Perrey follows Kazuo Tokushige, who retired on December 31, and will lead QIAGEN's further expansion in life sciences and the growing market of molecular diagnostics in Japan.
Dr Perrey joined the company from Third Wave/Hologic Japan and previously held various positions in the Japanese in-vitro diagnostic industry (especially in infectious diseases segments). Stephane Perrey holds a Ph.D. in Medical Science from the University of Tokyo and completed his post-doc at Harvard Medical School.
Previously, on January 19, QIAGEN announced that Tom Clement has joined the Company as Vice President Regulatory and Clinical Affairs on January 12, 2009. In his new position, he will direct and coordinate QIAGEN's Regulatory Affairs Department and all global activities related to regulatory submissions.
Tom Clement joins the company from Roche Molecular Systems, where he was Vice President of Quality and Regulatory. Prior to Roche, he worked at other diagnostic and medical device companies including Organon Teknika (bioMérieux), Amersham, Biotech Research Laboratories and others. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland.
FORBES HONORS ILLUMINA
February 3, 2009 – Illumina, Inc. announced that Forbes has named it to the top of the 2009 list of 25 Fastest-Growing Technology Companies in the United States. This is the second time in the past three years that Forbes has ranked Illumina #1 on its list of rapidly growing technology companies.
The Forbes 25 Fastest Growing Technology Company list focuses on sales growth, and requires a minimum of 10% annualized sales gains over the past five years, profitability over the past 12 months, and a Thomson IBES consensus earnings forecasts of at least 10% annualized earnings growth over the next three to five years.
MILLIPORE ACQUIRES GUAVA
February 2, 2009 – Millipore Corporation announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Guava Technologies, a provider of easy-to-use, bench top cell analysis systems. The acquisition follows the distribution and co-development partnership the two companies announced in March 2008.
Under the terms of the agreement, Millipore will pay $22.6 million, subject to closing adjustments, to acquire Guava. Guava generated approximately $22 million in sales during 2008. The transaction is expected to be slightly accretive to Millipore’s non-GAAP earnings per share during 2009 and is expected to close in the next two weeks.
Based in Hayward, California, Guava developed the industry’s first commercial microcapillary flow cytometry system, which enables scientists to conduct flow cytometry using a small, bench top instrument. Micro-capillary flow cytometers accommodate smaller sample volumes, generate less waste, have lower operating costs, and are easier to set up and run than traditional flow cytometry instrumentation. The Company expects to maintain Guava’s manufacturing and commercial operations in Hayward, California.
WATERS ACQUIRES TWO
February 2, 2009 – Waters Corporation announced it has acquired all of the remaining outstanding capital stock of privately held Pittsburgh-based Thar Instruments, Inc., the world's largest supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) manufacturer, for an undisclosed amount. Waters had previously made an equity investment in Thar in June 2007. Current annual revenues of Thar are approximately $18 million and the acquisition is estimated to be neutral to Waters 2009 earnings.
Previously, on December 5, the company announced that it has completed the purchase of the net assets of Analytical Products Group, Inc. (APG) of Belpre, Ohio, for an undisclosed amount. Waters will immediately merge APG into its existing Environmental Resource Associates (ERA) operations to form the world's most comprehensive environmental proficiency testing and reference materials partner. Current annual revenues for APG are approximately $4 million and the acquisition is expected to be neutral to Waters Corporation's 2009 earnings.
ARTEL AND HORIZON JOIN ALSSA
January 19, 2009 – The ALSSA Board of Directors recently approved application for membership submitted by Artel and Horizon Technology.
Artel is based in Westbrook, Maine. Their products include instrumentation, software and services designed to improve productivity and ensure quality in liquid handling applications in laboratories. Kirby B. Pilcher, President, will serve as the official representative to ALSSA and Jack W. Wood, Supply Chain & Facilities Manager, will serve as the alternate contact. Additional information about the company and their products is available on their web site at www.artel-usa.com.
Horizon Technology, Inc., located in Salem, New Hampshire, manufactures automated sample preparation systems for analytical testing laboratories. Their products include both instrumentation and consumables, and in August 2008 the company was named to Inc. Magazine’s list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in America. Robert S. Johnson, Founder & CEO, will serve as the official representative to ALSSA. Additional information about the company and their products is available on their web site at www.horizontechinc.com.
DIONEX CEO RESIGNS
December 5, 2008 – Dionex Corporation announced that Lukas Braunschweiler has notified the Board of Directors of his resignation as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective May 31, 2009. Dr. Braunschweiler resigned to accept a new position as Chief Executive Officer of Ruag Holding AG, a Switzerland-based aviation, defense and technology company.
"It is with mixed emotions that I have decided to leave Dionex after more than six years of service as Chief Executive Officer," said Dr. Braunschweiler. "I'll miss the employees, the customers and the shareholders. I am proud of what we have accomplished at Dionex. The company has a strong global market position, a very competitive product range and attractive product pipeline, all driven by a team of great leaders. Supported by a strong balance sheet, I'm confident Dionex is well positioned for continued solid sales and earnings growth."
"I am very appreciative of Lukas' service to Dionex," said Riccardo Pigliucci, Lead Director of the company. "I thank Lukas for his leadership in growing Dionex further into one of the strongest and best-positioned companies in our industry. I wish him all the best in his new endeavor."
The Board of Directors will commence a search for Dr. Braunschweiler's replacement in the near term, with the goal of his replacement taking office in June 2009.
PERKINELMER ACQUIRES ARNEL
December 3, 2008 – PerkinElmer, Inc. announced the acquisition of Arnel Inc., a recognized leader in custom engineered solutions for gas chromatography applications in the petrochemical, food and beverage, and industrial hygiene markets. The acquisition is an important strategic initiative to expand PerkinElmer's chromatography portfolio and strengthen its application-focused expertise to best serve the biofuels and hydrocarbon processing industries.
This acquisition is an extension of PerkinElmer's and Arnel's 18 year relationship during which Arnel served as PerkinElmer's exclusive supplier of gas sampling valve solutions. With the completion of this transaction, PerkinElmer expects to accelerate its development and expand its portfolio of application-focused measurement systems tailored for the biofuels, food and beverage, industrial hygiene, and hydrocarbon processing markets.
INVITROGEN – ABI MERGER CLEARED
November 11, 2008 – Invitrogen Corporation and Applied Biosystems Inc. announced that they have received clearance from the European Commission for their proposed merger. This represents the last regulatory approval needed for the completion of the merger. The companies are now actively engaged in preparation for the closing of the merger, which is scheduled to occur on November 21, 2008. The closing remains subject to other customary closing conditions, which are expected to be satisfied on the scheduled closing date.
AFFYMETRIX TO ACQUIRE PANOMICS
November 11, 2008 – Affymetrix Inc. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Panomics Inc., a privately held Fremont, Calif.-based company that offers assay products for a wide variety of low to mid-plex genetic, protein and cellular analysis applications. The acquisition will strengthen Affymetrix's position in high-growth validation and routine-testing market segments. The combination will also enable a more complete customer workflow, beginning with whole-genome Affymetrix microarray studies and then focusing on genes and proteins of interest with the Panomics products.
"Panomics presented a great opportunity for Affymetrix to enter new high-growth market segments, enhance our recently acquired liquid array platform and create further operating leverage," said Kevin King, president of Affymetrix. "As one company, we will be able to serve a much larger customer base around the world with a broader product portfolio that offers a more complete analysis workflow, enabling customers to perform experiments not possible on any other platform."
Under the terms of the agreement, Affymetrix will pay approximately $73 million in cash to acquire Panomics. The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2008, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
DIONEX BUYS CALIPER PRODUCT LINE
November 11, 2008 – Dionex, Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement with Caliper Life Sciences, Inc., to purchase Caliper’s AutoTrace® line of products, which had sales of $3.1 million in 2007. The AutoTrace SPE workstation automates the extraction of large volume aqueous samples prior to analysis. It is a globally established platform with approved methods and applications such as the US EPA 500 and 600 series for environmental testing of drinking water.
“Dionex is dedicated to water analysis and is the only separations science company to provide instrumentation, columns, and applications that are perfectly suited for determination of both inorganic and organic contaminants,” says Dr. Lukas Braunschweiler, CEO and President of Dionex. “The addition of the AutoTrace product line is an important step in our strategy to focus on sample preparation in the water industry and to provide sensitive and robust IC and HPLC methods for environmental analysis. Together with our ASE® Accelerated Solvent Extraction technology, AutoTrace will enable us to better respond to our customers’ needs in tracing minute amounts of contaminants in critical liquid samples.”
PERKINELMER ANNOUNCES NEW BUSINESS ALIGNMENT
November 10, 2008 – PerkinElmer, Inc. announced an alignment of its businesses reflecting the Company's commitment to create a healthier, cleaner and safer world. As of January 1, 2009, PerkinElmer's businesses will be focused into two strategic areas – Human Health and Environmental Health.
To capture the essence of this alignment, PerkinElmer is introducing new branding to better reflect the identity and values of the Company. One element of this will be the new tagline, "For the Better," representing the Company's commitment to achieve its mission of improving the health and safety of people and their environment.
"Today's announcement recognizes PerkinElmer's focus on the important outcomes enabled by our technologies," said Robert Friel, the Company's president and CEO. "The work we do makes a significant difference in many aspects of our world — in the quality of our drinking water, how quickly new medical treatments come to market, the health of newborn babies, and how safe and secure we feel in our homes. We believe that this clear vision will better define the strategic mission of the Company and improve how we communicate what we do and the value we deliver to our customers."
PerkinElmer's Human Health Business will be based on developing diagnostics, tools and applications to fight illness, provide better medical insight and more rapidly create critical new therapies. This business will include the Company's Genetic Screening, Bio-discovery and Medical Imaging operating units and will be led by Mr. Friel on an interim basis.
The Environmental Health Business will be based on creating safer products, more secure surroundings and efficient energy resources. This business will include the Company's Analytical Sciences, Laboratory Services, and Detection and Illumination (formerly known as Sensors and Specialty Lighting) operating units and will be led by John Roush, who currently leads the Company's Optoelectronics business.
INVITROGEN – ABI NAME TO BE LIFE TECHNOLOGIES
November 4, 2008 – Invitrogen Corporation announced that a new name for the combined entity will go into effect upon transaction close. The name of the new company will be Life Technologies Corporation and its shares will trade on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol of LIFE. Instruments and systems solutions will continue to be sold under the Applied Biosystems brand name, while the combined company's broad offering of reagents will be sold under the Invitrogen brand name.
"As we moved through the integration process and gained greater clarity around the vision for our joint company, the new management team felt that the Life Technologies name best symbolizes the promise of what we can accomplish together," said Greg Lucier, Invitrogen's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
SIGMA-ALDRICH ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENTS
October 30, 2008 – Sigma-Aldrich announced the appointment of Rakesh Sachdev as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) along with other organization changes that are designed to deepen the bench strength of its management team and enable the implementation of its initiatives to drive growth at above market rates in 2009-2011.
In addition to Mr. Sachdev, Sigma-Aldrich also announced other promotions to and organization changes in its current management team that are effective January 1, 2009: 1) Karen Miller, currently the Controller, will be promoted to the newly created position of Vice President-Strategy & Corporate Development and will report to Jai Nagarkatti; 2) Dave Julien, previously President-Research Specialties, will take on the newly created role of President-Supply Chain to accelerate the development of the Company's global integrated supply chain; 3) Frank Wicks, currently President-SAFC will assume the role of President-Research Specialties & Research Essentials. Under his leadership both units will continue to respond to the needs of their unique customer segments and will also accelerate internal synergies in marketing, business development and support services for these business units; 4) Gilles Cottier, currently President-Research Essentials, will become President-SAFC; and 5) Carl Turza, Chief Information Officer, will take on added responsibilities for Internet based initiatives to maintain our market-leading position on the web and accelerate new e-commerce opportunities. He will report directly to the CEO.
KING TO BECOME CEO OF AFFYMETRIX
October 22, 2008 – Affymetrix Inc. announced that Stephen P.A. Fodor, Ph.D., founder, chairman and CEO, will begin to transfer his CEO responsibilities to Kevin M. King, president of Affymetrix. Assuming the new role of full-time executive chairman, Dr. Fodor will identify and advance new platform technologies and explore new market opportunities for the company. Mr. King will become CEO and a member of the Board of Directors on January 1, 2009.
ALSSA ELECTS ART CAPUTO
October 6, 2008 – ALSSA (Analytical & Life Science Systems Association) members elected Art Caputo, President of Waters, to serve another year as Chairman of ALSSA at the association’s Annual Business Meeting on October 6. Mr. Caputo has served as ALSSA Chairman since April 2007. His election to a second year followed the approval of an amendment to ALSSA’s bylaws extended officer terms from one year to two years.
ALSSA members also elected Greg Herrema, President of the Analytical Instruments Group and Scientific Instruments Division of Thermo Fisher Scientific to a one year term as Vice Chairman/Chair-Elect. Afterwards, Mr. Herrema will be nominated to succeed Mr. Caputo as ALSSA Chairman for a two-year term.
In addition, five new members were elected to the ALSSA Board of Directors:
- Michael J. Collins, President & CEO of CEM Corporation;
- Susan A. Evans, Vice President & GM of Agencourt Bioscience Corporation;
- Lon Justice, Vice President & General Manager, LS&CA, of Agilent Technologies;
- Joseph D. Keegan, President & CEO of ForteBio; and
- Frank Laukien, President & CEO of Bruker Corporation.
Ten directors were re-elected including:
- Briar Alpert, President of BioTek Instruments, Inc.;
- Thomas Bachmann, Chief Executive Officer of TECAN Group, Ltd.;
- Mark A. Beck, Vice President & General Manager of Corning Life Sciences;
- Andrew W. Boorn, President of MDS Analytical Technologies;
- Jay Flatley, President & CEO of llumina, Inc.;
- Robert F. Friel, President & CEO, PerkinElmer, Inc.;
- William A. Linton, Chairman & CEO of Promega Corporation;
- Peer Schatz, Chief Executive Officer of QIAGEN GmbH;
- Lonnie Shoff, Senior Vice President, Applied Science, of Roche Diagnostics Corporation; and
- Frank Witney, President & CEO of Panomics, Inc.
BIOTAGE SELLS BIOSYSTEMS BUSINESS TO QIAGEN
October 1, 2008 – QIAGEN N.V. announced that it has acquired all assets related to the Biosystems business from Biotage AB, a publicly listed developer, manufacturer and distributor of products for genetic analysis and medicinal chemistry headquartered in Uppsala, Sweden. The transaction is valued at approximately US$53 million in cash (subject to certain customary purchase price adjustments) and performance milestone payments of up to approximately US$7 million over the next four years.
The Biosystems unit of Biotage is best known for having pioneered Pyrosequencing®, which has become a fundamental technology in next-generation sequencing. Pyrosequencing is a patented assay technology that in special formats can achieve significantly longer runs and can be employed in a massively parallel design to address the needs for applications such as high volume data generation in whole genome sequencing applications. In its widely used standard format this technology provides the opportunity to read DNA-sequences up to 100 base pairs in real time and at a price per read in the single dollar range.
Under the terms of the agreement, QIAGEN has acquired all assets related to the Biosystems business for the consideration described above. This consideration includes also the purchase of the remaining 17.5% of the outstanding stock of Corbett Life Science Ltd. QIAGEN will assume all employees related to the Biosystems business. Biotage will also in accordance with a separate "transfer service agreement" provide certain administrative services to QIAGEN for the next twelve months.
GE HEALTHCARE ACQUIRES MICROCAL
September 30, 2008 – GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company announced it has acquired MicroCal LLC, a provider of innovative instruments for the study of molecular interactions in pharmaceutical, biomedical and life science research. The acquisition of MicroCal will allow GE Healthcare to expand its offering of technologies for the rapidly growing areas of protein science and drug discovery research. Financial terms were not disclosed.
MicroCal develops and manufactures microcalorimeters that provide detailed information on the structure, function and binding properties of a wide range of biomolecules such as proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and antibodies. The growing trend towards structure-based drug design together with the expansion in biopharmaceutical development is driving an increase in the use of microcalorimetry as a standard technique in pharmaceutical research.
MicroCal was majority owned by private equity firm Riverside Partners, which invested in the company in 1999.
HELICOS NAMES LOMBARDI AS CEO
August 19, 2008 – Helicos BioSciences announced that its board of directors has appointed Steve Lombardi as the company's chief executive officer effective immediately. Lombardi succeeds Stan Lapidus who will continue as chairman of the board of Helicos. Lombardi, who will retain the position of president, has served as president and chief operating officer of the company since October 2007.
Lombardi has almost 30 years of commercial biotechnology experience as a scientist and in business management. Lombardi joined Helicos in June 2006 as senior vice president of sales and marketing. He was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer and subsequently was named president and chief operating officer in October 2007. During the 1990's, Lombardi was vice president of Applied Biosystems' DNA sequencing and genetic analysis business unit, which created products that became the standard for the worldwide Human Genome Project. Prior to Helicos, Steve spent four years as a senior vice president at Affymetrix, serving in executive positions for corporate development and various commercial roles.
ALSSA PROGRAM TO EXPLORE PERSONALIZED MEDICINE AND ENERGY MARKETS
August 13, 2008 – Two important user markets – personalized medicine and petroleum and alternative/clean energy – will be the focus of ALSSA’s Fall’s Senior Management Conference. This year’s Conference, ALSSA’s annual meeting for presidents, GMs and senior executives, will be held on October 5-7 in San Francisco, California.
Continuing the format of the highly successful Spring Meeting, we will again offer a two-track program.
- One track will examine recent developments and the strategic outlook for personalized medicine.
- The second track will assess the outlook for the petroleum industry, the implications of rising oil prices, and the emergence of alternative and clean energy technologies.
A diverse group of speakers will provide strategic insights on how these markets are likely to evolve, the challenges they face and their needs for analytical and life science products and technologies.
Tuesday morning’s joint session will feature two speakers:
- Robert Hormats, Vice Chair of Goldman Sachs International, will assess the macroeconomic outlook and the implications for the global markets with a special emphasis on what’s happening in the global energy and financial markets and the implications of high energy prices and the worsening credit crunch for the global economy.
- Over the past several years, Intel Corporation has taken a leadership role in promoting environmental responsibility and becoming a “green” company. One of their executives will explain Intel’s strategy, what they see as the benefits and challenges of being a “green” company, how Intel has implemented “green” in its global operations, customers’ reactions and their expectations of suppliers doing business with Intel.
Confirmed speakers include:
ILLUMINA APPOINTS RONAGHI AND PENTONEY
August 4, 2008 -- Illumina, Inc. announced the appointment of Dr. Mostafa Ronaghi as Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. Dr. Ronaghi joined Illumina following the Company's recent acquisition of Avantome, Inc., which closed on August 1, 2008. Among his other duties, Dr. Ronaghi will be responsible for leading the technology development effort at Illumina including the Avantome technology, which is a low-cost, long-read-length sequencing technique that complements Illumina's current sequencing technologies.
Dr. Ronaghi is an experienced entrepreneur with Avantome being his fourth life sciences start-up company. In 1997, he co-founded Pyrosequencing AB, which was later renamed to Biotage AB in 2003, and led the company to a successful initial public offering in June 2000 on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. In 2001, Dr. Ronaghi co-founded ParAllele Bioscience. ParAllele, which was eventually acquired by Affymetrix, Inc., was involved in the development and commercialization of highly multiplexed technology for genetic testing and was later acquired by Affymetrix. In 2005, Dr. Ronaghi co-founded NextBio, a search engine for life science data.
Previously, on July 21, 2008 Illumina announced the appointment of Stephen Pentoney as Vice President of Array Biochemistry reporting to Joel McComb, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Illumina's Life Sciences Business Unit. In Stephen's new role, he is responsible for leading Illumina's assay and application development efforts. Prior to joining Illumina, Stephen held multiple positions at Beckman Coulter including his most recent role as Director of Technology Management for the Molecular Diagnostics Business Center.
THERMO FISHER ACQUIRES AFFINITY
July 17, 2008 – Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. announced that it has acquired Affinity BioReagents, a leading provider of antibodies, peptides, proteins and other reagents for life science research, based in Golden, Colorado.
Affinity BioReagents has an offering of more than 35,000 reagents - primarily monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies - which are used in numerous fields of medical and academic research, as well as drug discovery. The company also provides recombinant proteins and custom antibody-production services. Affinity BioReagents had annual revenues of approximately $6 million in 2007, and will be integrated into Thermo Fisher's Analytical Technologies Segment.
APPLERA IS NOW APPLIED BIOSYSTEMS INC.
July 1, 2008 – Applera Corporation announced that the name of the company has been changed to Applied Biosystems Inc. to reflect the remaining business of the company following the separation of its Celera business. Effective on July 1, Celera Corporation (NASDAQ: CRA) is an independent publicly traded company that holds the businesses, assets and liabilities previously attributed to the Celera Group. With the separation of Celera, Applera will no longer operate under its former tracking stock structure. Applied Biosystems stock will continue to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “ABI.”
On June 12, 2008, Applera Corporation and Invitrogen Corporation (NASDAQ: IVGN) announced that their Boards of Directors had approved a definitive merger agreement under which Invitrogen will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Applied Biosystems stock. The merger is subject to customary closing conditions and is targeted to close in the fall of 2008. Following the close of the merger, the combined organization will be named Applied Biosystems.
QIAGEN ACQUIRES CORBETT LIFE SCIENCE
July 1, 2008 – QIAGEN N.V. announced that it has acquired Corbett Life Science Pty. Ltd. (Corbett), a privately-held developer, manufacturer, and distributor of life sciences instrumentation headquartered in Sydney, Australia. The transaction is valued at approximately US$66 million in cash (subject to certain customary purchase price adjustments), US$4 million in restricted QIAGEN common stock and performance and development milestone payments and other contingencies of up to approximately US$65 million over the next four years.
Corbett is best known for having developed the world's first rotary real-time PCR cycler system - the Rotor-GeneTM - a system used to detect real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) reactions which make specific sequences of DNA and RNA targets visible through amplification and quantifiable through real-time measurement of such amplification. The addition of this proprietary PCR detection technology extends QIAGEN's molecular testing solution portfolio and enhances QIAGEN's options to offer sample and assay technology solutions spanning from sample to result.
Under the terms of the agreement, QIAGEN has acquired the entire outstanding stock of Corbett for the consideration described above. This consideration includes the purchase of 82.5% of the outstanding stock of Corbett as well as the exercise of an exclusive purchase option for the remaining 17.5% of the outstanding stock of Corbett.
MDS ACQUIRES BLUESHIFT
June 27, 2008 – MDS Analytical Technologies, a leader in innovative solutions for drug discovery and life sciences research, announced it has acquired California-based Blueshift Biotechnologies (Sunnyvale, CA) for $13 million. The acquisition of Blueshift Biotechnologies, a developer of screening platforms for life sciences research and maker of the IsoCyte™ benchtop laser scanning cytometer, expands MDS Analytical Technologies’ capabilities in cellular analysis, and further strengthens the company’s global sales and service offering.
MILLIPORE NAMES DIVINCENZO
June 12, 2008 – Millipore Corporation announced that Jon DiVincenzo has been appointed to succeed Dominique Baly as the President of its Bioscience Division. Mr. DiVincenzo, currently the Vice President, Global Sales and Service, for Millipore’s Bioscience Division, will assume his new role on January 1, 2009, and Mr. Baly will support this transition through the remainder of 2008.
Mr. DiVincenzo joined Millipore in 1994. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University. Among his many accomplishments, Mr. DiVincenzo most recently spearheaded the integration and redeployment of the global sales and service teams as part of Millipore’s transformational growth.
INVITROGEN AND APPLIED BIOSYSTEMS TO COMBINE
June 12, 2008 – Invitrogen Corporation and Applera Corporation today announced that their Boards of Directors have approved a definitive merger agreement, under which Invitrogen will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Applera's Applied Biosystems Group in a cash and stock transaction valued at $6.7 billion.
According to the press release, this strategic combination will create a global leader in biotechnology reagents and systems generating approximately $3.5 billion in combined sales, with significant commercial, operational and technical scale, uniquely positioned to accelerate and drive new discoveries and commercial applications. The combined company will have a major presence in key growth markets and exceptional technical capabilities in the areas of genetic analysis, proteomics, cell biology and cell systems. Following the close of the transaction, the combined organization will be named Applied Biosystems, Inc. and will have its corporate headquarters in Carlsbad, California.
Following the closing of the transaction, the Board of Directors of the new company will be composed of the nine current Invitrogen Board members and three additional members from the current Applera Board. Gregory T. Lucier will be Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the combined company, and Mark P. Stevenson will become President and Chief Operating Officer.
BATTLES NAMED INTERIM CFO AT PERKINELMER
May 19, 2008 – PerkinElmer, Inc. announced that Michael L. Battles, the Company's vice president and controller, will lead the finance function on an interim basis, reporting directly to president and CEO, Robert F. Friel. PerkinElmer's current chief financial officer, Jeffrey D. Capello, is resigning to pursue another opportunity outside the Company effective June 6, 2008.
Since Battles joined PerkinElmer in 2001 as controller for the Analytical Instruments business, he has held positions of increasing importance and responsibility. Prior to joining PerkinElmer, Battles held several positions at Deloitte & Touche LLP during his eleven year tenure there.
THERMOFISHER APPOINTS CASPER AS COO
May 16, 2008 – Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. announced that Marc N. Casper has been named to the newly created position of chief operating officer, effective immediately, reporting to Marijn E. Dekkers, president and CEO. Casper previously served as president of Thermo Fisher's Analytical Technologies businesses following the merger of Thermo Electron and Fisher Scientific in November 2006.
Casper joined the company in December 2001 as president of its Life and Laboratory Sciences Sector. Prior to this, Casper served as president, CEO and a director of Kendro Laboratory Products. Before Kendro, he was president-Americas for Dade Behring Inc. Casper began his career at Bain & Company as a strategy consultant and later joined Bain Capital, where he oversaw business development, strategy and business integration in select companies owned by Bain. Casper earned an MBA with high distinction from the Harvard Business School.
Thermo also announced the appointment of Greg Herrema as president of the Analytical Instruments Group. Mr. Herrema is a member of the ALSSA Board of Directors.
APPLERA TO SEPARATE CELERA BUSINESS GROUP
May 9, 2008 -- Applera Corporation announced that its board of directors has formally approved the proposed separation of the Celera Group from Applera's remaining businesses. The separation will be accomplished by means of a redemption of all of the outstanding shares of Applera Corporation - Celera Group tracking stock. In the redemption, each outstanding share of Celera Group tracking stock will be redeemed in exchange for one share of common stock of Celera Corporation, presently a wholly owned subsidiary of Applera. Upon completion of the separation, Celera Corporation will hold all of the businesses, assets and liabilities attributed to the Celera Group, and will be an independent, publicly traded company whose shares are expected to be listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market. The Celera Corporation shares distributed in the redemption of the Celera Group tracking stock will constitute all of Celera Corporation’s outstanding common stock.
The separation is expected to be completed at 12:01 a.m. ET, on July 1, 2008, subject to a number of conditions.
Kathy Ordoñez, currently President of the Celera Group, will serve as Celera’s Chief Executive Officer, and the company’s corporate headquarters will be based in Alameda, California. Applera Corporation-Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI) common stock would continue to be traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
ILLUMINAAPPOINTS MCCOMB AND HEATH
March 17, 2008 – Illumina, Inc. today announcedthe appointment of Joel McComb
as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Company's Life SciencesBusiness Unit and Gregory F. Heath, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President and
General Manager of the Company's Diagnostics Business Unit.
Joel McComb joins Illumina from GE Healthcare where heheld a number of executive positions including his mostrecent position as President of the Interventional MedicineBusiness. Prior to this role, Joel was President of LifeSciences Discovery Systems, a $600 million division ofGE Healthcare. This business unit was formed after GE acquiredAmersham Biosciences, and markets molecular biology, genomics,proteomic, and cellular imaging products.
In his new position as Illumina's General Manager of LifeSciences, Joel is responsible for managing all productsand services related to the research market, namely theBeadArray(TM), BeadXpress(R), and Sequencing product lines.
Gregory F. Heath brings with him more than 20 years ofDiagnostics experience, including launching the world'sfirst FDA-approved microarray for diagnostic use. He joins Illumina from Roche Molecular Systems where heheld a number of senior executive positions, includingHead of Clinical Genomics, Senior Vice President of Global Product Marketing, Senior Vice President of GlobalMarketing and Business Development, and most recently,Senior Vice President of Global Business.
In his new position as General Manager of Diagnostics,Greg is responsible for managing Illumina's emerging diagnostics business,specifically overseeing the development of diagnostic content for the BeadXpresssystem, and ultimately
for Illumina's Sequencing products.
BIOTROVE AND FLUIDIGM FILE FOR IPOS
April 14, 2008 – Fluidigm Corporation announced today that it has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to the proposed initial public offering of shares of its common stock. Copies of the Fluidigm Corporation S-1 Registration Statement can be accessed over the Internet through the SEC's Web site at www.sec.gov. All shares of the common stock to be sold in this offering are proposed to be sold by Fluidigm Corporation.
Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated is acting as book-running manager, with UBS Investment Bank and Leerink Swann & Company acting as co-managers. The number of shares to be offered and the price range have not yet been determined.
Previously, on April 1, BioTrove, Inc. announced that it has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of its common stock. Piper Jaffray & Co. and Lazard Capital Markets are acting as joint book-running managers and Robert W. Baird & Co. is acting as co-manager.
A copy of the written prospectus relating to these securities, when available, may be obtained by contacting either: Beth Davidge, prospectus@pjc.com, Attention: Prospectus Department, 800 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, MN 55402; or Lazard Capital Markets, Attention: Syndicate Department, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020 (212) 632-6717.
BRUKER BIOSCIENCES TO CHANGE NAME
February 25, 2008 – After the Company's Special StockholdersMeeting held this morning in Boston, Bruker BioSciencesCorporation announced that its stockholders have approvedthe acquisition of the companies comprising the Bruker
BioSpin Group.
All proposals were approved with overwhelming majoritiesby the Bruker BioSciences stockholders. In particular, thethree proposals for the acquisition of the Bruker BioSpinGroup companies were each approved by a majority of greaterthan 99% of the BRKR shareholders not affiliated with the
controlling shareholders of BRKR and who voted at the meeting.
In addition, stockholders approved amendments to the Company'scertificate of incorporation to change the name of the Company
to 'Bruker Corporation'.
SIGMA-ALDRICH NAMES BASTIAN AS VP
February 19, 2008 – Sigma-Aldrich announced that Helge Bastian, Ph.D, has joined Sigma-Aldrich as Vice President of Global Marketing for the Research Biotech business unit. Dr. Bastian has more than 15 years of international leadership experience in the molecular biology and diagnostics, biotechnology, drug development and pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
Dr. Bastian previously served as executive vice president of the Life Science Services business unit at SGS, a leading inspection, verification and certification company, and member of the senior executive management team in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition, Dr. Bastian held various management positions at QIAGEN for more than 11 years, including Vice President of Molecular Diagnostics, Vice President of Global Strategic Marketing and Vice President of PreAnalytiX.
ROCHE COMPLETES TENDER OFFER FOR VENTANA
February 19, 2008 – Roche and Ventana Medical Systems Inc.announced that Roche has completed the tender offer forthe outstanding shares of Ventana. As of the expirationof the subsequent offering period, Rocket Acquisition Corporation,a wholly-owned subsidiary of Roche, had purchased a totalof approximately 34,545,323 shares of Ventana common stock,representing approximately 93.7% of Ventana’s outstandingshares. All shares validly tendered in the offer have beenaccepted for payment, and the consideration for all such
shares either has been paid or will promptly be paid.
Roche expects to complete the acquisition of Ventana todaythrough a short-form merger, without a vote or meeting ofVentana’s shareholders. In the merger, all of theshares of Ventana not owned by Roche and its subsidiaries(other than shares as to which appraisal rights are validlyexercised) will be converted into the right to receive thesame cash consideration that was paid in the tender offer.Following the merger, Ventana’s common stock will
cease to be traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.
GE HEALTHCARE TO ACQUIRE WHATMAN
February 4, 2008 – GE Healthcare and Whatman plc announcedthat they have reached agreement on the terms of a recommendedacquisition of Whatman by GE Healthcare. Under the termsof the transaction, each Whatman shareholder will receive270 pence in cash for each Whatman share, valuing Whatmanat approximately £363 million (approximately $713 million.)The transaction is subject to approval by Whatman’s
shareholders as well as customary regulatory approvals.
Whatman has a broad product offering of filters and membranesfor laboratory, research, life sciences and medical technologyapplications. GE Healthcare’s Life Sciences businessis a world class provider of technologies for cellular andprotein science research, and tools used in the manufactureof biopharmaceuticals such as vaccines, cell therapies andantibodies. The strong strategic fit between the two businesseswill offer substantial customer benefits and create significant
synergies through complementary product and service offerings.
Peter Ehrenheim, President and CEO of GE Healthcare’sLife Sciences business, said, “Whatman’s expertiseand reputation in filtration technologies and sample preparationis a great fit for our Life Sciences business because itbrings new technologies that are fundamental to helpingresearchers increase their understanding of the role ofgenes and proteins in disease. We believe that combiningthe skills of the two companies will enable GE Healthcareto create strong added value for customers in biomedical
and drug discovery research.”
AFFYMETRIXCOMPLETES USB ACQUISITION
January 31, 2008 – Affymetrix Inc. announced the completionof its acquisition of USB Corporation, a privately heldCleveland, Ohio-based company that develops, manufacturesand markets an extensive line of molecular biology and biochemicalreagent products. In connection with the completion of theacquisition, USB stockholders received approximately $75
million in cash.
PERKINELMER ELECTS FRIEL
January 23, 2008 – PerkinElmer, Inc. announced that RobertF. Friel has been elected Chief Executive Officer by theCompany's Board of Directors effective February 1, 2008.
Mr. Friel will also retain the title of President.
Gregory L. Summe will continue in the role of ExecutiveChairman of the Board, and remain as such through the AnnualShareholders meeting in April 2009. The announcement isconsistent with the Company's leadership succession plan
announced in July 2007.
Friel, who serves on the ALSSA Board of Directors, joinedPerkinElmer in 1999 as Chief Financial Officer, and wasappointed Vice Chairman and President of its Life and AnalyticalSciences business in 2006. In 2007, Friel was appointed
President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company.
LUMINEX JOINS ALSSA
January 22, 2008 – Luminex Corporation, based in Austin, Texas, hasjoined ALSSA. Incorporated in May 1995, Luminex Corporation develops, manufacturesand markets innovative biological testing technologies with applicationsthroughout the life science and diagnostic industries. The company’sopen-architecture xMAP® technology enables large numbers of biologicaltests (bioassays) to be conducted and analyzed quickly, cost-effectively
and accurately.
Russell Bradley, Vice President of Strategic Planning andBusiness Development, will be the official representativeto ALSSA, and Gregory J. Gosch, Vice President of Sales & Marketing,will be the alternate representative. For more information,
please consult their web site at www.luminexcorp.com.
MALVERNBUYS VISCOTEK
January 17, 2008 – Materials characterization companyMalvern Instruments has acquired Viscotek Corporation,a leading provider of chromatography solutions for thecharacterization of natural and synthetic polymers andproteins. Malvern supplies systems for the characterizationof particulate materials, providing complete applicationsolutions across a broad range of industries. The acquisitionof Viscotek brings new and complementary technologiesand expertise into the company, adding Gel PermeationChromatography (GPC), Flow Injection Polymer Analysis(FIPA) and Dilute SolutionViscosity (DSV), and extending the range of characterization
solutions offered.
Viscotek’s present management team will continueto lead the business, which will operate as Viscotek Corporation,
a Malvern Company.
INVITROGENTO AQUIRE CELLZDIRECT
January 10, 2008 – Invitrogen Corporation announcedit has entered into a definitive agreement to purchaseprivately-held CellzDirect, Inc., based in Research TrianglePark, North Carolina, in a cash transaction for approximately$57 million. The acquisition is expected to close in the
first quarter.
CellzDirect provides hepatocyte-based cell products andrelated services used in the testing of new drugs. CellzDirect’sproducts are mainly used by pharmaceutical and biotech companiesin research and development. Primary hepatocytes are alsoused in biomedical research to study liver diseases and
to understand downstream implications of cellular function.
SYMYX TECHNOLOGIES AND ALPHA INNOTECHJOIN ALSSA
January 7, 2008 – Symyx Technologies, Inc. and Alpha Innotech Corporation
are the two latest companies to submit applications for membership in ALSSA.
Symyx Technologies is located in Sunnyvale, California.Their Tools Division produces software, integrated workflowsolutions and research services aimed at accelerating R&D success. Gerard A. Abraham, President ofthe Symyx Tools Division, will be the official representative to ALSSA.
For more information, consult their web site at www.symyx.com.
Alpha Innotech Corporation is located in San Leandro, California.Founded in 1992, the company manufactures and markets digitalimaging and detection systems for the life science researchand drug discovery markets. Ron Bissinger, CEO, will bethe official representative to ALSSA, and Sia Ghazvini,Vice President of Marketing & Business Development, will be the alternate
representative. For more information, consult their web site at www.alphainnotech.com.
ILLUMINAREORGANIZATION
January 4, 2008 – Illumina, Inc. announced that ithas reorganized its operating structure to further leveragethe synergies between its sequencing and genotyping businesses.Under the new structure, a newly created Life Sciences BusinessUnit will include all products and services related to theresearch market namely the BeadArray, BeadXpress and Sequencingproduct lines. The Company has also created a DiagnosticsBusiness Unit to put more focus on the emerging opportunityin molecular diagnostics. The Diagnostics Business Unitwill develop diagnostic content for the BeadXpress system,
and ultimately for Illumina's Sequencing products.
Effective immediately, Christian Henry, Senior Vice Presidentand Chief Financial Officer will take on the role of ActingGeneral Manager of the Sequencing business. The companyalso announced that it has hired a Senior Vice Presidentand General Manager, Life Sciences who will be responsiblefor managing the newly created Life Sciences Business Unit,and that has hired a Senior Vice President and General Manager,
Diagnostics.
Further, Illumina announced that it has initiated searchesfor a Senior Vice President Product Development and a SeniorVice President of Operations, with both reporting to the
General Manager, Life Sciences.
THERMOPURCHASES LA-PHA-PACK
December 20, 2007 – Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.announced it has acquired La-Pha-Pack, a leading manufacturerand provider of chromatography consumables and related accessories,based in Langerwehe, Germany. With revenues of approximately$25 million, La-Pha-Pack will allow Thermo Fisher to offercustomers an expanded line of chromatography consumable
products through broad geographic coverage in Europe.
La-Pha-Pack will be integrated into Thermo Fisher Scientific'slaboratory consumables business, which is part of its LaboratoryProducts and Services Segment. For more information, visit
http://www.la-pha-pack.com.
PERKINELMERBUYS METABOLIC SCREENING BUSINESS
December 19, 2007 – PerkinElmer, Inc. announced thesigning of a definitive agreement with Pediatrix MedicalGroup, Inc. under which PerkinElmer will acquire the newbornmetabolic screening business of Pediatrix in a cash transaction.
The acquisition is expected to close during the first quarter.
Under the terms of the agreement, PerkinElmer will acquirePediatrix's metabolic screening laboratory and its StepOne(R)newborn screening product that is capable of analyzing morethan 50 inherited disorders in newborns. Currently, Pediatrix'sscreening laboratory provides neonatal screening and consultativeservices to hospitals, medical groups, and the states ofMaryland, Mississippi, Louisiana, Nebraska and Pennsylvania,as well as the District of Columbia. Since its foundingin 1994, the laboratory has screened more than three millionbabies, and is anticipated to generate revenues of approximately
$15 million in 2007.
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