SANTA BARBARA, Calif. & BERGISCH GLADBACH, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Miltenyi Biotec announced today that it has completed acquisition of Owl biomedical, Inc., an emerging company developing and commercializing microchip-based cell sorting systems using fully-closed disposable cartridges in an easy-to-use format. The acquisition underscores Miltenyi’s commitment to bringing comprehensive solutions to the research and clinical cell therapy markets. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“We are very pleased and proud to join Miltenyi Biotec, a proven leader in the development of research and cell therapy solutions,” said Dr. John Foster, president of Owl biomedical. “This acquisition combines Owl’s innovative microchip-based, high-speed cell sorting technology and intellectual property with Miltenyi Biotec’s strength in commercial design, manufacturing and marketing. This combination provides assurance that our technology will get to market in a timely manner with the highest quality engineering.”
Owl biomedical was founded in 2011 to develop and commercialize novel microchip-based cell sorting technology. The first product, The Nanosorter®, uses a closed fluid path cartridge that allows for “plug and play” cell sorting that avoids issues associated with traditional cell sorters. At the heart of the cartridge is a patented silicon microchip capable of extraordinarily high-frequency fluidic valving. The microchip is produced using high-performance semiconductor manufacturing technology which offers advantages in precision, production volume scalability and unprecedented overall performance in a cost effective manner. A major advancement of this approach is its capability to process samples from small to very large in an efficient and extremely gentle manner in a clean environment that is isolated from the laboratory setting.
“We immediately recognized the intrinsic value of Owl’s microchip-based technology for cell processing and its complement to our existing cell enrichment product portfolio,” said Stefan Miltenyi, founder and president, Miltenyi Biotec. “Miltenyi Biotec is committed to ensuring that our customers have access to such cutting-edge technologies to conduct cellular research and to translate their discoveries into important new cellular therapies.”
Miltenyi Biotec will announce more details around its plans to launch a cell purification platform employing the Owl biomedical capabilities before the end of 2013.
About Owl biomedical, Inc.
Owl biomedical is an emerging company developing and commercializing a high-speed, microchip-based cell sorting platform, the Nanosorter®, for simple and flexible cell purification. Cells purified using Owl technology can be employed for a wide variety of commercial applications, including: adoptive immunotherapy for treatment of cancer, stem cell therapies for regenerative medicine, cell-based cancer diagnostics and selected other applications. The patented Nanosorter® platform uniquely combines mechanically-enabled microchips containing the world’s fastest microvalve with the well-proven principles of flow cytometry for sorting of cells. The Nanosorter® is a simple, customizable, disposable cartridge-based sorting system that ensures rapid processing of large numbers of cells safely without aerosols and in a simple, readily deployable system. Owl biomedical was founded in 2011 and is based in Santa Barbara, California.
About Miltenyi Biotec
Miltenyi Biotec is a global provider of products and services that advance biomedical research. From research tools to GMP reagents, Miltenyi is making the promise of cell therapy a reality. The company’s integrated portfolio of tools supports the translation of basic research into practical applications for human health. Scientists and clinicians around the world use Miltenyi-enabling technologies for effective sample preparation, cell isolation, flow cytometry, cell culture, molecular analysis and preclinical imaging. The MACS® brand has set standards in the industry and is trusted across basic, translational and clinical research settings. The company also offers comprehensive technical support and training through its MACS® Academy. Miltenyi Biotec has 1,400 employees in 22 countries.
