Micralyne and MDS Sciex ink microfluidics R&D agreement
In the agreement, Micralyne will both license existing microfluidic technology and develop new technology for use in frontal affinity chromatography, a very high throughput protein analysis technique currently being developed by MDS Sciex.
Frontal affinity chromatography allows rapid and precise characterization of mixtures of proteins, and allows the proteins to be screened for their affinity to potential drug candidates. Micralyne's microfluidic technology enables miniaturization and parallelization of biochemical analysis. The two technologies together have the potential to enable rapid, inexpensive, and accurate identification of new drug candidates.
"We are very excited about strengthening our business relationship with a leader in the mass spectrometry field like MDS Sciex," said Chris Lumb, CEO of Micralyne. "This collaboration enables microfluidic technology to contribute to the creation of valuable new instrumentation and possibly to new pharmaceuticals."
Bill Davidson, vice-president of science and technology at MDS Sciex, echoed Lumb's enthusiasm, saying, "We consider microfluidics to be an important new technology that has the potential to be a major contributor to biotechnology. Micralyne has long been a leader as a microfluidics developer and manufacturer, and we expect this relationship to lead to important new products for MDS Sciex."
About Micralyne
Micralyne, a growing, profitable, private company, uses micromachining technology to produce miniaturized components that enable radical improvements in telecommunications and bioanalysis instrumentation. Micralyne has manufacturing and development partnerships with a number of major instrument companies, and also sells its own micromachined products. During the last 15 years Micralyne has developed into one of North America's leading commercial micromachining companies, and employs 65 people in Edmonton, Alberta.
About MDS Sciex
MDS Sciex is the analytical instrumentation division of MDS Inc., an international health and life sciences company. MDS Sciex was acquired by MDS Inc. in 1981. Founded in 1974, MDS Sciex is a global leader in the research, development and production of mass spectrometers that enhance the quality of life for people around the world. In partnership with Applied Biosystems Inc. and PerkinElmer Inc., MDS Sciex exports its products to more than 60 countries. MDS Sciex technology plays a key role in the creation of new pharmaceuticals, diagnosis of disease, environmental protection, testing procedures for water and soil contamination, screening for impurities during manufacture of computer microchips, metal alloys and chemical and industrial products. MDS Sciex employs more than 400 highly skilled people at its state-of-the-art facility just north of Toronto, Ontario.
About MDS Inc.
MDS Inc. is an international health and life sciences company focused on fighting disease. Its products and services include: laboratory testing, imaging agents for nuclear medicine testing, sterilization systems for medical and consumer products, research and clinical development services to speed discovery and development of new drugs, therapy systems for planning and delivery of cancer treatment, analytical instruments to assist in the development of new drugs, and medical/surgical supplies. Detailed information about the company is available at the MDS Web site at www.mdsintl.com or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day.
For more information: Chris Lumb, President and CEO, Micralyne Inc., 1911 - 94 St., Edmonton, AB, Canada T6N 1E6. Tel: 780-431-4400. Or contact: Theresa Patterson, Manager, Communications, MDS Sciex, 71 Four Valley Dr., Concord, ON, Canada L4K 4V8M. Tel: 905-660-9006, ext. 437. Email: pattern@sciex.com.
Source: Micralyne Inc.