Labcyte Joins
Forces with Picoliter
Sunnyvale, CA, and Union City, CA, November
4, 2003--Picoliter Inc. and
Labcyte, LLC announced today that they have merged into a new Delaware
corporation, Labcyte Inc. Picoliter
Inc. is based on new technology for using focused acoustics (ultrasound) to
transfer nanoliter and picoliter volumes of fluids for life science
applications. Labcyte LLC provides
plastic labware and automated systems for moving microwell plates and
dispensing liquids.
Picoliter is developing a new system, the Echo 550 compound
reformatter, which precisely transfers low nanoliter quantities of liquid
between microwell plates. This system
transfers compound libraries for testing in high throughput screening, a
critical step in drug discovery. The
Echo 550 enables implementation of lower volume assays without the use of
disposable tips or washing. Savings are
realized from lower reagent usage, less waste and no tips.
Labcyte LLC products provide life science researchers the ability to rapidly
move and fill microwell plates, which are the containers used in the new Echo
550 compound reformatter. Consequently, the combined company is able to offer a
variety of systems for plate handling and filling over a wide range of volumes. The company has decided to use the name
Labcyte Inc. for the merged company as this name is recognized by Labcyte LLC’s
existing customers and is more indicative of the broader scope of the new
corporation.
“Labcyte
instruments are known for ‘concentrated functionality’ as their designs pack an
exceptional amount of capability into a small footprint, conserving precious
bench space. This merger allows the
combined company to provide our customers with more complete solutions and to
expand our sales and support organization more quickly,” said Elaine J. Heron,
Ph. D., Chief Executive Officer of Picoliter Inc.
“The patent-protected Picoliter technology is a perfect
complement to our extensive line of labware and proven systems for plate
handling and liquid dispensing.
Together we can offer customers a wide range of reliable solutions for
high throughput screening, genomics and proteomics,” said A. Mark Bramwell,
President of Labcyte LLC.
Dr. Heron will serve as the new company’s Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Bramwell will join the company’s board of
directors and will take the position of Vice President, Corporate
Development. In this capacity he will
be responsible for establishing external collaborations to expand the company
into new areas and for licensing the company’s technology.
Labcyte also announced that its seventh U.S. patent 6,642,061 entitled “Use of
Immiscible Fluids in Droplet Ejection Through Application of Focused Acoustic
Energy” was
issued today. This technology has
applications in the use of multiple layer droplets for miniaturized arrayed
assays.
Labcyte Inc. is a privately held
company headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. The company provides a broad range of systems for liquid handling
and microwell plate processing as well as an extensive line of plastic
consumables for use on its own instruments and those from other
manufacturers. The 100 nanoliter to 300
microliter liquid transfer range is covered by a collection of instruments
known for their small footprint and ease of conversion among formats. For
transfers below 100 nanoliters, Labcyte is developing the acoustic droplet
ejection (ADE) technology with broad applications in the life science including
dispensing equipment, assay systems, particle manufacturing, microarrays, and
living cell transfer devices. The
company’s initial ADE-based product, the Echo 550, is a system for precisely
transferring low nanoliter volumes of potential drug compounds into assay
plates. Labcyte has 7 issued U. S.
patents assigned to Picoliter Inc. and 30 applications pending with the USPTO
as well as additional international filings.
To lean more about Labcyte Inc.,
please visit our new website, www.labcyte.com.
Contact information:
Elaine J. Heron, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Labcyte Inc.
1190 Borregas Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
(408) 747-2000 x 108
(408) 747-2009 (FAX)
www.labcyte.com