NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Nanoparticle characterization company NanoSight today announced it has been acquired by Malvern Instruments for an undisclosed amount.
The deal was completed on Sept. 27.
UK-based NanoSight has developed a technology dubbed Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, or NTA, and said that its instruments and software enable the rapid and simultaneous multiparameter analysis and characterization of different nanoscale particles.
"With their ability to analyze particle size, concentration, zeta potential, and aggregation, NanoSight systems are closely aligned with Malvern's market-leading Zetasizer range, extending Malvern's solutions for those working at the nanoscale," NanoSight said.
The largest application area for its technology is in the life sciences, specifically in measuring exosomes. The company said that NTA provides "quantitative detection and characterization capabilities to make exosomes a viable proposition as biomarkers for drug discovery, disease prognosis, diagnosis, and monitoring as well as personalized medicine."
NanoSight posted £5.7 million ($9.2 million) in revenues in 2012, according to Malvern's Managing Director Paul Walker, and employs about 50 people worldwide. "We will be providing the investment and support needed to continue this drive forward and are absolutely committed to developing the NanoSight brand within the Malvern portfolio," he said.
NanoSight will continue to operate from its current facilities in Amesbury, Wiltshire, UK under the existing management. Malvern will use its direct sales operations in "key geographies" as well as its wider global presence to make NanoSight's products available and to provide support on a wider scale, NanoSight said.
Malvern is based in Worcestershire, UK. Among the instruments in its portfolio are platforms for chemical identification; molecular size, structure, and weight; protein aggregation and mobility; and others.