Leica Biosystems Acquires Kreatech Diagnostics

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, England and AMSTERDAM, July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Leica Biosystems announced that it has acquired Kreatech Diagnostics, a privately-held provider of DNA fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) probes and target labeling reagents for microarrays.

"We are very pleased with the acquisition of Kreatech, its extensive portfolio and development expertise. This will allow Leica Biosystems to better serve our cytogenetics and anatomic pathology customers. It will also enable us to actively support the future development of personalized medicine by research and drug development companies" said Matthias G. Weber, MD, President of Leica Biosystems. "By standardizing and supporting the interpretation of results with our Aperio ePathologytm imaging solutions, we will provide our customers with the ability to effectively and efficiently manage ever more complex diagnostic requirements."

Kreatech will join Leica Biosystems' Advanced Staining Business Unit based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. The combined business will develop targeted biomarker menus for Leica's instrument platforms. Leica Biosystems provides the ThermoBrite®, and BOND™ systems that are widely used to label tissue specimens for diagnostic interpretation in cytogenetics and pathology laboratories globally.

"Leica Biosystems is a very natural fit to take Kreatech to the next stage" commented Kees Moonen, CEO of Kreatech Diagnostics. "Leica will bring global brand recognition, worldwide commercial reach, extensive cytogenetics and histology portfolios, and the automation of diagnostic tests on well-established systems. This will tremendously increase the number of customers that can benefit from Kreatech's superior solutions."

About Leica Biosystems

Leica Biosystems is a global leader in workflow solutions and automation, striving to advance cancer diagnostics to improve lives. Leica Biosystems provides anatomical pathology laboratories and researchers a comprehensive product range for each step in the pathology process, from sample preparation and staining to imaging and reporting. Leica's easy-to-use and consistently reliable offerings help improve workflow efficiency and diagnostic confidence. The company is represented in over 100 countries. It has manufacturing facilities in 6 countries, sales and service organizations in 19 countries, and an international network of dealers. The company is headquartered in Nussloch, Germany. Further information can be found at http://www.LeicaBiosystems.com

About Kreatech Diagnostics

Kreatech is a molecular diagnostics company focusing on the development and commercialization of innovative detection products. Kreatech's product portfolio enables customers to detect genetic aberrations that may lead to cancer or other diseases. Kreatech offers a broad commercial portfolio of REPEAT-FREE™ DNA-FISH probes and a dedicated portfolio for microarray labeling applications using its proprietary non-enzymatic Universal Linkage System (ULS™) labeling technology. Further information can be found at http://www.Kreatech.com

SOURCE Leica Biosystems