Agilent to Buy Till Photonics

Agilent Technologies Inc. of Palo Alto, Calif., announced this week it has signed an agreement to acquire Till Photonics GmbH and has acquired Colloidal Dynamics of Warwick, R.I. Both companies will join the recently created Materials Science Solutions unit within Agilent's Life Science and Chemical Analysis business. Financial details were not disclosed.

In addition to the acquisitions, Agilent announced five enhancements to its flagship gas chromatograph and gas chromatrograph/mass spectrometer platforms, "designed to improve analysis of complex mixtures and to make powerful qualitative and quantitative capabilities accessible to a wider range of laboratories."

The company made the announcements at the Pittcon annual conference and exhibition for the laboratory science industry, being held this week in New Orleans. It said the acquisitions and new products will expand its disease and nanotechnology research capabilities.

Till Photonics, based in Gräfelfing, Germany, makes life science products for fluorescence microscopy which help researchers investigate diseases, such as Alzheimer's, on a cellular level. Agilent said the acquisition will complement its atomic force microscope (AFM) platform and that it is expected to be final at the end of March, subject to closing conditions.

Colloidal Dynamics is a private provider of instruments that measure the particle size and zeta potential of concentrated colloids and the pore size distribution in powders. Agilent said the acquisition will enable it to provide a variety of measurement capabilities at the nanoscale and at high concentration, with applications in the polymer, specialty chemical, inks/pigments, food, pharmaceutical, and materials research markets.

The Agilent Materials Science Solution unit was formed in 2007 under the leadership of Mike Gasparian, vice president and general manager, to provide microscopy, particle analysis and optical spectroscopy for the materials testing, life sciences, and chemical analysis markets, and to advance nanotechnology.

Gasparian said, ""Our Materials Science Solutions unit targets expansion of measurement platforms for research scientists in many existing and new market segments. When final, the Till Photonics acquisition will position Agilent as a premier provider of advanced optical and fluorescence microscopy systems. Colloidal Dynamics launches our particle-measurement portfolio, allowing us to offer customers unmatched zeta-potential and particle-size measurement tools."

For more information, visit: agilent.com