Health sciences company PerkinElmer Inc. today announced it is acquiring Evotec Technologies GmbH in a cash transaction valued at approximately $30 million. Based in Hamburg, Germany, Evotec Technologies, a subsidiary of Evotec AG, provides high performance screening instrumentation and analysis software for cellular screening, a critical tool for drug discovery, PerkinElmer said. “Our customers today require unique, flexible tools and platforms that produce better quality and biologically relevant data for mapping cellular events to new discoveries,” said Gregory L. Summe, PerkinElmer chairman and CEO. Evotec Technologies’ Opera HCS platform for high-content analysis combines confocal microscopy with the throughput required for primary and secondary screening. The company's product line also includes high-content cellular analysis and screening systems; cell manipulation and sorting systems; image capture and cellular analysis software; and integrated ultrahigh throughput screening platforms. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2007, PerkinElmer said. For more information, visit: www.perkinelmer.com