Health and photonics company PerkinElmer Inc. has acquired mass spectrometry and ion source technology provider Analytica of Branford Inc. Terms of the deal, announced Wednesday, were not disclosed. Analytica, located in Branford, Conn., was founded in 1987 by Craig Whitehouse, who developed one of the first electrospray ion sources for mass spectrometry. Electrospray ionization sources interfaced to mass spectrometers have since become widely used tools in analytical applications. Since 1989 Analytica has been marketing its technology for existing mass spectrometers and acting as a supplier to other analytical instrument companies. For human health applications, mass spectrometry provides an extremely detailed profile of medically relevant materials in drug discovery and molecular diagnostics. This technology is also the cornerstone of environmental detection and analysis and industrial monitoring. Areas of applications include environmental analysis, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical materials analysis, forensics and food safety. ““The acquisition of Analytica will allow us to offer our customers access to critical technologies such as time-of-flight and quadrupole mass spectrometers and new ion sources that provide more complete information as well as better throughput,” said Richard Begley, PhD, president, Analytical Sciences, PerkinElmer. PerkinElmer will integrate Analytica’s current manufacturing operations into its Shelton, Conn., facility, while using Analytica’s existing Branford facility for R&D projects. Whitehouse will become an employee of PerkinElmer and oversee PerkinElmer’s mass spectrometry R&D operations. For more information, visit: www.perkinelmer.com