Miltenyi Biotec announced today that it has completed acquisition of Owl biomedical, Inc., an emerging company developing and commercializing microchip-based cell sorting systems using fully-closed disposable cartridges in an easy-to-use format. The acquisition underscores Miltenyi’s commitment to bringing comprehensive solutions to the research and clinical cell therapy markets. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

“We are very pleased and proud to join Miltenyi Biotec, a proven leader in the development of research and cell therapy solutions,” said Dr. John Foster, president of Owl biomedical. “This acquisition combines Owl’s innovative microchip-based, high-speed cell sorting technology and intellectual property with Miltenyi Biotec’s strength in commercial design, manufacturing and marketing. This combination provides assurance that our technology will get to market in a timely manner with the highest quality engineering.”

Owl biomedical was founded in 2011 to develop and commercialize novel microchip-based cell sorting technology. The first product, The Nanosorter ®, uses a closed fluid path cartridge that allows for “plug and play” cell sorting that avoids issues associated with traditional cell sorters. At the heart of the cartridge is a patented silicon microchip capable of extraordinarily high-frequency fluidic valving. The microchip is produced using high-performance semiconductor manufacturing technology which offers advantages in precision, production volume scalability and unprecedented overall performance in a cost effective manner. A major advancement of this approach is its capability to process samples from small to very large in an efficient and extremely gentle manner in a clean environment that is isolated from the laboratory setting.

“We immediately recognized the intrinsic value of Owl’s microchip-based technology for cell processing and its complement to our existing cell enrichment product portfolio,” said Stefan Miltenyi, founder and president, Miltenyi Biotec. “Miltenyi Biotec is committed to ensuring that our customers have access to such cutting-edge technologies to conduct cellular research and to translate their discoveries into important new cellular therapies.”

Miltenyi Biotec will announce more details around its plans to launch a cell purification platform employing the Owl biomedical capabilities before the end of 2013.