BD Takes Over HandyLab

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) has completed its acquisition of HandyLab, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company that develops and manufactures molecular diagnostic assays and automation platforms.

Reportedly, as per the agreement signed in May 2009, BD is expected to develop and commercialize molecular assays on the HandyLab Jaguar platform. Its an integrated molecular diagnostic system to provide hands-off operation, incorporating clinical sample preparation, nucleic acid extraction, and microfluidic real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and detection in a simple bench-top system.

The self-contained workstation is designed to accommodate both batch workflows and on-demand testing for maximum lab efficiency and flexibility.

With this acquisition, BD will migrate its GeneOhm molecular assays for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), clostridium difficile and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) onto the new platform. It will also market them as the new BD Max system, an evolution of the current Jaguar system.

Philippe Jacon, president of BD diagnostics systems, said: HandyLab’s high-quality organization and industry-leading technology complement BD’s capabilities and healthcare-associated infections strategy, which requires the throughput, simplicity and flexibility that the HandyLab platform provides. We plan to provide laboratories with a broad molecular test menu on a very advanced automation platform.