Lee’s Summit, MO – February 5, 2013 – Viracor-IBT Laboratories, Inc. announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase the assets of Cylex™, Inc., a global life sciences company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of in vitro diagnostic products intended to illuminate immunity in the area of transplant medicine. This includes the acquisition of Cylex’s core product, ImmuKnow®, a noninvasive biomarker of immune function that assesses cellular immune status by detecting cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in populations undergoing immunosuppressive therapy for organ transplant. The transaction is expected to close February 8, 2013.
ImmuKnow®, when used as part of a global immune status monitoring strategy, can help clinicians optimize immunosuppression in organ transplant recipients for kidney, liver, lung and heart transplants.
"As a leader in molecular and immunodiagnostics, Viracor-IBT has been proud to offer the ImmuKnow assay to its clients for nearly a decade to assist clinicians in making critical decisions for patients undergoing transplants through the use of specialized diagnostics and the accelerated delivery of information. We're confident this acquisition will result in continued benefits to the industry, our clients and to the patients we serve. Throughout the transition, Viracor-IBT is committed to ensuring continued access to ImmuKnow through the current avenues of kit purchases and laboratory testing," said Thomas W. Burnell, PhD, President and CEO of Viracor-IBT Laboratories.
About Viracor-IBT Laboratories
With nearly 30 years of specialized expertise in infectious disease, immunology and allergy testing, Viracor-IBT is committed to helping medical professionals, national and regional reference labs and biopharmaceutical companies solve challenging and often life-threatening problems. Viracor-IBT is passionate about delivering value to its clients by providing timely, actionable information, never losing sight of the connection between the testing it performs and the patients it ultimately serves. Viracor-IBT is majority owned by Ampersand Capital Partners, a healthcare-focused, middle market private equity firm.
About Cylex
Cylex is a privately held global life science company whose investors include life science leaders such as Siemens, Roche and Canaan Partners. Cylex develops, manufactures and commercializes in vitro diagnostic products intended to illuminate immunity in the area of transplant medicine. ImmuKnow® is a noninvasive biomarker of immune function that assesses cellular immune status by detecting cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in populations undergoing immunosuppressive therapy for organ transplant. Cylex is based in Columbia, MD, USA. For more information, visit www.cylex.net.