MEMS Investor Journal -- The Largest MEMS Publication in the World

MEMS and microelectrode technologies for hearing restoration

by John Williamson
Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal

Two common types of hearing loss suffered by millions of people worldwide are sensorineural hearing loss and conductive hearing loss.  The former is caused primarily by damage to the cochlea, the snail-shell like structure of the inner ear containing hair cells, the movement of which is interpreted by the brain as sound.   On the other hand, conductive hearing loss relates to problems with conducting sound waves along the route between the outer ear to the middle ear, and may occur along with sensorineural hearing loss.  This article examines MEMS based approaches to improving the ability to hear.

Bio-Rad acquires QuantaLife's microfluidic technology for $162 million

Bio-Rad Laboratories, a manufacturer and distributor of life science research and clinical diagnostics products, announced this week that it has acquired QuantaLife, a microfluidic technology startup, for $162 million in cash plus potential future milestone payments.  QuantaLife raised $17.2 million in venture capital financing in December 2010.

PerkinElmer to acquire microfluidics company Caliper for $600 million

PerkinElmer, a global biomedical company, announced this week that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Caliper Life Sciences, a Hopkinton, Massachusetts-based firm that specializes in microfluidic technologies for life sciences research, diagnostics and environmental markets, for a total net purchase price of approximately $600 million in cash.  The total purchase price represents a premium of 42% for Caliper Life Sciences shareholders.  "The acquisition of Caliper Life Sciences brings innovative molecular imaging and detection technologies to our portfolio, complementing our world-leading offerings in life science, diagnostics, environmental and food markets," said PerkinElmer's CEO Robert F. Friel.

Firefly BioWorks receives $2 million NIH grant for cancer diagnostics

Firefly BioWorks, a manufacturer of cancer diagnostic assays based on microfluidics, announced this week that it was awarded a $2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute for microRNA profiling.  MicroRNAs are an emerging class of biomarkers that are proving to be important indicators for early diagnosis of cancer and other diseases.  The company will use the award to expand production capacity and validate its microRNA assay against the current state of the art.  The goal of the Phase II SBIR grant studies is to develop a product providing a combination of performance, throughput and cost not available from existing solutions.

Micro cell membranes for faster and cheaper drug development

They may look and act like natural human cell membranes but the synthetic cell membranes invented by A*STAR's IMRE have more advantages.  IMRE's patented synthetic cell membranes can be made-to-order, are easier to maintain in a laboratory environment and do not require the lengthy preparation that comes with working on live cell membranes.  The synthetic cell membranes mimic the natural functions of cell membranes, such as interacting with drug molecules and antibodies, which is crucial in the drug discovery process.  The innovation also provides a more stable membrane model for a better understanding of the mechanisms of diseases that affect human cells.

Molecular diagnostics and microfluidics: market overview and opportunities

Dr. Greg Galvin is a successful veteran of the MEMS industry.  His first company was sold in 2000 to Calient Networks, an optical MEMS switching company in San Jose.  The transaction at the time was valued at ~$300 million in cash and stock.  Dr. Galvin's second company, Kionix, focuses on the design and fabrication of MEMS inertial sensing devices and was acquired in 2009 by ROHM Co., Ltd. for $233.5 million.  Now, Dr. Galvin has launched his third company, Rheonix, that concentrates on molecular diagnostics applications enabled by microfluidic technologies.  In this extensive interview, Dr. Galvin discusses opportunities in the molecular diagnostics market, current cost trends and technology developments, and shares the vision for his new company.

Valencell raises $5.5 million for health and fitness monitoring applications

Valencell, a startup company based in North Carolina that is focused on mobile health and fitness technologies, announced this week that that it has received $5.5 million in venture capital funding.  The round was led by Best Buy Capital, the investment group of Best Buy, with participation from previous investors TDF and True Ventures.  Valencell is the creator of powered earbuds which give audio headsets the ability to monitor the health and fitness of the user.  The company's sensor technology tracks real-time physiological metrics including heart rate, calories burned, steps taken, distance traveled, speed and more, while the consumer listens to music, talks over the phone, or goes about daily life activities.  Data is streamed to smartphones or music players through wired or wireless links, enabling live body metrics, training, and coaching via fitness applications on mobile devices and online.

Overview of MEMS technologies for retina applications

by John Williamson
Contributing Editor, MEMS Investor Journal

Retinal disease, or degeneration of the retinal cells, is exemplified by genetically caused retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration (MD).  These are leading causes of blindness affecting an estimated 1-3 million and 25-30 million people worldwide, respectively.  As MD progresses, the tissue of the macula is destroyed leading to a complete loss of vision in the center.  In the case of RP, early symptoms include night blindness, loss of contrast and steadily diminishing peripheral vision.  Both can be traced to degenerating light-sensitive rods and cones in the retina.

MEMS and body area networks

A European consortium lead by Swiss based CSEM successfully launched the European Commission funded WiserBAN project, with the objective of developing innovative ultra-miniature RF microsystems for wireless body area networks (BAN) targeting primarily wearable and implanted devices for healthcare, biomedical, wellness and lifestyle applications.

The research plan addresses the extreme miniaturization of BAN devices, and will focus on the areas of ultra low-power MEMS based radio system on chip (SoC), RF and low-frequency MEMS and miniature components, miniature reconfigurable antennas, miniaturized and cost-effective system in package (SiP), sensor signal processing and flexible communication protocols.

Agilent acquires two microfluidic technology companies

The company announced this week that it has acquired BIOCIUS Life Sciences, developer of  a high-throughput mass spectrometry drug-screening platform for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical markets, as well as Lab901, an electrophoresis equipment and consumables company.  Both companies' technologies utilize microfluidic components.  Financial details for both acquisitions were not disclosed.