Caliper branches out with lab-on-a-chip deal

June 5, 2003 – Caliper Technologies Corp. has signed a deal with Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc. to make and sell a new lab-on-a-chip system.

The California-based firms did not provide details on applications or a timeline for such a product. Caliper will receive R&D funding from Bio-Rad, will be paid royalties on all future sales and will be the exclusive manufacturer of LabChip devices, its core product line.

The manufacturing deal is the first announced by Caliper since its exclusive pact with Agilent Technologies Inc. ended in May. Caliper’s chips are used in the Agilent 2100 Bioanalyzer for RNA, DNA and protein analysis.

“(The Bio-Rad) agreement is about expanding Caliper’s two-pronged business strategy: expand OEM relationships, and build direct sales channels,” said Susan Kinkead, Caliper’s spokeswoman. She added the relationship with Agilent, while no longer exclusive, remains “ongoing, active and successful.”

Caliper, which is listed on the Nasdaq, was trading at 4.97 Thursday afternoon, down from 5.06 Wednesday. Bio-Rad, which makes and sells life science research and diagnostics products, was trading on AMEX at 60.05 Thursday, up from 59.08 Wednesday.

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