image: This is MuVi-SPIM, a light-sheet microscope developed at EMBL and commercialised by Luxendo. view more
Credit: Luxendo
EMBL spin-off company Luxendo has been acquired by Bruker Corporation. Based in Heidelberg, Germany, Luxendo develops and commercialises microscopes that use the Single Plane Illumination Microscopy (SPIM) technique developed by EMBL researchers.
"It has been very rewarding to witness the rapid trajectory from pioneering technology developed at EMBL to Luxendo's well-designed, robust microscopes, and now this acquisition," said EMBL Director General Iain Mattaj. "We anticipate that Bruker, with its excellent reputation in providing innovative technology, will make SPIM even more widely available. It will be truly exciting to see what the larger biological research community will discover with light-sheet microscopy."
The SPIM technology enables scientists to watch entire living organisms in exquisite detail, thanks to its ability to rapidly image large three-dimensional samples while causing them minimal damage. To make this technology available to the scientific community, EMBL and its technology transfer arm, EMBLEM Technology Transfer (EMBLEM), created Luxendo as a spin-off company in 2015, with seed financing from EMBL Ventures and Life Science Partners (LSP). The spin-off's first two products, MuVi-SPIM and InVi-SPIM were launched in 2016.
"With its strong IP position and unique SPIM technology, Luxendo has quickly established itself in the light-sheet microscopy market, particularly in Europe," said Dr. Mark R. Munch, President of the Bruker NANO Group. "Similar to our recent acquisition in super-resolution microscopy, the new capabilities provide valuable application synergies to our current suite of instruments, and we feel that we can take the business to the next level in both global market reach and next-generation development, which should greatly benefit our life sciences research customers."
"The successful partnering of Luxendo with Bruker within 18 months of spin-off creation was only possible due to the excellent collaboration within EMBL's unique technology transfer and innovation ecosystem: innovative EMBL researchers paired with experienced technology transfer managers at EMBLEM and investment managers at EMBL Ventures," stated Jürgen Bauer, Deputy Managing Director of EMBLEM, EMBL's wholly owned technology and knowledge transfer subsidiary.
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