Caliper Life Sciences
Encyclopedia
Caliper, A PerkinElmer Company is based in Hopkinton, Massachusetts
with direct sales, service and application-support operations in countries around the globe. Founded in 1995, Caliper
develops innovative and enabling products and services to the life sciences research community, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies, and government and other not-for profit research institutions.
Caliper’s integrated systems, consisting of instruments, software and reagents, laboratory automation
tools and drug discovery
assay services enable researchers to better understand the basis for disease and more effectively discover safe and effective drugs. Caliper’s product portfolio includes, microfluidics
, lab automation & liquid handling, optical imaging technologies, and drug discovery
& drug development
outsourcing solutions.
technology which represents a significant advancement in laboratory experimentation, bringing the benefits of miniaturization, integration and automation to numerous research-based industries. Caliper’s proprietary microfluidic sipper chips are a high-throughput complement to the planar chips which Caliper manufactures for the Agilent Bioanalyzer 2100. The microfluidic technology forms the basis of Caliper’s LabChip EZ reader systems used for drug screening and profiling and the LabChip GX series for molecular biology DNA
, RNA
and protein analysis.
biophotonic imaging technology, which allows for real-time, non-invasive exploration of genes
, proteins, pathogens, and tumor cells in living animals. Caliper offers a complement of patented biophotonic and fluorescent imaging technologies, as well as genetically modified animal programs. Caliper’s imaging product lines include a suite of IVIS imaging systems - many measuring both bioluminescence and fluorescence, in vivo imaging reagents, specialized light producing animal models, and genetic modification programs for pharmaceutical and biotechnology research and development. In a recent Japanese study, the IVIS imaging system was used to evaluate the binding affinity and RNA interference (RNAi
) of LMWC/siRNA
complexes.
such as nucleic acid purification, reaction setup and normalization.
In addition to automating molecular biology, Caliper has many other robotic systems including the Zephyr SPE and RapidTrace SPE workstations to automate solid phase extraction
, TurboVap family of
concentration evaporators, and several liquid handling and plate management systems including the Sciclone ALH 3000 liquid handler and Twister II systems to automate drug discovery and development.
Caliper also custom designs integrated vendor-neutral instruments and software such as the Twister II - LightCycler (Roche) integrated system which fully automates real-time PCR.
& in vivo
discovery services. CDAS develops, utilizes, and provides a comprehensive array of services to improve the productivity, accelerate the pace, and reduce the cost of the drug discovery
process. The in vitro service arm of CDAS includes a comprehensive array of in vitro drug discovery and development solutions including more than 1000 screening assays that help define the mode of action, side effect profiles, selectivity, and other relevant activities of drug candidates. In vivo capabilities include: non-invasive in vivo optical imaging
, OncoMouse studies, and in vivo compound evaluations for safety assessment and drug repositioning
.
At the end of October 2008, SOTAX—a tester and software developer of medical devices—acquired Caliper's Pharmaceutical Development & Quality Analysis (PDQ) Division for $15.8 Million. Shortly thereafter on November 10, 2008, Caliper's AutoTrace(r) line of product was acquired by Dionex.
In December 2009, Taconic Farms acquired XenoGen Biosciences in vivo pre-clinical CRO subsidiary of Caliper Life Sciences. A year later in December 2010, Caliper purchased Cambridge Research & Instrumentation Inc. for about $20 million in a cash and stock deal.
In September 2011, PerkinElmer agreed to buy Caliper Life Sciences for $600 million. On November 7, 2011, PerkinElmer completed the acquisition of Caliper Life Sciences for a total net purchase price of approximately $600 million in cash.
Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Hopkinton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, just under 30 miles west and south of Boston. The town is best known as the starting point of the Boston Marathon, held annually on Patriots' Day in April, and as the home of computer storage firm EMC Corporation.For geographic and demographic...
with direct sales, service and application-support operations in countries around the globe. Founded in 1995, Caliper
develops innovative and enabling products and services to the life sciences research community, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
companies, and government and other not-for profit research institutions.
Caliper’s integrated systems, consisting of instruments, software and reagents, laboratory automation
Laboratory Automation
Laboratory automation is a multi-disciplinary strategy to research, develop, optimize and capitalize on technologies in the laboratory that enable new and improved processes...
tools and drug discovery
Drug discovery
In the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which drugs are discovered or designed.In the past most drugs have been discovered either by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by serendipitous discovery...
assay services enable researchers to better understand the basis for disease and more effectively discover safe and effective drugs. Caliper’s product portfolio includes, microfluidics
Microfluidics
Microfluidics deals with the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically sub-millimeter, scale.Typically, micro means one of the following features:* small volumes...
, lab automation & liquid handling, optical imaging technologies, and drug discovery
Drug discovery
In the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which drugs are discovered or designed.In the past most drugs have been discovered either by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by serendipitous discovery...
& drug development
Drug development
Drug development is a blanket term used to define the process of bringing a new drug to the market once a lead compound has been identified through the process of drug discovery...
outsourcing solutions.
Microfluidic Platform
Caliper is a pioneer in microfluidic lab-on-a-chipLab-on-a-chip
A lab-on-a-chip is a device that integrates one or several laboratory functions on a single chip of only millimeters to a few square centimeters in size. LOCs deal with the handling of extremely small fluid volumes down to less than pico liters. Lab-on-a-chip devices are a subset of MEMS devices...
technology which represents a significant advancement in laboratory experimentation, bringing the benefits of miniaturization, integration and automation to numerous research-based industries. Caliper’s proprietary microfluidic sipper chips are a high-throughput complement to the planar chips which Caliper manufactures for the Agilent Bioanalyzer 2100. The microfluidic technology forms the basis of Caliper’s LabChip EZ reader systems used for drug screening and profiling and the LabChip GX series for molecular biology DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, RNA
RNA
Ribonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
and protein analysis.
Optical Imaging
Through its acquisition of Xenogen Corporation in 2006, Caliper is now a developer of in vivoIn vivo
In vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
biophotonic imaging technology, which allows for real-time, non-invasive exploration of genes
Gênes
Gênes is the name of a département of the First French Empire in present Italy, named after the city of Genoa. It was formed in 1805, when Napoleon Bonaparte occupied the Republic of Genoa. Its capital was Genoa, and it was divided in the arrondissements of Genoa, Bobbio, Novi Ligure, Tortona and...
, proteins, pathogens, and tumor cells in living animals. Caliper offers a complement of patented biophotonic and fluorescent imaging technologies, as well as genetically modified animal programs. Caliper’s imaging product lines include a suite of IVIS imaging systems - many measuring both bioluminescence and fluorescence, in vivo imaging reagents, specialized light producing animal models, and genetic modification programs for pharmaceutical and biotechnology research and development. In a recent Japanese study, the IVIS imaging system was used to evaluate the binding affinity and RNA interference (RNAi
RNAI
RNAI is a non-coding RNA that is an antisense repressor of the replication of some E. coli plasmids, including ColE1. Plasmid replication is usually initiated by RNAII, which acts as a primer by binding to its template DNA. The complementary RNAI binds RNAII prohibiting it from its initiation role...
) of LMWC/siRNA
Sírna
Sírna Sáeglach , son of Dian mac Demal, son of Demal mac Rothechtaid, son of Rothechtaid mac Main, was, according to medieval Irish legend and historical tradition, a High King of Ireland...
complexes.
Lab Automation & Liquid Handling
Caliper has held a long standing position in laboratory automation starting with the introduction of the world’s first lab robotic system, the Zymark Zymate. To date, Caliper has a number of lab automation and liquid handling systems for the life sciences industry. In January 2009, the Zephyr Genomics Workstation was introduced which promises to deliver a benchtop solution for automating routine but critical processes for molecular biologyMolecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
such as nucleic acid purification, reaction setup and normalization.
In addition to automating molecular biology, Caliper has many other robotic systems including the Zephyr SPE and RapidTrace SPE workstations to automate solid phase extraction
Solid phase extraction
Solid-phase extraction is a separation process by which compounds that are dissolved or suspended in a liquid mixture are separated from other compounds in the mixture according to their physical and chemical properties. Analytical laboratories use solid phase extraction to concentrate and purify...
, TurboVap family of
concentration evaporators, and several liquid handling and plate management systems including the Sciclone ALH 3000 liquid handler and Twister II systems to automate drug discovery and development.
Caliper also custom designs integrated vendor-neutral instruments and software such as the Twister II - LightCycler (Roche) integrated system which fully automates real-time PCR.
Discovery and Development Outsourcing Solutions
Caliper’s Discovery Alliances & Services division (CDAS) was created from the acquisitions of NovaScreen, a provider of in vitroIn vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
& in vivo
In vivo
In vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
discovery services. CDAS develops, utilizes, and provides a comprehensive array of services to improve the productivity, accelerate the pace, and reduce the cost of the drug discovery
Drug discovery
In the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which drugs are discovered or designed.In the past most drugs have been discovered either by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by serendipitous discovery...
process. The in vitro service arm of CDAS includes a comprehensive array of in vitro drug discovery and development solutions including more than 1000 screening assays that help define the mode of action, side effect profiles, selectivity, and other relevant activities of drug candidates. In vivo capabilities include: non-invasive in vivo optical imaging
Optical imaging
Optical imaging is an imaging technique.Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light used in imaging.Because light is an electromagnetic wave, similar phenomena occur in X-rays, microwaves, radio waves. Chemical imaging or molecular imaging involves inference...
, OncoMouse studies, and in vivo compound evaluations for safety assessment and drug repositioning
Drug repositioning
Drug repositioning is the application of known drugs and compounds to new indications .- Drug repositioning :...
.
History
Caliper Life Sciences was founded in 1995 by Larry Bock and Drs. Michael Knapp, Michael Ramsey and Andrea Manz. as Caliper Technologies with a strong focus on microfluidics technology.In 2003, Caliper acquired Zymark a leader in laboratory automation and robotics and Caliper Life Sciences was born. In October 2005, Caliper acquired NovaScreen Biosciences Corporation a privately held CRO offering pre-clinical drug discovery and development services. NovaScreen’s services included in vitro compound profiling for safety assessment, drug discovery screening services for targets such as GPCRs, Kinases, Ion Channels, Transporters, Nuclear Receptors and customized assay development services. In August 2006, Caliper acquired Xenogen Corporation, a developer of in vivo optical imaging systems (IVIS systems) and its division, Xenogen Biosciences a CRO offering in vivo transgenic animal production, phenotyping, gene targeting and in vivo optical imaging services.At the end of October 2008, SOTAX—a tester and software developer of medical devices—acquired Caliper's Pharmaceutical Development & Quality Analysis (PDQ) Division for $15.8 Million. Shortly thereafter on November 10, 2008, Caliper's AutoTrace(r) line of product was acquired by Dionex.
In December 2009, Taconic Farms acquired XenoGen Biosciences in vivo pre-clinical CRO subsidiary of Caliper Life Sciences. A year later in December 2010, Caliper purchased Cambridge Research & Instrumentation Inc. for about $20 million in a cash and stock deal.
In September 2011, PerkinElmer agreed to buy Caliper Life Sciences for $600 million. On November 7, 2011, PerkinElmer completed the acquisition of Caliper Life Sciences for a total net purchase price of approximately $600 million in cash.
Intellectual Property
Caliper's portfolio of microfluidics-related patents has been ranked as high as #2 in technological strength in the Biotech/Pharma sector of the MIT Technology Review Patent Scorecard. Caliper actively out-licenses this portfolio as part of its Caliper Driven program to broaden and accelerate the availability of new technologies and products for life science and diagnostics applications. Licensing Caliper's microfluidic intellectual property benefits existing and potential partners by enhancing the strength of their product and service offerings through the incorporation of Caliper’s technology. Caliper also provides commercial and academic customers with proprietary methods via its Optical Imaging Patent Suite. The notification of allowance of Caliper’s patent claims for conjugate fluorescence imaging methods from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has added yet another valuable component to Caliper's widespread intellectual property estate.Products
- IVIS Kinetic (for Optical imagingOptical imagingOptical imaging is an imaging technique.Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light used in imaging.Because light is an electromagnetic wave, similar phenomena occur in X-rays, microwaves, radio waves. Chemical imaging or molecular imaging involves inference...
& In VivoIn vivoIn vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
Studies) - IVIS 200 Series (for Optical imagingOptical imagingOptical imaging is an imaging technique.Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light used in imaging.Because light is an electromagnetic wave, similar phenomena occur in X-rays, microwaves, radio waves. Chemical imaging or molecular imaging involves inference...
& In VivoIn vivoIn vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
Studies) - IVIS Lumina II (for Optical imagingOptical imagingOptical imaging is an imaging technique.Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light used in imaging.Because light is an electromagnetic wave, similar phenomena occur in X-rays, microwaves, radio waves. Chemical imaging or molecular imaging involves inference...
& In VivoIn vivoIn vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
Studies) - IVIS Spectrum (for Optical imagingOptical imagingOptical imaging is an imaging technique.Optics usually describes the behavior of visible, ultraviolet, and infrared light used in imaging.Because light is an electromagnetic wave, similar phenomena occur in X-rays, microwaves, radio waves. Chemical imaging or molecular imaging involves inference...
& In VivoIn vivoIn vivo is experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
Studies) - LabChip 3000 (for Microfluidic technology for drug discoveryDrug discoveryIn the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which drugs are discovered or designed.In the past most drugs have been discovered either by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by serendipitous discovery...
) - LabChip GX/GXII (for Microfluidic separations technology for Molecular BiologyMolecular biologyMolecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
) - LabChip 90 (for Microfluidic separations technology for Molecular BiologyMolecular biologyMolecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
) - LabChip EZ Reader (for Microfluidic technology for drug discoveryDrug discoveryIn the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which drugs are discovered or designed.In the past most drugs have been discovered either by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by serendipitous discovery...
) - ACES Integrated Lab Automation Systems
- High Content Screening (HCS) Workstations for HCS
- Sciclone G3 Liquid Handling Workstation (for High-throughput screeningHigh-throughput screeningHigh-throughput screening is a method for scientific experimentation especially used in drug discovery and relevant to the fields of biology and chemistry. Using robotics, data processing and control software, liquid handling devices, and sensitive detectors, High-Throughput Screening allows a...
) - Twister II plate Handling system
- Zephyr Compact Liquid Handler (a Liquid handling robotLiquid handling robot- Summary :A liquid handling robot is used in automation of chemical or biochemical laboratories. It is a robot that dispenses a selected quantity of reagent, samples or other liquid to a designated container.- Versatility :...
) - Zephyr Genomics Workstation (for GenomicsGenomicsGenomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...
) - TurboVap II Evaporation System (for EvaporationEvaporationEvaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
) - TurboVap LV Evaporation System (for EvaporationEvaporationEvaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
) - TurboVap 96 Evaporation System (for EvaporationEvaporationEvaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
) - TurboVap 500 Evaporation System (for EvaporationEvaporationEvaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
) - Zephyr SPE Workstation (for Solid phase extractionSolid phase extractionSolid-phase extraction is a separation process by which compounds that are dissolved or suspended in a liquid mixture are separated from other compounds in the mixture according to their physical and chemical properties. Analytical laboratories use solid phase extraction to concentrate and purify...
)
In Vitro & In Vivo Outsourcing Services and Programs
- Preclinical Contract Research Organization (as Contract Research OrganizationContract research organizationA contract research organization, also called a clinical research organization, is a service organization that provides support to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the form of outsourced pharmaceutical research services...
) - In Vitro Compound Profiling
- In Vitro Compound Screening
- KinaseAdvisor ( for Kinase screening assay services)
- ADME-Tox (for ADMEADMEADME is an acronym in pharmacokinetics and pharmacology for absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion, and describes the disposition of a pharmaceutical compound within an organism...
) - SynScreen (for Drug Combination Studies)
- Immunology Assays (for Immunology study assay services)
- X-MAN Isogenic Cell Lines (for Isogenic cell line assay services)
- PDE - Phosphodiesterase Screening
- OncoMouse Studies (for OncomouseOncomouseThe OncoMouse or Harvard mouse is a type of laboratory mouse that has been genetically modified using modifications designed by Philip Leder and Timothy A Stewart of Harvard University to carry a specific gene called an activated oncogene. The activated oncogene significantly increases the mouse’s...
) - Cancer Cell Line Profiling (for Cell culture studies)
Reagents
- In Vivo Imaging Reagents
- In Vitro LabChip Separations Reagents (for MicrofluidicsMicrofluidicsMicrofluidics deals with the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically sub-millimeter, scale.Typically, micro means one of the following features:* small volumes...
) - In Vitro LabChip Discovery Reagents (for MicrofluidicsMicrofluidicsMicrofluidics deals with the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically sub-millimeter, scale.Typically, micro means one of the following features:* small volumes...
) - XenoLight Bioluminescent Substrates (Luciferin and coelenterazine) (LuciferinLuciferinLuciferins are a class of light-emitting biological pigments found in organisms that cause bioluminescence...
optimized for IVIS imaging systems) - XenoLight NIR Fluorescent Reagents
- Bioware Light Producing Cells
- Receptor Membranes (for Receptor binding)
- RNA Kits (for MicrofluidicsMicrofluidicsMicrofluidics deals with the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically sub-millimeter, scale.Typically, micro means one of the following features:* small volumes...
) - DNA Kits (for MicrofluidicsMicrofluidicsMicrofluidics deals with the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically sub-millimeter, scale.Typically, micro means one of the following features:* small volumes...
) - Protein Kits (for MicrofluidicsMicrofluidicsMicrofluidics deals with the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically sub-millimeter, scale.Typically, micro means one of the following features:* small volumes...
) - ProfilerPro Glycan Assay Kit (for MicrofluidicsMicrofluidicsMicrofluidics deals with the behavior, precise control and manipulation of fluids that are geometrically constrained to a small, typically sub-millimeter, scale.Typically, micro means one of the following features:* small volumes...
) - ProfilerPro Kinase Selectivity Assay Kits (for KinaseKinaseIn chemistry and biochemistry, a kinase is a type of enzyme that transfers phosphate groups from high-energy donor molecules, such as ATP, to specific substrates, a process referred to as phosphorylation. Kinases are part of the larger family of phosphotransferases...
Screening) - Kinase Substrates
- PDE Substrates (for PhosphodiesterasePhosphodiesteraseA phosphodiesterase is any enzyme that breaks a phosphodiester bond. Usually, people speaking of phosphodiesterase are referring to cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases, which have great clinical significance and are described below...
screening) - HistoneDeacetylase (HDAC) substrates for (Histone deacetylaseHistone deacetylaseHistone deacetylases are a class of enzymes that remove acetyl groups from an ε-N-acetyl lysine amino acid on a histone. This is important because DNA is wrapped around histones, and DNA expression is regulated by acetylation and de-acetylation. Its action is opposite to that of histone...
screening) - PI3K/PTEN Substrates (for Phosphoinositide 3-kinasePhosphoinositide 3-kinasePhosphatidylinositol 3-kinases are a family of enzymes involved in cellular functions such as cell growth, proliferation, differentiation, motility, survival and intracellular trafficking, which in turn are involved in cancer. In response to lipopolysaccharide, PI3K phosphorylates p65, inducing...
or PTEN (gene)PTEN (gene)Phosphatase and tensin homolog is a protein that, in humans, is encoded by the PTEN gene. Mutations of this gene are a step in the development of many cancers....
)
Acquisition history
- 1995 - Caliper Technologies Corporation is formed
- 1999 - Caliper goes public in $75 Million offering
- 2003 - Acquires Zymark
- 2004 - Company changes name to Caliper Life Sciences
- 2005 - Acquires NovaScreen Biosciences Corporation
- 2006 - Acquires Xenogen
- 2010 - Acquires Cambridge Research & Instrumentation Inc.
- 2011 - Acquired by PerkinElmerPerkinElmerPerkinElmer, Inc. is an American multinational technology corporation, focused in the business areas of human and environmental health, including environmental analysis, food and consumer product safety, medical imaging, drug discovery, diagnostics, biotechnology, industrial applications, and life...
External links
- Official website
- Caliper, A PerkinElmer Company Company Profile at Google Finance.