MALVERN, England, September 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Malvern Instruments Ltd (Malvern, UK), a leading global provider of instrumentation and expertise for materials and biophysical characterization, has acquired nanoparticle characterization company NanoSight Ltd (Amesbury, UK). The acquisition was completed on Friday 27 September 2013.

NanoSight has developed and commercialized a unique and patented technology, Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA). The company's instrumentation and software enable the rapid and simultaneous multi-parameter analysis and characterization of many different types of nanoscale particles. With their ability to analyze particle size, concentration, zeta potential and aggregation, NanoSight systems are closely aligned with Malvern's market-leading Zetasizer range, extending Malvern's solutions for those working at the nanoscale.  

Currently the largest applications area for NTA is in life sciences, for the measurement of biological nanoparticles, where one of the most exciting and rapidly expanding fields is exosomes. These are intercellular messengers whose quantity and biochemical composition reflect the disease status of an individual. NanoSight technology uniquely provides quantitative detection and characterization capabilities to make exosomes a viable proposition as biomarkers for drug discovery, disease prognosis, diagnosis and monitoring, as well as personalized medicine.

Paul Walker, Managing Director of Malvern Instruments, said: "NanoSight is a real entrepreneurial success story and I am delighted to be welcoming the NanoSight team to Malvern. NanoSight has grown every year since it was established in 2002 and has ambitious plans for the future. We will be providing the investment and support needed to continue this drive forward and are absolutely committed to developing the NanoSight brand within the Malvern portfolio.

"NanoSight's unique technology has become accepted in laboratories around the world and is widely cited in research publications. With rapid advances in nanomaterials and the life sciences, in biopharmaceuticals especially, the demand for new technologies to answer continually evolving analytical challenges has never been greater. This is a very exciting time and by bringing together complementary, leading edge technologies, Malvern continues to focus on delivering the analytical tools which laboratories so urgently need."

Jeremy Warren, CEO of NanoSight, said, "We have always seen Malvern as the clear leader in our sector, and the exemplar of what we wish to become. The plans we have are ambitious and exciting, and the support and reach of the Malvern organization will allow us to grow more rapidly than we could alone. I am sure that this change will bring opportunity to both our business and our colleagues. Malvern is our natural home."

NanoSight employs around 50 people worldwide and will continue to operate from its current facilities in Amesbury, Wiltshire, UK, under the existing management team. Malvern's direct sales operations in key geographies and wider global presence will be used to make the NanoSight instruments and aftersales support even more accessible to a wider market.

For further details about NanoSight products go to http://www.nanosight.com/products

To find out more about Malvern visit http://www.malvern.com  

Malvern and Malvern Instruments are registered trademarks of Malvern Instruments Ltd

High resolution image available from Luke Newman,Kapler Communicationsluke.newman@kapleronline.com  Ref: MAL/JOB/2795

NOTES TO EDITORS

About NanoSight

NanoSight's "Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis" NTA detects and visualizes populations of nanoparticles in liquids down to 10 nm, dependent on the material, and measures the size of each particle from direct observations of diffusion. Additionally, NanoSight measures concentration and a fluorescence mode differentiates suitably-labelled particles within complex background suspensions. Zeta potential measurements are similarly particle specific. This particle-by-particle methodology provides high-resolution particle size distributions and validates data with information-rich video files of the particles moving under Brownian motion.

This simultaneous multi-parameter characterization matches the demands of complex biological systems, hence its wide application in the development of drug delivery systems, of viral vaccines, and in nanotoxicology. This real-time data give insight into the kinetics of protein aggregation and other time-dependent phenomena in a qualitative and quantitative manner. NanoSight has a growing role in biodiagnostics, being proven in the detection and speciation of nanovesicles (exosomes) and microvesicles.

NanoSight has more than 600 systems worldwide with users including BASF, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Proctor and Gamble, Roche and Unilever, together with eminent universities and research institutes.

NanoSight's technology is validated by 900+ third party papers citing NanoSight results. The company's position in nanoparticle characterization is consolidated further with publication of an ASTM International Standard, ASTM E2834, which describes the NTA methodology for detection and analysis of nanoparticles.

About Malvern Instruments

Malvern provides the materials and biophysical characterization technology and expertise that enables scientists and engineers to understand and control the properties of dispersed systems. These systems range from proteins and polymers in solution, particle and nanoparticle suspensions and emulsions, through to sprays and aerosols, industrial bulk powders and high concentration slurries. Used at all stages of research, development and manufacturing, Malvern's materials characterization instruments provide critical information that helps accelerate research and product development, enhance and maintain product quality and optimize process efficiency.

Our products reflect Malvern's drive to exploit the latest technological innovations and our commitment to maximizing the potential of established techniques. They are used by both industry and academia, in sectors ranging from pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals to bulk chemicals, cement, plastics and polymers, energy and the environment.

Malvern systems are used to measure particle size, particle shape, zeta potential, protein charge, molecular weight, mass, size and conformation, rheological properties and for chemical identification, advancing the understanding of dispersed systems across many different industries and applications.

Headquartered in Malvern, UK, Malvern Instruments has subsidiary organizations in all major European markets, North America, China, Japan and Korea, a joint venture in India, a global distributor network and applications laboratories around the world. http://www.malvern.com

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For press information, please contact:    
NanoSight Limited, Minton Park, London Road, Amesbury, SP4 7RT, UK
Tel: +44(0)1980-676060; Fax: +44(0)1980-624703, http://www.nanosight.com

Richard Kent, Kapler Communications        
Phoenix House, Phoenix Park, Eaton Socon, Cambridgeshire, PE19 8EP, UK
Tel: +44(0)1480-471059; Fax: +44(0)1480-471069, richard.kent@kapleronline.com
           
Malvern Instruments Ltd
Enigma Business Park, Grovewood Road, Malvern, Worcestershire WR14 1XZ UK    
Tel: +44(0)1684 892456; Fax: +44(0)1684-892789, salesinfo@malvern.com

http://www.malvern.com

SOURCE Malvern Instruments Ltd