BREMEN, Germany, Sept. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bruker today
announced the closing of its acquisition of MERLIN Diagnostika GmbH, located near Bonn, Germany. MERLIN has in-depth
expertise in products, services and consulting in the fields of antibiotic resistance testing (ART) and antibiotic susceptibility
testing (AST). MERLIN's technology and product portfolio for human and veterinary antibiotic resistance and specialty
susceptibility testing further expands Bruker´s microbiology business, which is based on rapid, broad-based microbial
identification using Bruker's market-leading MALDI Biotyper (MBT) platform for proteomic
fingerprinting. Financial details were not disclosed.
The principle of the MERLIN MICRONAUT™ system for specialty susceptibility testing is the phenotypic
detection of microbial growth inhibition in the presence of antibiotics. Its microdilution procedure is a standardized,
globally accepted reference method for the determination of minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs). Standard and special
AST plates are available for in-vitro diagnostic use according to the EU directive EC/98/79 for a wide spectrum of clinically
important microorganisms. MERLIN's focus is on the detection of major resistance phenotypes, i.e. MRSA, VRE, MBL, ESBL,
KPC, AMP-C, and OXA-48. In addition, MERLIN has the ability to customize antibiograms for more than 200 antibiotics.
Due to this flexibility, the MICRONAUT system enables laboratories to adjust their testing profiles to
the rapid spread of certain new resistances. MICRONAUT software for identification and susceptibility
testing includes an expert plausibility check, and has for several years already offered an interface to Bruker´s MALDI Biotyper .
MERLIN is a member of the German Diagnostic Industry Association (VDGH) and the Paul-Ehrlich-Society for Chemotherapy
(www.p-e-g.org), and MERLIN is involved in various studies
related to antibiotic resistance, e.g. the monitoring of drug resistance among clinically relevant pathogens in Germany and central Europe. For such multicenter studies involving
human and veterinary medicine, MERLIN offers the design and production of dedicated MIC study plates, as well as scientific
consulting and support. MERLIN acts as a reference laboratory for annual inter-laboratory tests by the INSTAND organization
(www.instand-ev.de) for quality assurance in
microbiology.
MERLIN will continue to serve all existing collaboration and distribution partners, as well as all OEM customers and end
customers after the acquisition.
Dr. Esther Pfeil, Managing Director of MERLIN Diagnostika GmbH, commented: "We are very pleased
to be part of Bruker´s microbiology business now, as we have been collaborating with Bruker already for several years. Our
product and service offerings in the field of antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) complement the MALDI
Biotyper system for fast and efficient microbial identification. With our proven expertise in the field of AST, we aim
to accelerate further assay additions to the MBT-STAR ™ consumables portfolio for selected, rapid antibiotic
resistance and susceptibility testing on the MALDI Biotyper ."
Dr. Johann-Wolfgang Wittke, Managing Director of the Medical Laboratory Bremen (Germany), said: "Our laboratory has been working with Bruker´s MALDI Biotyper for
microbial identification and the MICRONAUT system from MERLIN for many years. The MICRONAUT microdilution approach with the determination of true minimal inhibitory concentrations has leading analytical
performance and reliability. We use MERLIN's custom-tailored microtiter plates to answer different microbiological
questions, or for the detection of resistance mechanisms. This flexibility is unmatched in the market, and I am looking
forward to further integration, synergies and reduction of hands-on time."
Dr. Wolfgang Pusch, Executive Vice President for Microbiology & Diagnostics at Bruker
Daltonics, added: "MERLIN adds expertise and an impressive portfolio of flexible specialty products for antibiotic susceptibility
testing to Bruker's clinical and applied microbiology business. Over time, we expect that MERLIN will further expand our
selected, high-value ART and AST assay portfolio for the MALDI Biotyper ."
About the Bruker MALDI Biotyper (MBT) Platform
The MALDI Biotyper family of systems enables molecular identification of microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts and
fungi. Classification and identification of microorganisms is achieved reliably and quickly using proteomic fingerprinting
by high-throughput MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The MALDI Biotyper uses a molecular approach based on specific
proteomic fingerprints from bacterial strains. Many published studies have highlighted the greater accuracy and lower cost
offered, as well as typically much faster time-to-result (TTR).
Applications of various MALDI Biotyper solutions include clinical routine microbial identification, environmental and
pharmaceutical analysis, taxonomical research, food and consumer product safety and quality control, as well as marine
microbiology. In many European and international laboratories the MALDI Biotyper has replaced classical biochemical
testing for bacterial identification in the past few years due to the accuracy, speed, extensive species coverage, ease of use
and cost effectiveness of the system. Traditional biochemical techniques detect different metabolic properties of
microorganisms, can take many hours or even days for completion, and they often lack specificity.
The robust MALDI Biotyper requires minimal sample preparation and offers low consumables cost. The products of
the MALDI Biotyper family are available in a research-use-only (RUO) version, as the U.S. FDA-cleared MALDI Biotyper CA
System, or in an IVD-CE version according to EU directive EC/98/79. The MALDI Biotyper also has medical device
registrations in numerous other countries. RUO versions of the MALDI Biotyper allow selected, high-value
antimicrobial resistance tests.
About Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ: BRKR)
For more than 55 years, Bruker has enabled scientists to make breakthrough discoveries and develop new applications that
improve the quality of human life. Bruker's high-performance scientific instruments and high-value analytical and
diagnostic solutions enable scientists to explore life and materials at molecular, cellular and microscopic levels. In
close cooperation with our customers, Bruker is enabling innovation, productivity and customer success in life science molecular
research, in applied and pharma applications, in microscopy, nano-analysis and industrial applications, as well as in cell
biology, preclinical imaging, clinical phenomics and proteomics research, clinical microbiology and molecular pathology
research. For more information, please visit: www.bruker.com
Investor
Contact:
Miroslava
Minkova
Head of Investor
Relations
T: +1 (978) 663–3660, ext.
1479
E: miroslava.minkova@bruker.com
Contact for Media and Customers:
Dr. Wolfgang Pusch
Bruker Daltonics Division
Tel: +49-421-2205-270
E: Wolfgang.Pusch@bruker.com
MALDI Biotyper® and MBT STAR® are registered trademarks of Bruker Daltonik GmbH in the
European Union and other regions.
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