Leica Biosystems

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Leica Biosystems
Company typeSubsidiary GmbH
Industry Biotechnology, Digital pathology
Founded1872, as Precision Engineering
HeadquartersNussloch, Germany
ProductsMicrotome; Cryostat; Vibratome, Digital Pathology Scanner
Parent Danaher Corporation

Leica Biosystems, founded 1872 as Precision Engineering, [1] is a medical devices company that develops and supplies clinical diagnostics to the pathology market. It is also a research, instrument, and medical device company as well as a division of Danaher Corporation.

Contents

Company Description

The company has headquarters in Germany with operations in the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Australia, India, China, Singapore, Mexico, and the United States (California, Illinois, and Ohio). A research and development facility concentrating on companion diagnostics for cancer drugs has been in operation in Danvers, Massachusetts since August 2012. [2]

The Massachusetts facility has partnered with Galena Biopharma to develop companion diagnostics for a breast cancer vaccine. [3]

In November 2022, the company announced its acquisition of Cell IDx Inc. [4] , headquartered in San Diego, California, and provides multiplex staining panels, tissue staining, and imaging and analysis services.

Leica Biosystems acquired Aperio, an ePathology solutions company, in October 2012. [5] In October 2014, the company announced they will purchase Devicor Medical Products, which is headquartered in Cincinnati and makes medical devices used in breast biopsies. [6]

The company partners with Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology in developing cytogenetics imaging software. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Histology</span> Study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals

Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology that studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures visible without a microscope. Although one may divide microscopic anatomy into organology, the study of organs, histology, the study of tissues, and cytology, the study of cells, modern usage places all of these topics under the field of histology. In medicine, histopathology is the branch of histology that includes the microscopic identification and study of diseased tissue. In the field of paleontology, the term paleohistology refers to the histology of fossil organisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pathology</span> Study of the causes and effects of disease or injury, and how they arise

Pathology is the study of disease and injury. The word pathology also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatment, the term is often used in a narrower fashion to refer to processes and tests that fall within the contemporary medical field of "general pathology", an area that includes a number of distinct but inter-related medical specialties that diagnose disease, mostly through analysis of tissue and human cell samples. Idiomatically, "a pathology" may also refer to the predicted or actual progression of particular diseases, and the affix pathy is sometimes used to indicate a state of disease in cases of both physical ailment and psychological conditions. A physician practicing pathology is called a pathologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anatomical pathology</span> Medical specialty

Anatomical pathology (Commonwealth) or anatomic pathology (U.S.) is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the macroscopic, microscopic, biochemical, immunologic and molecular examination of organs and tissues. Over the 20th century, surgical pathology has evolved tremendously: from historical examination of whole bodies (autopsy) to a more modernized practice, centered on the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer to guide treatment decision-making in oncology. Its modern founder was the Italian scientist Giovanni Battista Morgagni from Forlì.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cytopathology</span> A branch of pathology that studies and diagnoses diseases on the cellular level

Cytopathology is a branch of pathology that studies and diagnoses diseases on the cellular level. The discipline was founded by George Nicolas Papanicolaou in 1928. Cytopathology is generally used on samples of free cells or tissue fragments, in contrast to histopathology, which studies whole tissues. Cytopathology is frequently, less precisely, called "cytology", which means "the study of cells".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biopsy</span> Medical test involving extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination

A biopsy is a medical test commonly performed by a surgeon, an interventional radiologist, or an interventional cardiologist. The process involves the extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine the presence or extent of a disease. The tissue is then fixed, dehydrated, embedded, sectioned, stained and mounted before it is generally examined under a microscope by a pathologist; it may also be analyzed chemically. When an entire lump or suspicious area is removed, the procedure is called an excisional biopsy. An incisional biopsy or core biopsy samples a portion of the abnormal tissue without attempting to remove the entire lesion or tumor. When a sample of tissue or fluid is removed with a needle in such a way that cells are removed without preserving the histological architecture of the tissue cells, the procedure is called a needle aspiration biopsy. Biopsies are most commonly performed for insight into possible cancerous or inflammatory conditions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GE HealthCare</span> American multinational medical technology company

GE HealthCare Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational medical technology company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It was spun-off from General Electric on January 4, 2023, with GE retaining 6.7%. As of 2017, it is a manufacturer and distributor of diagnostic imaging agents and radiopharmaceuticals for imaging modalities used in medical imaging procedures. It offers dyes used in magnetic-resonance-imaging procedures; manufactures medical diagnostic equipment, including CT image machines; MRI, X-ray; ultrasound; cath labs; mammogram; Nuclear Medicine Cameras; and develops health technology for medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, disease research, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. It was incorporated in 1994 and operates in more than 100 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immunohistochemistry</span> Common application of immunostaining

Immunohistochemistry is a form of immunostaining. It involves the process of selectively identifying antigens (proteins) in cells and tissue, by exploiting the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens in biological tissues. Albert Hewett Coons, Ernest Berliner, Norman Jones and Hugh J Creech was the first to develop immunofluorescence in 1941. This led to the later development of immunohistochemistry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fibroadenoma</span> Medical condition

Fibroadenomas are benign breast tumours characterized by an admixture of stromal and epithelial tissue. Breasts are made of lobules and ducts. These are surrounded by glandular, fibrous and fatty tissues. Fibroadenomas develop from the lobules. The glandular tissue and ducts grow over the lobule to form a solid lump.

Fluorescence <i>in situ</i> hybridization Genetic testing technique

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a molecular cytogenetic technique that uses fluorescent probes that bind to only particular parts of a nucleic acid sequence with a high degree of sequence complementarity. It was developed by biomedical researchers in the early 1980s to detect and localize the presence or absence of specific DNA sequences on chromosomes. Fluorescence microscopy can be used to find out where the fluorescent probe is bound to the chromosomes. FISH is often used for finding specific features in DNA for use in genetic counseling, medicine, and species identification. FISH can also be used to detect and localize specific RNA targets in cells, circulating tumor cells, and tissue samples. In this context, it can help define the spatial-temporal patterns of gene expression within cells and tissues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thermo Fisher Scientific</span> Provisioner of scientific consumables, equipment, and services

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is an American-headquartered life science and clinical research company. It is a global supplier of analytical instruments, clinical development solutions, specialty diagnostics, laboratory, pharmaceutical and biotechnology services. Based in Waltham, Massachusetts, Thermo Fisher was formed through the merger of Thermo Electron and Fisher Scientific in 2006. Thermo Fisher Scientific has acquired other reagent, consumable, instrumentation, and service providers, including Life Technologies Corporation (2013), Alfa Aesar (2015), Affymetrix (2016), FEI Company (2016), BD Advanced Bioprocessing (2018), and PPD (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breast cyst</span> Medical condition

A breast cyst is a cyst, a fluid-filled sac, within the breast. One breast can have one or more cysts. They are often described as round or oval lumps with distinct edges. In texture, a breast cyst usually feels like a soft grape or a water-filled balloon, but sometimes a breast cyst feels firm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical laboratory</span> Principles of management with special reference to medical science

A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are conducted out on clinical specimens to obtain information about the health of a patient to aid in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Clinical medical laboratories are an example of applied science, as opposed to research laboratories that focus on basic science, such as found in some academic institutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automated tissue image analysis</span>

Automated tissue image analysis or histopathology image analysis (HIMA) is a process by which computer-controlled automatic test equipment is used to evaluate tissue samples, using computations to derive quantitative measurements from an image to avoid subjective errors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galen Partners</span> American private investment firm

Galen Partners is a healthcare-focused growth equity investment firm. With nearly $1-billion invested over five funds, Galen has helped build more than 70 companies since inception.

Radiometer is a Danish multinational company which develops, manufactures and markets solutions for blood sampling, blood gas analysis, transcutaneous monitoring, immunoassay testing and the related IT management systems. The company was founded in 1935 in Copenhagen, Denmark by Børge Aagaard Nielsen and Carl Schrøder. It has over 3,200 employees and direct representation in more than 32 countries. Corporate headquarters remain in Copenhagen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CellNetix</span>

CellNetix Pathology & Laboratories, LLC, headquartered in Tukwila, Washington, is a premier anatomic pathology provider in the Pacific Northwest, with 60 physicians and more than 300 total staff. Services include cytology, histology, fine needle aspiration (FNA) services, flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, UroVysion™, and molecular diagnostics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exact Sciences Corp.</span> American company in Madison, United States

Exact Sciences Corp. is a molecular diagnostics company based in Madison, Wisconsin specializing in the detection of early stage cancers. The company's initial focus was on the early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer; in 2014 it launched Cologuard, the first stool DNA test for colorectal cancer. Since then Exact Sciences has grown its product portfolio to encompass other screening and precision oncological tests for other types of cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Boppart</span> American bioengineer and academic

Stephen A. Boppart is a principal investigator at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he holds an Abel Bliss Professorship in engineering. He is a faculty member in the departments of electrical and computer engineering, bioengineering, and internal medicine. His research focus is biophotonics, where he has pioneered new optical imaging technologies in the fields of optical coherence tomography, multi-photon microscopy, and computational imaging.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Applied Spectral Imaging</span>

Applied Spectral Imaging or ASI is a multinational biomedical company that develops and manufactures microscopy imaging and digital analysis tools for hospitals, service laboratories and research centers. The company provides cytogenetic, pathology, and research laboratories with bright-field, fluorescence and spectral imaging in clinical applications. Test slides can be scanned, captured, archived, reviewed on the screen, analyzed with computer-assisted algorithms, and reported. ASI system platforms automate the workflow process to reduce human error in the identification and classification of chromosomal disorders, genome instability, various oncological malignancies, among other diseases.

Richard James Cote is a pathologist, academic and author. He is the Edward Mallinckrodt Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, and the Pathologist-in-Chief at Barnes Jewish Hospital.

References

  1. https://www.leicabiosystems.com/sites/default/files/media_document-file/2023-08/220737_Rev-A_150years_new_Booklet_new.pdf
  2. Seiffert, Don. “Leica Biosystems plans to expand R&D facility in Mass.” Boston Business Journal. Feb. 1, 2013
  3. Weintraub, Karen. “Leica Biosystems plans R&D expansion in area.” The Boston Globe. Feb. 25, 2013
  4. https://www.leicabiosystems.com/us/news-events/leica-biosystems-acquires-cell-idx-moving-its-multiplexing-menu-forward-with-ready-to/
  5. “Leica Biosystems completes acquisition of Aperio.” Yahoo Finance. Oct. 24, 2012
  6. Collins, Allison. “Leica Biosystems Adds GTCR-Backed Devicor Medical Products.” Mergers and Acquisitions. Oct. 28, 2014
  7. “Leica Biosystems and Mayo Clinic Collaborate on Future of Cytogenetics Imaging.” Mayo Clinic Blog. December 15, 2014

See also