BD Announces Acquisition of Cytopeia( Expands Portfolio of Advan...)

Expands Portfolio of Advanced Flow Cytometry Platforms

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J., May 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX) announced today that it has acquired all of the outstanding stock of Cytopeia, a privately held Washington corporation based in Seattle that develops and markets advanced flow cytometry cell sorting instruments.

Financial terms of this transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition is not expected to have a material impact on BD's fiscal year 2008 earnings.

"This strategic acquisition brings new technologies and capabilities that will enhance BD's ability to address growing customer needs in advanced applications, such as cell therapy research," said William A. Kozy, BD Executive Vice President. "This transaction reflects our commitment to bringing innovative tools to life scientists and will allow us to rapidly enter emerging areas of cell-based research."

Cytopeia's Influx(TM) cell sorter offers BD an open, configurable cell sorting platform that can be fully optimized for researchers' unique application-specific requirements. This high level of choice and control is particularly important for life science research on the leading edge of biomedical discovery. The Influx cell sorter is suited for a range of applications including cell therapy research, stem cell research, drug discovery and development, as well as marine biology. It complements the BD FACSAria(TM) II system -- the platform of choice in research labs around the world for a broad range of immunology cell sorting and multi-color applications.

Through the acquisition, BD gains the scientific leadership and insights of Dr. Ger van den Engh, a renowned innovator in flow cytometry.
'/>"/>