Heska to acquire LightDeck Diagnostics

Heska Corporation, a global provider of veterinary diagnostic and specialty solutions, announced it has entered a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the share capital of MBio Diagnostics, Inc, or LightDeck Diagnostics, a company focusing on innovative planar waveguide fluorescence immunoassay diagnostics with strong manufacturing and specialized production abilities.

Initiated in 2009 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, LightDeck has created a scalable, innovative platform for rapid and accurate point-of-care diagnostics. According to a company release,¹ LightDeck's planar waveguide technology optimizes laser-activated fluorescence and microfluidics to offer point-of-care cartridge-based testing without compromise, allowing reference lab-quality results in minutes with inexpensive, quantitative, and easy-to-use functionality. LightDeck's Boulder location features fully equipped laboratories for assay development and controlled manufacturing capabilities that promote its new, state-of-the-art, highly automated facility in Longmont, Colorado, planned to go online in 2023.

"We are thrilled to welcome the entire LightDeck team to Heska. We have known and closely followed their success for years and we are happy to fully join with them today as one team focused on supercharging their great work. LightDeck brings to Heska best-in-breed, highly scalable manufacturing, and world-class assay development to help drive our strategies for winning at innovation and winning at scale," said Kevin Wilson, Heska's chief executive Officer and president, in the release.¹

LightDeck's co-founder and chief technology officer, Mike Lochhead, commented, "We are excited to now enter this next phase with Heska to dramatically expand our reach and scale. What we do at LightDeck matters a great deal. With Heska, we go confidently into our next commercial, manufacturing, and development chapters, strongly engaged, highly supported, and clearly set up for long-term success and growth."

Reference

Heska to acquire LightDeck Diagnostics to invest in manufacturing capabilities and accelerate research and development efforts. News release. Heska Corporation. September 12, 2022. Accessed September 12, 2022. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/heska-to-acquire-lightdeck-diagnostics-to-invest-in-manufacturing-capabilities-and-accelerate-research-and-development-efforts-301621733.html