Bayer Technology Services GmbH (BTS) is strengthening its expertise in the field of highly sensitive detection processes for life sciences with the acquisition of the business and assets of Zeptosens AG in Witterswil, Switzerland.

Zeptosens AG was established 1998 as a spin-off from Novartis. The company's core business is the development, production and sale of a highly sensitive chip system based on fluorescence detection on the surface of a planar optical waveguide. The company's commercialized protein and nucleic acid (DNA/RNA) microarrays are used by both the pharmaceutical industry and universities for genome and proteome research.

"The know-how and intellectual property of Zeptosens are an excellent complement to BTS's existing technology portfolio for planar waveguides and biochip technologies. With this acquisition, BTS can significantly expand its technological basis for the development of innovative applications," said Dr. Helmut Mothes, Senior Vice President Process Technology of Bayer Technology Services. In addition to applications within the Bayer group BTS wants to develop new opportunities with attractive market potential, such as the quality control of food products. BTS plans to refine the technologies and products within its own business strategy, building on them to tap the full potential of planar waveguide technology in the longer term.

Bayer Technology Systems GmbH offers fully-integrated solutions along the life cycle of chemical/pharmaceutical plants - from development through engineering and construction to process optimization for existing plants. The Bayer subsidiary employs more than 2,100 experts worldwide at its headquarters in Leverkusen and other German locations, as well as in regional offices in Baytown, (Texas, USA), Antwerp (Belgium), Mexico City (Mexico) and Shanghai (Peoples Republic of China). Bayer Technology Services posted sales totalling 720 million euros in 2003.