BD Diagnostics and Bruker Collaborate to Improve Microbial Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing

BD Diagnostics, a segment of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), and Bruker Daltonics Inc., a subsidiary of Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ: BRKR), announced today an international co-development and co-marketing collaboration that will promote an emerging, integrated approach to bacterial and fungal identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This new approach has the potential to transform how traditional microbiology has been performed for decades.

The MALDI Biotyper, a compact, benchtop mass spectrometry based system for rapid microbial identification. (Photo: Business Wire)

Through this collaboration, identification of microorganisms will be performed with the Bruker MALDI Biotyper, a mass spectrometry-based proteomic “fingerprinting” system specifically configured for rapid identification of bacteria, yeast and fungi. The MALDI Biotyper is available in a clinical version with IVD-CE mark in Europe and is for research use only (RUO) in the United States, where Bruker intends to seek FDA clearance.

BD and Bruker intend to combine the MALDI Biotyper microbial ID system with automated antimicrobial susceptibility testing on the BD Phoenix™ Microbiology System. The BD EpiCenter™ Microbiology Data Management System, which will manage patient data from both the identification and the susceptibility test systems, will facilitate this industry-first integrated approach.

The MALDI Biotyper – BD EpiCenter software integration will be further developed to optimize workflows for rapid MALDI Biotyper pathogen identification directly on positive blood cultures from the leading BD BACTECTM blood culture system. This rapid blood culture-to-ID workflow is supported by Bruker’s new MALDI Sepsityper™ consumables kit, which today is for RUO. It is expected to become clinically important in the future, as time-to-result for pathogen identification is critical to management of patients having potentially serious bloodstream infections or sepsis.

“This collaboration is ideal because the competencies of the two organizations will complement each other by providing excellent microbiology solutions for the customer,” said Jamie Condie, Vice President and General Manager, Infectious Disease, BD Diagnostics – Diagnostic Systems. “We have chosen to collaborate with Bruker because we believe that its mass spectrometry technologies are the future of microbial identification, and that the MALDI Biotyper is the first and best solution to the market. We expect this collaboration will result in enhanced clinical responsiveness while improving lab efficiency.”

“At Bruker, we are excited about this new strategic collaboration with BD because of the potential it holds to significantly advance clinical microbiology,” said Frank Laukien, Ph.D., President and CEO of Bruker Corporation. “Working with a worldwide leader in microbiology and infectious disease will enable us to further expand the groundbreaking MALDI Biotyper molecular method for microbial ID to its full extent.”

Microbial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing is the end-point of the major work a microbiology lab performs on a daily basis. After culturing and isolating bacteria and fungi from patient specimens, organisms need to be identified and tested to determine which drugs will inhibit or stop their growth. The Bruker MALDI Biotyper allows highly accurate, rapid and cost-effective identification through a process in which organisms are identified by the unique spectrum of the major proteins and peptides that constitute their makeup. The accuracy and benefits of the MALDI Biotyper have been well documented in over 30 peer-reviewed articles.

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing is conducted via traditional automated systems such as the BD Phoenix System. The combination of the two leading technologies, the BD Phoenix System and the MALDI Biotyper, and the data management through the BD EpiCenter System, will provide laboratorians with a groundbreaking new approach to identification and susceptibility testing, which will reduce the turnaround time for critical diagnostic results, while also improving laboratory efficiency and costs.

About BD

BD is a leading global medical technology company that develops, manufactures and sells medical devices, instrument systems and reagents. The Company is dedicated to improving people's health throughout the world. BD is focused on improving drug delivery, enhancing the quality and speed of diagnosing infectious diseases and cancers, and advancing research, discovery and production of new drugs and vaccines. BD's capabilities are instrumental in combating many of the world's most pressing diseases. Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, BD employs approximately 29,000 associates in more than 50 countries throughout the world. The Company serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry and the general public. For more information, please visit www.bd.com.

About Bruker Daltonics

Bruker Daltonics is a leading manufacturer of mass spectrometry (MS) instruments and accessories for life science, pharmaceutical, biochemical and chemical research as well as for more routine analytical tasks in forensics and food safety. Technical solutions are based on a comprehensive range of MALDI-TOF/TOF, ESI-Qq-TOF, ESI-ITMS, ESI/MALDI-FTMS mass spectrometry systems, as well as automated sample handling systems and productivity enhancing software designed to answer customers’ needs. For more information about Bruker Daltonics and Bruker Corporation, please visit www.bdal.com and www.bruker.com.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT OF BD

This press release contains certain estimates and other forward-looking statements (as defined under Federal securities laws) regarding BD’s performance, including future revenues, earnings per share and income, or events or developments that BD expects to occur or anticipates occurring in the future. All such statements are based upon current expectations of BD and involve a number of business risks and uncertainties. Actual results could vary materially from anticipated results described, implied or projected in any forward-looking statement.With respect to forward-looking statements contained herein, a number of factors could cause actual results to vary materially from any forward-looking statement. For instance, various healthcare reform proposals, if enacted, would impose an excise tax applicable to medical device manufacturers, including BD, and these may be effective in calendar year 2010. Other factors include, but are not limited to: adverse changes in regional, national or foreign economic conditions, including any impact that may result from the current global economic downturn on our ability to access credit markets and finance our operations, the demand for our products and services, or our suppliers’ ability to provide products needed for our operations; changes in interest or foreign currency exchange rates, particularly in light of increased volatility in currency exchange rates; potential healthcare reform, including changes in government pricing and reimbursement policies or other cost containment reforms; competitive factors; pricing and market share pressures; difficulties inherent in product development and delays in product introductions; increases in energy costs and their effect on, among other things, the cost of producing BD’s products; fluctuations in costs and availability of raw materials and in BD’s ability to maintain favorable supplier arrangements and relationships; uncertainties of litigation (as described in BD’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission); the effects of potential pandemic diseases; our ability to successfully integrate any businesses we acquire; and issuance of new or revised accounting standards, as well as other factors discussed in BD’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not intend to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof except as required by applicable laws or regulations.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT OF BRUKER CORPORATION

Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on current expectations, but are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties relating to adverse changes in conditions in the global economy and volatility in the capital markets, the integration of businesses we have acquired or may acquire in the future, changing technologies, product development and market acceptance of our products, the cost and pricing of our products, manufacturing, competition, dependence on collaborative partners and key suppliers, capital spending and government funding policies, changes in governmental regulations, realization of anticipated benefits from economic stimulus programs, intellectual property rights, litigation, and exposure to foreign currency fluctuations and other risk factors discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These and other factors are identified and described in more detail in our filings with the SEC, including, without limitation, our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, our most recent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and our current reports on Form 8-K. We expressly disclaim any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements other than as required by law.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6446518&lang=en