Flagship Biosciences acquires IHCtech, a leading provider of research immunohistochemistry and histology services
Combining tissue analysis with expert immunohistochemistry completes Flagship’s novel quantitative pathology approaches
June 4, 2012 — Flagship Biosciences announced today the acquisition of IHCtech LLC at the Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Founded in 2002, IHCtech has developed a strong reputation for high-quality advanced immunohistochemistry procedures, meeting the IHC and histology needs of pharmaceutical and academic investigators.
“We have partnered with Flagship Biosciences on a number of new techniques and approaches for quantitation in immunohistochemistry,” said Patsy Ruegg, owner and founder of IHCtech. “Their approaches to whole slide analysis and commitment to quantitative pathology makes a perfect partner with IHCtech’s expertise in high quality histology and immunohistochemistry. We enthusiastically look to further innovation by evaluating all aspects of the tissue chain — tissue procurement, fixation and processing, with the ability to measure with whole slide analysis how each of these steps contribute to variability in the overall process.”
“While Flagship Biosciences has established strong partnerships with a number of highly respected IHC laboratories, both within the United States and internationally, this acquisition gives us the opportunity to internally evaluate tissue staining and implement new processes that better equip immunohistochemistry operations for use in quantitative pathology with whole slide imaging analysis,” said Dr. David Young, President of Flagship Biosciences. “Patsy Ruegg’s leadership in the area of high-quality research immunohistochemistry has been clear for many years. She has been a consistent expert in new IHC techniques like dual staining as well as a longtime leader in training of histology personnel.”
IHCtech provides high-quality histology, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence to academic and pharmaceutical clients. With over 350 optimized research IHC antibodies, IHCtech brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the tissue analysis process.
Flagship Biosciences specializes in tissue-based companion diagnostics, IHC biomarker development and histopathology assessment of discovery, safety and toxicity using brightfield and fluorescent whole slide imaging. The company provides a full service of tissue analysis for drug and device development, including tissue procurement, tissue preparation and immunohistochemistry, whole slide quantitative computer-based evaluation, with all services overseen by veterinary and medical anatomic pathologists.
Source: Flagship Biosciences, LLC