Cytopeia bought, but will stay in Seattle

Seattle bioengineering firm Cytopeia, the first company to spin off from the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), has been acquired by Becton, Dickinson and Co. for an undisclosed sum.

The New Jersey-based medical-technology giant said Wednesday the purchase would help advance its cell-therapy research and other needs. The acquisition won't have a material impact on its earnings.

Cytopeia, a privately held company with some 30 employees, manufactures instruments for biomedical research. The firm's facilities will remain in Seattle, and become part of BD Biosciences, a unit of BD.

Cytopeia spun off from the ISB in 2000. In 2004 it launched its first commercial product, the inFlux Cell Sorter, a device that helps scientists determine the characteristics of cells.

The company, which is headquartered near the University of Washington, had $9 million in sales in 2007, said BD spokeswoman Colleen White.

Cytopeia President Ger van den Engh will stay in Seattle and will become BD Biosciences' vice president for advanced cytometry. Van den Engh helped form the Department of Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Washington in the early 1990s, and later joined the ISB.

Ángel González: 206-515-5644 or agonzalez@seattletimes.com