Axion BioSystems has acquired the intellectual property and assets of CytoTronics, adding high-density microelectrode array technology originally developed at Harvard University to Axion’s portfolio of live-cell bioelectronic assay and imaging systems.
The deal expands Axion’s ability to support disease research and drug discovery by pairing high-density electrode arrays with industry-standard high-throughput formats used in screening workflows.
Bioelectronic assays rely on biocompatible electronic microsensors embedded in cell culture surfaces to continuously monitor living cells, capturing changes in cell number and morphology as well as functional readouts such as neural firing and cardiac beating without requiring labels or dyes.
CytoTronics’ CMOS microelectrode array plates are designed to push resolution and throughput simultaneously, featuring more than 13 million nanoscale, multimodal, electrode-based sensors distributed across 96-well and 384-well microplates. Axion said the acquisition strengthens its ability to deliver high-throughput screening at single-cell resolution, supporting neural and cardiac drug discovery applications while leveraging Axion’s existing software, hardware, and customer support infrastructure.
Axion, founded in 2008, focuses on tools for studying electrically active cells such as neurons and cardiomyocytes, and said the CytoTronics platform complements its established MEA and impedance offerings by adding high-density arrays without compromising throughput. Axion is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with offices in the Netherlands, the UK, and China.
KEY QUOTES:
“Axion has a long-standing reputation for delivering intuitive, reliable, and scalable electrophysiology platforms to the cell biology community. That industry leadership makes Axion the ideal home for CytoTronics’ innovative technology. I’m excited to work with the Axion team to commercialize the next generation of high-throughput, high-density CMOS MEA assays for neural and cardiac drug discovery.”
Jeffrey Abbott, PhD, Co-founder and Former Chief Executive Officer, CytoTronics, Inc.; Vice President, Axion BioSystems
“Since its founding in 2008, Axion’s goal has been to provide scientists with best-in-class tools to study electrically active cells like neurons and cardiomyocytes. The acquisition of CytoTronics’ technology is highly strategic for Axion, complementing our industry-leading MEA and impedance platforms with high-density arrays without sacrificing high throughput, and leveraging our high-performance software, robust hardware, and customer support infrastructure.”
Julien Bradley, Chief Executive Officer, Axion BioSystems
