Caliper Life Sciences Inc. (NSDQ:CALP) entered into a development and manufacturing pact with Sony DADC Austria AG.
Under the terms of the deal, the Hopkinton, Mass.-based laboratory instruments and services provider will collaborate with the Sony Corp. (NYSE:SNE) subsidiary to produce single-use microfluidics chips for its LabChip XT, using Sony’s Blu-ray disc technology.
The LabChip XT is an automated nucleic acid fractionation device for genetic sequencing applications, according to Caliper. The Blu-ray disc production facilities will enable the company to produce its plastic-based consumables in larger quantities, with the precision required for its life science and molecular diagnostic tools.
“We selected Sony DADC, the world’s largest producer of super-high-quality Blu-ray discs, because of their outstanding quality and large volume manufacturing credentials,” Caliper CEO Kevin Hrusovsky said in prepared remarks.
For the company’s latest fiscal quarter, revenues dropped slightly, but its losses eased. The company recorded a loss of $1.3 million, or 3 cents per diluted share, on revenue of $29.7 million during the three months ended Sept. 30. That compares with a loss of $3.4 million, or 7 cents per diluted share, on sales of $32.2 million during the same period last year.
