MILFORD, Mass.– Waters Corporation has announced the acquisition of Halo Labs, a scientific instrumentation company known for its advanced imaging technologies used to detect and quantify particles in biologic therapeutics such as cell, gene, and protein therapies.
The acquisition, which aims to bolster Waters’ analytical offerings in the fast-growing field of biologics, includes Halo Labs’ flagship Aura™ platform. The technology enables full-spectrum particle analysis with high throughput and low sample volume requirements, making it especially valuable for early-stage development and quality control of complex therapies, such as CAR T-cell treatments.
Waters said the Aura system complements the light scattering solutions offered through its Wyatt Technology portfolio. The integration of Halo Labs’ subvisible particle detection capabilities is expected to provide new insights during the characterization of therapeutic particles, many of which are currently invisible to standard analysis tools.
“Adding the innovative low-sample-volume, high-throughput technology from Halo Labs provides analysis for a broad range of sample types and volumes, enabling earlier insights during therapy development and greater safety during manufacturing,” said Dr. Udit Batra, President and CEO of Waters Corporation. “With the rapid growth of treatments like CAR T-cell therapies, we are investing in the innovation our customers need.”
Rick Gordon, CEO of Halo Labs, called the acquisition a natural fit. “We are thrilled to join forces with Waters, a company that shares our values of purposeful innovation and customer focus,” he said. “This combination accelerates our vision to expand our platform’s reach, enhancing therapeutic development and production while maintaining our unwavering commitment to drug quality and safety.”
Waters noted that the acquisition is not expected to have a material impact on its financial results over the next 12 months.
Halo Labs, a venture-backed company, specializes in tools for formulation, stability, and product quality control in biopharmaceuticals. Its clients include drug developers worldwide who rely on the company’s proprietary optics and image processing technologies for critical insights into therapeutic products.
