Agilent: Genohm deal allows us to bring greater context to analytical data

Agilent Technologies is to acquire privately-held Genohm for an undisclosed price to boost its lab informatics business.

Genohm’s main laboratory software automation product, called SLIMS, is a digital platform that provides users with a laboratory information management system (LIMS) and electronic lab notebook (ELN) environment used in research labs and next generation sequencing facilities.

The platform tracks data and samples, tests and users, results and workflows, from original material shipment to result from lab instruments and in-silico analysis pipelines.

Agilent said the deal enhances its software portfolio, adding LIMS and workflow management, while expanding ELN capability.

This will allow greater context to analytical data and enable scientists to generate results more efficiently, it added.

The company generated revenues of $4.47bn (€3.73bn) in fiscal 2017 and employs 14,200 people worldwide.

Supporting the digital lab

John Sadler, VP and general manager of Agilent’s Software and Informatics Division, said SLIMS is aligned with Agilent’s OpenLab products.

“By integrating this technology with our broad and diverse instrument portfolio, we are in a unique position to support and enhance the operations of modern laboratories - truly helping our customers to do more with their data.”

Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, Genohm has 40 employees and works with the US Food and Drug Adminsitration, Qiagen and Nestlé Institute for Health Science.

Frederik Decouttere, founder and CEO of Genohm, said it can accelerate development of the digital lab to help customers advance science and discovery while ensuring compliance and traceability.

“Our laboratory management platform is highly configurable, easily deployable and leverageable across many different workflows, which makes our technology a perfect fit for Agilent.”