HOPKINTON, Mass., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CALP), a leading provider of life sciences tools, announced today that Becton, Dickinson and Company ("BD"), has acquired a license to Caliper's microfluidics patent portfolio.

"We are pleased that Becton Dickinson is leveraging the strength of our microfluidics intellectual property to facilitate the development of its next generation molecular diagnostics systems," said Kevin Hrusovsky, CEO of Caliper Life Sciences. "This further validates the value of our microfluidics technology. To date, over a dozen licensing partners have chosen to obtain licenses under our microfluidics patent portfolio to develop and protect their next generation products in life sciences and diagnostics."

Caliper's microfluidic technology enables unprecedented gains in the speed and data quality of biological assays and diagnostic tests. The Caliper microfluidic patent estate includes over 350 issued U.S. patents covering fundamental aspects of microfluidic technology, such as plastic and glass chip fabrication, instruments and chip-based methods used in drug discovery, diagnostics, biological and vaccine drug production, and genomics and proteomics research.

In connection with the licensing agreement, Caliper Life Sciences and BD agreed to settle the litigation initiated by HandyLab, Inc., which was recently acquired by BD. Financial terms of the licensing transaction were not disclosed.

About Caliper Life Sciences

Caliper Life Sciences is a premier provider of cutting-edge technologies enabling researchers in the life sciences industry to create life-saving and enhancing medicines and diagnostic tests more quickly and efficiently. Caliper is aggressively innovating new technology to bridge the gap between in vitro assays and in vivo results, enabling the translation of those results into cures for human disease. Caliper's portfolio of offerings includes state-of-the-art microfluidics, lab automation & liquid handling, optical imaging technologies, and discovery & development outsourcing solutions. For more information please visit www.caliperLS.com.

SOURCE Caliper Life Sciences, Inc.