Germany-based Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik, through its Californian subsidiary Eckert & Ziegler Isotope Products (EZIP), has agreed to purchase all stock and assets of Vitalea Science. Vitalea Science is a bioanalytical CRO that provides services to researchers and clinicians in drug development supported by validated Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) technologies.

This method is used in pre-clinical and clinical studies to explore the behavior of drug candidates in the organism. Due to the AMS device’s ultra-sensitivity it is able to detect C14 tagged molecules in microdose levels. Vitalea also provides AMS services for the characterization and identification of non-medical carbon based compounds.

“Vitalea is a unique company with a very unique capability built around the BioMICADAS device, which is the state-of-the-art in AMS technology,” said Frank Yeager, president & CEO of Eckert & Ziegler Isotope Products.

 “The acquisition helps provide the commercial strength of EZAG to the technical prowess of Vitalea,” said Bob Bethem, president & CEO of Vitalea Science.

Vitalea’s scientists include the original developers of AMS technology for applied bioscience at its location in Davis, Calif., near the University of California Davis campus, a center for research into AMS, PET tracers and other early phase medical studies.

Eckert & Ziegler Isotope Products has been producing instrumentation and calibration standards for over 45 years, manufacturing nuclear imaging reference and calibration standards and producing radioactive components for industrial, scientific and medical applications.

Its holding company, Eckert & Ziegler, is a global isotope technology company that processes radioisotopes and develops, manufactures and sells isotope technology components, medical technology equipment and related products. It employs nearly 600 worldwide and generates annual consolidated revenues in excess of $146 million.