HORIBA, Ltd. (Head Office: Kyoto, Japan; hereinafter, “HORIBA”) has announced that HORIBA Instruments Incorporated (Head Office: Irvine, USA; hereinafter, “HORIBA Instruments”) acquired all shares of MANTA Instruments, Inc. (Head Office: San Diego, USA; hereinafter, “MANTA”) on January 24, 2019. MANTA has earned a high reputation for its nanoparticle characterization technology by using a breakthrough multispectral nanoparticle tracking technique that was developed and patented by the University of California, San Diego. This leading developer, manufacturer, and supplier of nanoparticle tracking analysis systems is now a wholly owned subsidiary of HORIBA Instruments. This expands HORIBA’s technology of particle characterization instruments.
Reasons/objectives concerning the acquisition
HORIBA develops, manufactures, and sells nanoparticle tracking analysis systems used in life-science, semiconductor manufacturing process and environmental process.
The latest model of MANTA’s nanoparticle tracking analysis systems, the ViewSizer® 3000, emits a laser beam at nanoparticles in Brownian motion*1 in a fluid to track them and, by means of image analysis, evaluates size distribution, number concentration, and the aggregation state of particles from 10 nanometers in size with high resolution. In the fluorescence mode, fluorescently labeled particles can be measured. This innovative instrument is expected to meet customer needs in the life science and pharmaceutical research markets, which require data on particle number concentration, as well as in the cosmetics, catalysis, and semiconductor markets, where measurement in the nanoregion is essential. The particle characterization instruments market, which MANTA’s ViewSizer 3000® belongs to, is estimated to reach 2.06 billion yen in 2019 and continue to expand at a compound average growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4% up to 2022 (Company data).
*1 Random motion of particles suspended in a liquid
Target fields and applications
● Life science -> Aggregation/crystallization of proteins, research and development of exosomes, viruses, and antibody drugs
● Agriculture and forestry, water, and home electronics -> Fine bubbles with antimicrobial and purifying properties
● Semiconductor materials -> Production control of semiconductor wafer polish and quality control of semiconductor ultrapure water
● Environment -> Quality monitoring and treatment of water (number of aquatic nanoparticles)
● Pharmaceuticals, food, and cosmetics -> Particle concentration control for the pharmaceutical industry, ultra-low concentration samples.
● Functional nanomaterials -> Catalyst materials and carbon nanotubes
● Catalysts and rechargeable batteries -> Research, development, improvement, and quality control of new materials
Integration timeline
After the completion of the acquisition process, MANTA’s development and production functions will be transferred to HORIBA Instruments, thus commencing the development of the next-generation model by capitalizing on HORIBA’s proprietary technologies. When combined with existing optical technologies, MANTA’s image processing technology is expected to contribute to in-vitro diagnostics, regenerative medicine, and research and development of biopharmaceuticals, in addition to particle measurement. HORIBA also plans to apply this advanced technology to CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) slurries in the semiconductor field and aquatic nanoparticle measurement in the environmental field.
About MANTA Instruments, Inc.
Name: MANTA Instruments, Inc.
CEO: Rick Cooper
Address: 7770 Regents Rd#113-573 San Diego, CA USA
Establishment: September 2014
Line of business: Manufacturing and sales of nanoparticle tracking analysis systems
