Spectral Diagnostics Inc. announced Tuesday that it will acquirePrimecare B.V., a Dutch company specializing in plasmaseparation.

The deal, valued at $3.4 million, will give Spectral(NASDAQ:DIAGF) all shares and obligations of Primecare, and isexpected to be completed in 30 days.

According to Spectral of Toronto, Primecare's membraneplasma separators can instantly separate plasma from wholeblood without centrifugation and pipetting. The patentedproduct and method rely on a semi-permeable membrane toseparate a set amount of plasma from the cellular componentsof whole blood. This proprietary technology would fit withSpectral's heart-related panel tests, such as its cardiac panel.

Spectral's cardiac panel device uses four pairs of antibodies in asandwich assay -- myosin light chain, troponin I, myoglobinand CK-MB -- to determine the levels of certain proteins thatare released into the blood during ischemic episodes. Accordingto Spectral, the test can determine whether chest pains arecardiac or not and can distinguish unstable angina frommyocardial infarction. -- Karl Thiel

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