Merck Millipore Muse™ Cell Analyzer Wins Prestigious red dot Design Award

• Expert Jury Awards Muse™ Cell Analyzer with sought-after Global red dot Award: Product Design 2012

May 14, 2012, Darmstadt, Germany — Merck Millipore, the Life Science division of Merck KGaA, of Darmstadt. Germany, has received the red dot Product Design 2012 award for its product the Muse™ Cell Analyzer.  Red dot is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious design competitions from Germany, and is one of the most sought-after quality marks for design recognition globally. The Muse™ Cell Analyzer system, which was launched in 2011, expands researchers accessibility to  real-time quantitative assessment of cell concentration, cell health, apoptosis, and cell cycle with comparable accuracy and precision to traditional cytometry instruments. The red dot jury recognized the Muse™ Cell Analyzer for its high design quality within the life science and medicine category. The international jury judged the Muse™ Cell Analyzer on its level of innovation, functionality, ergonomics, longevity, appearance, ecological compatibility and manufacturing approach.

“We are extremely proud that the Muse™ Cell Analyzer received the prestigious red dot award,” said John Sweeney, Head of Life Sciences business at Merck Millipore.  “The Merck Millipore design team worked hard to deliver unique benefits with the Muse™ Cell Analyzer that incorporates key attributes such as novel, intuitive software, touch screen interaction, speed and a low cost platform that our research customers were seeking when analyzing cell lines within the laboratory.  It is an honor to be recognized by red dot for offering a novel product design solution to our customers.”

By providing real-time, multi-dimensional information on cell populations, the Muse™ Cell Analyzer enables faster, more accurate decision-making, more productive workflows, and greater insight into cell health.

The Muse™ system’s key innovation relates to the optical engine, which delivers high-performance cell analysis using patent-pending, miniaturized fluorescent detection and microcapillary technology. This advancement means Muse™ occupies one-tenth the space of a typical cytometer.  In addition, to increase usability Muse™ includes a touch-screen interface delivering results in about five clicks of the screen, and ease-of-use is further enhanced by all-in-one kits for cell count and viability, apoptosis and cell cycle. The Muse system is available with the optimized reagents necessary for proper sample preparation & analysis.
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The annual red dot competition, which received over 4,000 design nominations from 1,700 companies worldwide, was evaluated by a 30-member expert jury. Other red dot 2012 product design winners in the life science and medicine category include: Venner A.P. video laryngoscope by Venner Medical Pte Ltd; Babybloom incubator by Babybloom Healthcare and Soundlens hearing aid by Starkey Labs Inc.

On July 2, 2012, winners of the competition will be recognized at the red dot gala. More than 1,000 international guests from the design world, industry, society and the media will gather at the Aalto-Theater, the opera house in Essen, to celebrate the red dot 2012 competition. Afterwards, the Merck Millipore Muse™ Cell Analyzer will be on display at a four-week special exhibition in the red dot design museum.

Find out more information about the: Muse™ Cell Analyzer

About Merck Millipore
Merck Millipore is the Life Science division of Merck KGaA of Germany and offers a broad range of innovative, performance products, services and business relationships that enable our customers’ success in research, development and production of biotech and pharmaceutical drug therapies. Through dedicated collaboration on new scientific and engineering insights, and as one of the top three R&D investors in the Life Science Tools industry, Merck Millipore serves as a strategic partner to customers and helps advance the promise of life science.

Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, the division has around 10,000 employees, operations in 67 countries and 2011 revenues of EUR 2.4 billion. Merck Millipore operates as EMD Millipore in the U.S. and Canada.

Note: Merck KGaA or Merck shall mean Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

About Merck
Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with total revenues of € 10.3 billion in 2011, a history that began in 1668, and a future shaped by more than 40,000 employees in 67 countries. Its success is characterized by innovations from entrepreneurial employees. Merck's operating activities come under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which the Merck family holds an approximately 70% interest and shareholders own the remaining approximately 30%. In 1917 the U.S. subsidiary Merck & Co. was expropriated and has been an independent company ever since.

About the red dot design award
The red dot design award, whose origins reach back to the 1950s, is carried out in three disciplines: the “red dot award: product design”, the “red dot award: communication design” and the “red dot award: design concept”. In 2011 alone, more than 14,000 entries from over 70 countries were registered. The award – the red dot – has established itself internationally as one of the most appreciated quality seals for outstanding designs.

 For further information please look at: www.red-dot.de/press