Olympus Licenses Digital Pathology Patents to Leica Microsystems

Olympus America Inc.(Center Valley, PA, USA) and Leica Microsystems GmbH (Wetzlar, Germany) entered into a nonexclusive worldwide licensing agreement allowing Leica to access an extensive portfolio of patents held by Olympus in the field of digital pathology and virtual microscopy. The companies did not make specific terms and conditions of the agreement public.

The patents included in the licensing deal cover methods and equipment for creating, storing, and delivering virtual microscopy slides. The technology enables individuals to view and share high-resolution virtual microscopy images over the Internet.

Olympus America Scientific Equipment Group provides microscope-imaging solutions for clinicians, researchers, doctors, and educators. The company is a precision technology leader, designing and delivering innovative solutions in its core business areas: medical and surgical products, life science imaging systems, industrial measurement, and imaging instruments, and cameras and audio products.

Leica Microsystems GmbH is a global manufacturer of optical microscopes, equipment for the preparation of microscopic specimens, and related products. Stefan Traeger, managing director of Leica's Life Science Division commented, "We believe digital slide scanning will be the fastest growing segment in microscopy for years to come. This license agreement will enable us to further expand our offering in this space, and to provide our customers around the world with a complete solution from digital scanning of microscopy slides to the handling and management of digital pathology data."

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