Press Release, Dec 03, 2013: ImmunoChemistry Technologies Changes Ownership

Release Date: 
December 03, 2013 (All day)
For immediate release

ImmunoChemistry Technologies Changes Ownership

Biomedical laboratory developing proprietary and patented reagents for cancer research is now majority women-owned.

Sally Hed, ImmunoChemistry
Technologies VP of Marketing
and Operations

Minneapolis, MN - December 03, 2013 - ImmunoChemistry Technologies (ICT), a Minnesota-based biotechnology company that supplies unique biochemical laboratory reagents and assay tests to medical researchers, has changed ownership. Now majority women-owned, ICT develops new products to help researchers discover new treatments and drugs for cancer and other diseases affecting both animals and humans.

The privately held company is now majority owned by Sally Hed, VP of Marketing and Operations, and Carol Lee, secretary and board member. Dr. Brian W. Lee, Ph.D., president and co-founder, owns one-third of the company and is in charge of ICT’s research and development. ICT has consistently achieved double-digit growth thanks to a solid customer base with an international distributor network serving labs all over the world.

"Someday, doctors will be able to tell if the treatment is working within a matter of hours because they’ll be able to see on a molecular level how many cancer cells are dying in response to treatment," said Sally Hed, VP of Marketing and Operations.

First FLICA 660 Caspase-1 Assay Citations

THP-1 cells with activated caspase-1 enzyme (ICE) emit far-red
fluorescence after staining with FLICA 660 Caspase-1 Assay

Recent peer-reviewed articles in Journal of Hepatology and Journal of Leukocyte Biology validate the use of the new FLICA® 660 Caspase-1 Assay Kit for caspase-1 detection.

NLRP3 inflammasome activation results in hepatocyte pyroptosis, liver inflammation and fibrosis

Win a $100 Product Credit Towards Apoptosis Assays and ELISA Solutions!

We're excited about our new tools for life science research, so we're having a Facebook drawing to award $100 product credits!

The product credit will be valid towards the purchase of any standard catalog item available through www.immunochemistry.com/products, including all of our new products.

Recent Publications Using FLICA Assays

Our FLICA® fluorescent caspase assays continue to be routinely referenced in customers' publications. Here are just a couple that have been released in recent weeks:
Apoptosis-Associated Speck-like Protein Containing a Caspase Recruitment Domain Inflammasomes Mediate IL-1β Response and Host Resistance to Trypanosoma cruzi Infection.Silva GK, Costa RS, Silveira TN, Caetano BC, Horta CV, Gutierrez FR, Guedes PM, Andrade WA, De Niz M, Gazzinelli RT, Zamboni DS, Silva JS. J Immunol. (2013). [Abstract]

CELL-ebrate our 19th Anniversary with us

We're 19 on September 19th!

To celebrate another year of developing and supplying tools to the global biomedical research community, we are offering 19% off purchases of standard catalog items with the code NINETEEN from September 19-30.

ICT Sponsoring 2013 Triangle Biotech Research Symposium

MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (August 15, 2013) - ImmunoChemistry Technologies, LLC has announced their sponsorship of the BioPharma Research Council 2013 Triangle Biotech Research Symposium, scheduled for August 20, 2013 in Research Triangle Park, NC.

Tuesday, Aug. 20 
9 AM - 5 PM 
North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBC)
15 T W Alexander Dr
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709

Wordle Fun

Study on Anticancer Potential of Quinolinium Salts Cites Magic Red Caspase Assay

Congratulations to the ChEMTox lab at Universidad Metropolitana, directed by Dr. Beatriz Zayas, for publishing their evaluation of nitrobenzazolo [3,2-a]quinolinium salts as potential anticancer agents!

To assess apoptosis, the activation of caspases 3 & 7 in the A431 epidermoid carcinoma cells was monitored using the ImmunoChemistry Technologies Magic Red™ Caspase 3&7 Assay. Cells stained with this assay that contain activated caspases 3 & 7 will exhibit a red fluorescence that may be monitored via fluorescence detection methods. This substrate-based caspase assay does not require a wash step, permeabilization, or fixation.

Several New Citations for FLICA Caspase Assays

The FLICA^® fluorescent caspase assays for apoptosis detection from ImmunoChemistry Technologies continue to be routinely referenced in customers' journal publications. Here are just a few that have been released in recent weeks:


Measuring Apoptosis by Microscopy and Flow cytometry
CM Henry, E Hollville, SJ Martin
Methods, Feb 2013; DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ymeth.2013.01.008. [Abstract, In Press, Uncorrected Proof]

... These probes are cell-permeable and non-cytotoxic. The current protocol employs the poly-caspase FLICA probe (FAM-VAD-fmk), available from Immunochemistry technologies {sic}, that irreversibly binds to all active apoptotic caspases. ...


Pro-inflammatory cytokine and caspase-1 responses to pattern recognition receptor activation of neutrophils and dendritic cells in Behcet's disease
Türe-Özdemir, Filiz, Aysın Tulunay, Mehmet Onur Elbaşı, İmren Tatlı, Anne-Marie Maurer, Gonca Mumcu, Haner Direskeneli, and Emel Ekşioğlu-Demiralp.
Rheumatology (2013). [Abstract]

... DCs and neutrophils (3 × 10 5 cells/ml) were incubated with FAM-YVAD-FMK probe by using a Caspase 1 FLICA assay kit (ImmunoChemistry Technologies, LLC, Bloomington, MN, USA) according to the manufacturer's instructions and activated caspase-1 was analysed by ...


Up-regulation of a death receptor renders antiviral T cells susceptible to NK cell–mediated deletion
Dimitra Peppa, Upkar S. Gill, Gary Reynolds, Nicholas J.W. Easom, Laura J. Pallett, Anna Schurich, Lorenzo Micco, Gaia Nebbia, Harsimran D. Singh, David H. Adams, Patrick T.F. Kennedy, and Mala K. Maini
J Exp Med, Jan 2013; 210: 99-114. [Abstract]

...flow cytometry using the carboxyfluorescein-FLICA apoptosis detection kit. Histograms represent early apoptotic (FLICA+7AAD) and late apoptotic (FLICA+7AAD...

Our Lab Valentines: FLICA 660 is red, Hoechst stain is blue...

Wishing our customers and colleagues a sweet Valentine's Day from ICT!

Observed on February 14 in the United States and other countries, St. Valentine's Day is now associated with the expression of romantic love and friendship (see Wikipedia for the whole story). Its history and traditions don't have much to do with immunoassays or apoptosis detection (obviously), but since those are the research focuses of ImmunoChemistry Technologies, we take the opportunity to show our appreciation for the individuals who keep our office and lab running.

Among others, here are a few Valentine's Day cards I designed to share with ICT staff today.


FLICA 660 is red
Hoechst stain is blue
chocolate is sweet
and so are you
-EMC