Iatia Ltd (ASX:IAT) has entered into an agreement to have its acclaimed phase imaging technology incorporated into a range of microscopes produced by one of the world's leading manufacturers.

Iatia has granted Bio-Rad Asia Pacific, a subsidiary of Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc (Bio-Rad), a license to incorporate QPm phase imaging software into every confocal microscope sold into 17 countries within the Asia-Pacific region for the next three years. The deal is expected to result in over a million dollars revenue for Iatia.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc, a listed US based company with annual sales of US$900 million, is a multinational manufacturer and distributor of life science research products. Bio-Rad now holds a top ten position in both the international Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostic markets. The company is one of only a few that provided a commercialisation link between these two markets and is consequently well positioned to take advantage of the many opportunities available.

Confocal microscopy, one of the fastest growing biological research techniques, produces completely in-focus 3-D detail of biological specimens. With the addition of Iatia's QPm, Bio-Rad will have the only confocal microscopes in the world with digital phase imaging capability without the use of additional optical hardware. Users will be able to obtain information from samples that has either been unavailable to them or difficult to achieve with conventional confocal microscopy.

Bio-Rad's Chris Johnson, Asia Pacific Microscopy Business Manager, says "Bio-Rad's association with Iatia will allow Bio-Rad to take innovative Australian technology into the Asian multi-million dollar microscopy market area. This fits our policy of developing local technologies for a wider regional and global market place. The QPm product will enhance the functionality of both the company's Radiance2100 confocal product and its new compact CellMap product, which is the world's first fully solid state laser confocal system available to a wider confocal market". Bio-Rad is of the view that "its association with Iatia will lead to many more innovative products and a stronger presence for Australian scientific developments in a world wide market forum".

Iatia managing director, Brian Powell, described the deal as "significant" for the company. "We launched the company on the basis of our phase imaging technology's potential in the life sciences sector. It's satisfying to see a major deal come from that sector and exciting to think what's ahead for us both with our existing products and with the commercialisation of some of the other applications we have discovered in the past year or so," he said.

Some of the most promising applications for quantitative phase imaging technology outside the life sciences area and beyond microscopy include surveillance and detection for defence and security use, improved imaging through smoke and haze, and defect monitoring in industries such as automotive, aerospace and surface coatings.