Invitrogen sets date for Applied Biosystems merger vote

Invitrogen has announced the date of a special meeting where shareholders will be asked to vote on the company’s proposed merger with Applied Biosystems.

The firm will hold the meeting on October 16th at its corporate headquarters in Carlsbad, California.

Individuals holding stock in Invitrogen as of close of business on September 5th 2008 will be eligible to cast a vote at the meeting and the company said it plans to start mailing out the proxy statement and related materials from September 8th.

The proposed takeover, which will see Invitrogen acquire all of Applied Biosystems’ stock in exchange for cash and shares valued at around $6.7 million (£3.64 million), has already been given the green light by the boards of both companies.

However, both sets of shareholders must also approve the deal before it can be completed. The merger is also subject to regulatory approval from the European Commission.

Applied Biosystems provides scientific instruments for commercial research, forensic human identification and food testing.

Invitrogen, meanwhile, provides products and services to support the life sciences work on academic and government research institutes, as well as pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. In 2007, it recorded revenues of $1.3 billion.