Ventana Medical Systems


Ventana Medical Systems, Inc. develops, manufactures, and markets instrument reagent systems that automate tissue and slide staining in anatomic pathology laboratories. These products assist in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and infectious diseases.
Part of the Roche Diagnostics Division, Ventana is a member of the Roche Group.

Company history

Pathologist and University of Arizona professor Thomas Grogan, M.D., founded Ventana in 1985. The company launched its first instrument reagent system in 1991, and held an Initial Public Offering in 1996, trading under the symbol VMSI on the NASDAQ stock exchange.
In 2007, Ventana acquired Spring BioScience Corp, a developer and supplier of monoclonal antibodies. That same year, Ventana rejected a hostile takeover bid from Roche Holding AG for $75 a share. In February 2008, Roche acquired Ventana with a cash offer of $89.50 per share.

Key people

Ventana manufactures products within eight areas: