NEW YORK and BOCA RATON, Fla., May 12, 2026 /citybiz/ — Lafayette Instrument has acquired Sutter Instrument Corp., expanding its portfolio of scientific research instrumentation and strengthening its position in the life sciences and neuroscience research markets.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
The acquisition marks the fifth add-on acquisition completed by Lafayette since the company was acquired in 2021 by private equity firm Branford Castle Partners through its Fund II vehicle. The deal continues Branford Castle’s strategy of building Lafayette into a broader scientific instrumentation platform serving research, healthcare and human evaluation markets.
Sutter Instrument is a longtime manufacturer of precision instruments used in electrophysiology, cellular biology and neuroscience research. Its products are widely used by universities, laboratories and research institutions conducting advanced life sciences studies, particularly in neurobiology and cellular imaging applications.
The acquisition reflects continued consolidation in the specialized scientific instrumentation sector, where demand for advanced research tools has grown alongside increased investment in neuroscience, biotechnology and pharmaceutical research.
Lafayette CEO Benjamin Mangrich said Sutter’s expertise in cellular research instrumentation and electrophysiology complements Lafayette’s expanding life sciences portfolio and enhances its ability to serve academic and institutional research customers globally.
Founded more than 50 years ago, Sutter has built a reputation around high-precision equipment used in experiments requiring delicate cellular manipulation and imaging. Electrophysiology tools, in particular, have become increasingly important in neuroscience and drug discovery research as scientists study neural activity, cellular signaling and neurological disease mechanisms.
Branford Castle Managing Director Ceon Francis said the acquisition broadens Lafayette’s product offering and strengthens the company’s ability to serve a growing customer base seeking more sophisticated scientific tools and integrated research technologies.
The transaction also highlights how private equity firms continue targeting niche scientific equipment manufacturers with strong recurring institutional demand, technical barriers to entry and highly specialized customer relationships.
Lafayette Instrument itself has more than 75 years of history producing scientific instrumentation across neuroscience, biology, rehabilitation, pharmaceutical research and law enforcement applications. The company is also known for its products tied to credibility assessment and human evaluation systems.
Scientific instrumentation has remained an attractive investment category because of long-term demand from universities, pharmaceutical companies and government-funded research institutions, particularly in areas tied to neuroscience, precision medicine and biotechnology innovation.
The financing package for the acquisition included senior debt financing from Byline Bank and mezzanine financing from Brookside Capital Partners.
EC M&A served as financial advisor to Sutter Instrument, while Donahue Fitzgerald acted as legal counsel. Branford Castle was advised by Akerman LLP and RSM.