CHAMPAIGN – Champaign-based iCyt Mission Technology could employ hundreds of people within five years if expectations for global opportunities pan out, company founder Gary Durack said Wednesday.

At an event heralding Sony Corp.'s acquisition of iCyt, Durack said it's difficult to predict the future. But he supposed iCyt's employees "could be measured in the hundreds within that time frame."

CHAMPAIGN – Sony Corp.'s acquisition of Champaign-based iCyt Mission Technology brings a big player on the global stage into the fast-growing field of biological instrumentation.

Sony announced Tuesday that it has acquired iCyt (pronounced like "eyesight"), a maker of flow cytometry equipment that employs about 30 in the University of Illinois Research Park.

CHAMPAIGN — Sony Corp. has acquired Champaign-based iCyt Mission Technology and will operate it as a wholly owned subsidiary, the global electronics and entertainment giant announced Tuesday.

Gary Durack, the founder and president of iCyt, called the acquisition a “win” for his company and its customers.

The local company, which makes cell sorters used for stem cell and disease research, employs about 30 in the University of Illinois Research Park.