Applied Biosystems
Encyclopedia
Applied Biosystems, Inc. (formerly ) started as GeneCo (Genetic Systems Company), was the name of a pioneer biotechnology
company founded in 1981 in Foster City, California
, in the San Francisco Bay Area
. Through the 1980s and early 1990s it operated independently and manufactured biochemicals and automated genetic engineering
and diagnostic research instruments, including the principal brand of DNA sequencing
machine used by the Human Genome Project
consortium centers. Applied Biosystems' close ties to the consortium project led to the idea for the founding of Celera Genomics
in 1998 as one of several independent competitors to the consortium.
In 1993 Applied Biosystems was delisted from the NASDAQ
when it was acquired by the old company known then as Perkin-Elmer (formerly ). As the PE Applied Biosystems Division under that parent in 1998, it became consolidated with other acquisitions as the primary PE Biosystems Division. In 1999 its parent company reorganized and changed its name to PE Corporation, and the PE Biosystems Group (formerly ) again became publicly traded, as a tracking stock
of its parent, along with its sister tracking stock company, Celera Genomics. In 2000 the parent became Applera
Corporation. The Applied Biosystems name also returned that year, in the name change of the tracking stock from PE Biosystems Group to Applera Corporation-Applied Biosystems Group , an S&P 500
company, which remains as a publicly traded operating group within Applera Corp., along with its sibling operating group, Applera Corporation-Celera Group. Applera derives its name from the combination of its two component groups' names, Appl(iedCel)era. In November 2008, a merger between Applied Biosystems and Invitrogen
was finalized "creating a global leader in biotechnology reagents and systems". The new company is called Life Technologies
.
In August 1982, Applied Biosystems released its first commercial instrument, the Model 470A Protein Sequencer
. The machine enabled scientists to determine the order of amino acid
s within a purified protein
, which in turn correlated with the protein's function. With 40 employees, the company, reported first-time revenue of US$402,000.
In 1983 the company was led by its president and Chairman of the Board, Sam Eletr and Chief Operating Officer Andre Marion, the company doubled its number of employees to 80, and its stock went public on the NASDAQ
exchange under the symbol ABIO, with revenues of US$5.9 million. A new product was a fluorescent molecular tag for immunodiagnostic
assays.
The company released its second commercial instrument, the Model 380A DNA Synthesizer
, which made oligonucleotide
s, short DNA strands, for polymerase chain reaction
(PCR), DNA sequencing, and gene identification. The two sequencer and synthesizer products allowed molecular biologists to clone gene
s by building oligonucleotides with the desired protein's DNA sequence.
Automated DNA sequencing began at the California Institute of Technology
, using fluorescent dyes, with Rights to the technology granted to Applied Biosystems. At CIT, Dr. Leroy Hood
and Dr. Lloyd Smith
, together pioneered those first DNA sequencing machines.
In 1984, Applied Biosystems sales revenue tripled to over US$18 million, with a second yearly profit, and with over 200 employees.
Services included synthesizing custom DNA and protein fragments, and the sequencing of protein samples submitted from customers. The third major instrument made by Applied, the Model 430A Peptide Synthesizer
, was introduced.
In 1985, Applied Biosystems sales revenue grew nearly 70% to over US$35 million, with a third yearly profit. Two new products included the Model 380B DNA Synthesizer and the 381A DNA Synthesizer. That year the company went international for the first time, when it established a wholly owned subsidiary in Great Britain
to save shipping costs on chemical sales, which overall by then accounted for 17% of sales.
Also in 1985, Applied Biosystems acquired Brownlee Labs, a manufacturer of columns and pumps for high performance liquid chromatography
(HPLC) systems, after its founder, Robert Brownlee
was diagnosed with AIDS-related complex
in 1984. Brownlee's technology brought the new on-line 120A PTH Amino Acid Analyzer.
However, Brownlee then began a new company, which was viewed by Applied as a competitor. In 1989 Applied and Brownlee settled in a lawsuit over the conflict. As late as 1990, Brownlee publicly discussed what had been his contributions in the rocky relationship with Applied, before he died early the next year.
In 1986, Andre Marion became President and Chief Executive Officer. Sales revenue increased by 45% to nearly US$52 million. The company introduced six new products, totalling eleven automated instruments. The release of the Model 370A DNA Sequencing System, using fluorescent tags, revolutionized gene discovery. The Model 340A Nucleic Acid Extractor became used in medical labs to isolate DNA from bacteria, blood, and tissue.
In 1987, Sam Eletr resigned for health reasons. Revenues increase by 63% to nearly US$85 million, with 788 employees, and another six new instruments. Applied Biosystems acquired the Kratos Division of Spectros International PLC.
By 1988, the product line had increased to over 25 different automated instruments, over 400 liquid chromatography columns and components, and about 320 chemicals, biochemicals, and consumables. Sales revenue grew to over US$132 million, with almost 1000 employees in eight countries. In that year for the first time, genetic science reached the milestone of being able to identify individuals by their DNA.
In 1989, sales revenue reached nearly $160 million. Applied Biosystems maintained 15 offices in 9 different countries, and introduced four new products. The company developed enzyme-based reagent
kits made by Promega
Corporation, and in the new field of bioinformatics
, licensed with TRW Inc. Also, joint marketing began with Perkin-Elmer Corporation and Cetus Corporation
(formerly ) of instruments and reagents for DNA replication
, the fastest growing segment in biotechnology.
In 1990, instrument sales underwent a cyclical slowdown, as the economy entered the 1990-1991 recession. For the first year, Applied revenues did not grow, and came in at less than $159 million, with 1,334 employees. New company developments included new instrumentation for robotics
and detection of DNA fragments using the company's fluorescent labelling.
Also in 1990, the U.S. government approved financing to support the Human Genome Project. Dr. James D. Watson
, who founded the consortium, forecast that the project could be completed in 15 years from its 1990 starting date, at a cost of cost US$3 billion. Over the next couple years, Japan began a project to sequence the rice genome, and other laboratories initiated programs to sequence the mouse, fruit fly, and yeast genomes.
In 1991, Applied sales revenue grew slightly, to almost $164 million, with consumables and service contracts up by 24% to account for 47% of total sales, and DNA sequencer and DNA synthesis instruments having record sales. Forty-five new consumable products and six new instruments were introduced.
In 1992, sales revenue grew by more than 11% to over $182 million, with Europe representing 25% of revenue, and Asia and the Pacific Rim
accounting for 26%. The company formed a new subsidiary, Lynx Therapeutics, Inc., to focus on antisense DNA research in the area of therapeutics for chronic myelogenous leukemia
, melanoma
, colorectal cancer
, and AIDS.
markets segment of that company. Andre Marion, who had been Applied Biosystems's Chairman, President and CEO, became a Senior Vice President of Perkin-Elmer, and President of the Applied Biosystems Division. That year the company was the world's leading manufacturer of instruments and reagents for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It marketed PCR reagents kits in alliance with Hoffman-La Roche Inc.
In 1994, Perkin-Elmer reported net revenues of over $1 billion, of which Life Sciences accounted for 42% of the business. The company has 5,954 employees. A brand-new highly competitive genomics industry had formed for the development of new pharmaceuticals, based on the work of the Human Genome Project. Companies such as Human Genome Sciences
in Maryland, Myriad Genetics
in Utah, INCYTE Pharmaceuticals (later Incyte Genomics) in California, and Millennium Pharmaceuticals
relied on the Applied Biosystems Division, which made thermal cyclers and automated sequencers for these new genomics companies.
In 1995, upon Andre Marion retirement, Mike Hunkapiller became President of PE Applied Biosystems Division which sold its 30,000th thermal cycler. To meet Human Genome Project goals, Perkin-Elmer developed mapping kits with markers every 10 million bases along each chromosome. Also that year, DNA fingerprinting using PCR became accepted in court as reliable forensic evidence.
In 1996, Perkin-Elmer acquired Tropix, Inc., a chemiluminescence company, for its life sciences division.
Inc. became President and Chief Executive Officer of Perkin-Elmer and reorganized it into two separate operating divisions, Analytical Instruments and PE Applied Biosystems. The PE Applied Biosystems division accounted for half of Perkin-Elmer's total revenue, with net revenues up by 26%.
In 1997, revenues reached almost US$1.3 billion, of which PE Applied Biosystems was US$653 million. The company acquired GenScope, Inc., and Linkage Genetics, Inc. The Linkage Genetics unit was combined with Zoogen to form PE AgGen, focused on genetic analysis services for plant and animal breeding. The PE Applied Biosystems division partnered with Hyseq, Inc., for work on the new DNA chip technology, and also worked with Tecan U.S., Inc., on combinatorial chemistry
automation systems, and also with Molecular Informatics, Inc. on genetic data management and analysis automated systems.
. It was a leader in the bio-instrumentation field where it made biomolecule
purification systems for protein analysis. Noubar B. Afeyan, Ph.D., had been the founder, Chairman, and CEO of PerSeptive, and with the Perkin-Elmer successor company he set up the later tracking stock for Celera.
In 1998, Perkin-Elmer formed the PE Biosystems division, by consolidating Applied Biosystems, PerSeptive Biosystems, Tropix and PE Informatics. Informatics was formed from the Perkin-Elmer combination of two other acquisitions, Molecular Informatics and Nelson Analytical Systems, with existing units of Perkin-Elmer.
While planning the next new generation of machines, PE Biosystems' president, Michael W. Hunkapiller, calculated that it would be possible for their own private industry to decode the human genome before the academic consortium could complete it, by using the resources of a single, industrial-scale center, even though it would require starting from scratch. It was a bold prediction, given that the consortium target date set by Dr. Watson back in 1990 had been the forward year of 2005, only seven years away, and with the consortium already half the way to the completion target date.
Also, it meant that Dr. Hunkapiller's idea would require competing against his own customers, to all of whom Applied Biosystems sold its sequencing machines and their chemical reagents. However, he calculated that it would also mean doubling the market for that equipment.
Hunkapiller brought in Dr. J. Craig Venter to direct the project. Tony White, president of the Perkin-Elmer Corporation backed Hunkapiller on the venture. They organized the new company to accomplish the task. In May 1998, Celera Genomics
was formed, to rapidly accelerate the human DNA sequencing process. Dr. Venter boldy declared to the media that he would complete the genome decoding by 2001. That bold announcement prompted the academic consortium to accelerate their own deadline by a couple years, to 2003.
Also in 1998, PE Biosystems partnered with Hitachi
, Ltd. to develop electrophoresis
-based genetic analysis systems, which resulted in their chief new genomics
instrument, the ABI PRISM 3700 DNA Analyzer, which advanced the Human Genome sequencing project by nearly five years ahead of schedule. The partnerships sold hundreds of the 3700 analyzers to Celera, and also to others worldwide.
The new machine cost US$300,000 each, but was a major leap beyond its predecessor, the 377, and was fully automated, allowing genetic decoding to run around the clock with little supervision. According to Venter, the machine was so revolutionary that it could decode in a single day the same amount of genetic material that most DNA labs could produce in a year.
The public consortium also bought one of the PE Biosystems 3700 sequencers, and had plans to buy 200 more. The machine proved to be so fast that by late March 1999 the consortium announced that it had revised its timeline, and would release by the Spring of 2000 a "first draft sequence" for 80% of the human genome.
At year end 1998, the PE Biosystems Group's sales reached US$940 million.
, Inc., which also acquired the Perkin-Elmer name. PE Biosystems remained with PE Corp., and became PE Biosystems Group, with 3,500 employees and net revenues of over $1.2 billion. New instruments were developed and sold for forensic human identification, protein identification and characterization, metabolite
pathway identification, and lead compound identification from combinatorial libraries.
On April 27, 1999, the shareholders of Perkin-Elmer Corporation approved the reorganization of Perkin-Elmer into PE Corporation, a pure-play life science company. Each share of the Perkin-Elmer stock (PKN) was to be exchanged for one share and for ½ of a share respectively of the two new common share tracking stocks for the two component Life Sciences groups, PE Biosystems Group (NYSE:PEB) and Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA).
On April 28, 1999, the two replacement tracking stocks for the new PE Corporation were issued to shareholders. Dr. Michael W. Hunkapiller remained as a Senior Vice President of PE Corporation, and as president of PE Biosystems.
On May 6, 1999, the recapitalization of the company resulted in issuance of the two new classes of common stock, called PE Corporation-PE Biosystems Group Common Stock and PE Corporation-Celera Genomics Group Common Stock. On that date, trading began in both new stocks on the New York Stock Exchange
, to great excitement.
On June 17, 1999 the Board of PE Corporation announced a two-for-one split of PE Biosystems Group Common Stock.
By June 2000, the genomics segment of the technology bubble was peaking. Celera Genomics (CRA) and PE Biosystems (PEB) were among five genetics pioneers leading at that time, along with Incyte Genomics , Human Genome Sciences
, and Millennium Pharmaceuticals
. All five of those stocks by then had exceeded a price above $100 per share in the market, before ultimately crashing back down.
, and of the human.
In 2001, the Applied Biosystems division of Applera reached revenues of US$1.6 billion, and developed a new workstation instrument specifically for the new field of proteomics
, which had become Celera's new core business focus, as it shifted away from gene discovery. The instrument analyzed 1,000 protein samples per hour.
On April 22, 2002, the Celera Genomics Group announced its decision to shift the role of marketing data from its genetic database over to its sister company, the Applied Biosystems Group. Celera would instead develop pharmaceutical drugs. Applied Biosystems was a better fit for the database, because Applied already had the huge sales force in place for the marketing of its instruments. Plans were to expand those sales and those of the database into an electronic commerce system.
In 2002, Applied Biosystems reached revenues of US$1.6 billion for the year, and took control from Celera of the support of Celera Discovery System (CDS), a data tool to answer specific genomic and proteomic queries, involving the new genetic data field of tens of thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the human genome. The company developed another new tool, which combined the first ever union of triple quadrupole
and ion trap
technologies, in proteomics research.
The database itself would remain with Celera, because of shareholder approval complications. Celera would retain responsibility for its maintenance and support to existing customers, and would receive royalties from Applied Biosystems.
In 2003, Catherine Burzik joined Applied's management, from Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics
. Applied developed a new tool which measured antibody
/antigen
binding in real-time kinetic analysis of up to 400 binding interactions simultaneously.
In 2004, Mike Hunkapiller retired and Cathy Burzik replaced him as President of Applied Biosystems. Applera collaborated with General Electric
, Abbott Laboratories
, Seattle Genetics, and Merck
in diagnostics development. Applied Biosystmes also teamed with Northrop Grumman
and Cepheid of Sunnyvale, California
, to detect Bacillus anthracis
during the anthrax
contamination case of the U.S. Postal Service.
In 2005, the company released new tools for small molecule quantitation in pharmaceutical drug development. In Mexico, Applied Biosystems collaborated with the National Institute of Genomic Medicine of Mexico (Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genomica or INMEGEN), and established an Applied Biosystems Sequencing and Genotyping Unit at INMEGEN.
In 2006, Applied Biosystems acquired the Research Products Division of Ambion, a supplier of RNA
-based reagents and products. That year, with the Influenza A Subtype H5N1
"avian flu" strain scare, the company launched a global initiative to identify and track such infectious diseases.
In 2006, Applied Biosystems also acquired Agencourt Personal Genomics, located in Beverly, MA, to commercialize Agencourt's SOLiD sequencing system.
In 2007, SOLiD System - a next-gen DNA sequencing platform was announced. Mark Stevenson was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Applied Biosystems.
In November 2008, Applied Biosystems merged with Invitrogen
, forming Life Technologies
.
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
company founded in 1981 in Foster City, California
Foster City, California
Foster City is an affluent planned city located in San Mateo County, California, 94404. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 30,567. Forbes ranked Foster City #10 on their 2009 list of America's Top 25 Towns to Live Well. Money has also recognized Foster City multiple times as...
, in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Through the 1980s and early 1990s it operated independently and manufactured biochemicals and automated genetic engineering
Genetic engineering
Genetic engineering, also called genetic modification, is the direct human manipulation of an organism's genome using modern DNA technology. It involves the introduction of foreign DNA or synthetic genes into the organism of interest...
and diagnostic research instruments, including the principal brand of DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing
DNA sequencing includes several methods and technologies that are used for determining the order of the nucleotide bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine—in a molecule of DNA....
machine used by the Human Genome Project
Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project is an international scientific research project with a primary goal of determining the sequence of chemical base pairs which make up DNA, and of identifying and mapping the approximately 20,000–25,000 genes of the human genome from both a physical and functional...
consortium centers. Applied Biosystems' close ties to the consortium project led to the idea for the founding of Celera Genomics
Celera Genomics
Celera Corporation was a business unit of the Applera Corporation, but was spun off in July 2008 to become an independent publicly traded company. In May 2011 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated completed the acquisition of Celera, which thus became a wholly owned subsidiary...
in 1998 as one of several independent competitors to the consortium.
In 1993 Applied Biosystems was delisted from the NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
when it was acquired by the old company known then as Perkin-Elmer (formerly ). As the PE Applied Biosystems Division under that parent in 1998, it became consolidated with other acquisitions as the primary PE Biosystems Division. In 1999 its parent company reorganized and changed its name to PE Corporation, and the PE Biosystems Group (formerly ) again became publicly traded, as a tracking stock
Tracking stock
Tracking stock or targeted stock are specialized equity offerings issued by a company that is based on the operations of a wholly owned subsidiary of a diversified firm. Therefore, the tracking stock will be traded at a price related to the operations of the specific division of the company being...
of its parent, along with its sister tracking stock company, Celera Genomics. In 2000 the parent became Applera
Applera
Applera Corporation of Norwalk, Connecticut, at #874 on the 2007 Fortune 1000 list, was one of the largest international biotechnology companies based in the United States. It was the successor company to what was the Life Sciences Division of Perkin-Elmer Corporation...
Corporation. The Applied Biosystems name also returned that year, in the name change of the tracking stock from PE Biosystems Group to Applera Corporation-Applied Biosystems Group , an S&P 500
S&P 500
The S&P 500 is a free-float capitalization-weighted index published since 1957 of the prices of 500 large-cap common stocks actively traded in the United States. The stocks included in the S&P 500 are those of large publicly held companies that trade on either of the two largest American stock...
company, which remains as a publicly traded operating group within Applera Corp., along with its sibling operating group, Applera Corporation-Celera Group. Applera derives its name from the combination of its two component groups' names, Appl(iedCel)era. In November 2008, a merger between Applied Biosystems and Invitrogen
Invitrogen
Invitrogen Corporation was a large, multinational biotechnology company headquartered in Carlsbad, California. In November 2008, a merger between Applied Biosystems and Invitrogen was finalized...
was finalized "creating a global leader in biotechnology reagents and systems". The new company is called Life Technologies
Life Technologies
Life Technologies is a global biotechnology company headquartered in Carlsbad, California. It possesses a portfolio of more than 9 million genetic research assays and custom solutions...
.
History
In May 1981, the company was founded by two scientist/engineer from Hewlett Packard, Sam Eletr. and Andre MarionIn August 1982, Applied Biosystems released its first commercial instrument, the Model 470A Protein Sequencer
Protein sequencing
Protein sequencing is a technique to determine the amino acid sequence of a protein, as well as which conformation the protein adopts and the extent to which it is complexed with any non-peptide molecules...
. The machine enabled scientists to determine the order of amino acid
Amino acid
Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...
s within a purified protein
Protein
Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...
, which in turn correlated with the protein's function. With 40 employees, the company, reported first-time revenue of US$402,000.
In 1983 the company was led by its president and Chairman of the Board, Sam Eletr and Chief Operating Officer Andre Marion, the company doubled its number of employees to 80, and its stock went public on the NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
exchange under the symbol ABIO, with revenues of US$5.9 million. A new product was a fluorescent molecular tag for immunodiagnostic
Immunodiagnostics
Immunodiagnostics is a diagnostic methodology that uses an antigen-antibody reaction as their primary means of detection. The concept of using immunology as a diagnostic tool was introduced in 1960 as a test for serum insulin...
assays.
The company released its second commercial instrument, the Model 380A DNA Synthesizer
DNA synthesis
DNA synthesis commonly refers to:*DNA replication - DNA biosynthesis *Polymerase chain reaction - enzymatic DNA synthesis *Oligonucleotide synthesis - chemical synthesis of nucleic acids...
, which made oligonucleotide
Oligonucleotide
An oligonucleotide is a short nucleic acid polymer, typically with fifty or fewer bases. Although they can be formed by bond cleavage of longer segments, they are now more commonly synthesized, in a sequence-specific manner, from individual nucleoside phosphoramidites...
s, short DNA strands, for polymerase chain reaction
Polymerase chain reaction
The polymerase chain reaction is a scientific technique in molecular biology to amplify a single or a few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence....
(PCR), DNA sequencing, and gene identification. The two sequencer and synthesizer products allowed molecular biologists to clone gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
s by building oligonucleotides with the desired protein's DNA sequence.
Automated DNA sequencing began at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, using fluorescent dyes, with Rights to the technology granted to Applied Biosystems. At CIT, Dr. Leroy Hood
Leroy Hood
Leroy Hood is an American biologist. He won the 2011 Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize “for automating DNA sequencing that revolutionized biomedicine and forensic science” and the 2003 Lemelson-MIT Prize for inventing "four instruments that have unlocked much of the mystery of human biology" by...
and Dr. Lloyd Smith
Lloyd Smith
Lloyd Smith was born December 12, 1953. He is a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He played lead guitar in the funk band the Bar-Kays. His nickname in the band was "Luscious Lloyd". He also plays piano and other instruments....
, together pioneered those first DNA sequencing machines.
In 1984, Applied Biosystems sales revenue tripled to over US$18 million, with a second yearly profit, and with over 200 employees.
Services included synthesizing custom DNA and protein fragments, and the sequencing of protein samples submitted from customers. The third major instrument made by Applied, the Model 430A Peptide Synthesizer
Peptide synthesis
In organic chemistry, peptide synthesis is the production of peptides, which are organic compounds in which multiple amino acids are linked via amide bonds which are also known as peptide bonds...
, was introduced.
In 1985, Applied Biosystems sales revenue grew nearly 70% to over US$35 million, with a third yearly profit. Two new products included the Model 380B DNA Synthesizer and the 381A DNA Synthesizer. That year the company went international for the first time, when it established a wholly owned subsidiary in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
to save shipping costs on chemical sales, which overall by then accounted for 17% of sales.
Also in 1985, Applied Biosystems acquired Brownlee Labs, a manufacturer of columns and pumps for high performance liquid chromatography
High performance liquid chromatography
High-performance liquid chromatography , HPLC, is a chromatographic technique that can separate a mixture of compounds and is used in biochemistry and analytical chemistry to identify, quantify and purify the individual components of the mixture.HPLC typically utilizes different types of stationary...
(HPLC) systems, after its founder, Robert Brownlee
Robert Brownlee (chemist)
Robert Gregg Brownlee was an American chemist.-Biography:Robert Brownlee was born October 21, 1942 in South Dakota. He founded Brownlee Labs in the 70s, in the San Francisco Bay area, a manufacturer of columns and pumps for high performance liquid chromatography systems.Bob Brownlee took the...
was diagnosed with AIDS-related complex
AIDS-related complex
AIDS-related complex, or ARC, was introduced after discovery of the HIV when the medical community became aware of the inherent difficulties associated with treating patients suffering from an advanced case of HIV which gave rise to the term Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome...
in 1984. Brownlee's technology brought the new on-line 120A PTH Amino Acid Analyzer.
However, Brownlee then began a new company, which was viewed by Applied as a competitor. In 1989 Applied and Brownlee settled in a lawsuit over the conflict. As late as 1990, Brownlee publicly discussed what had been his contributions in the rocky relationship with Applied, before he died early the next year.
In 1986, Andre Marion became President and Chief Executive Officer. Sales revenue increased by 45% to nearly US$52 million. The company introduced six new products, totalling eleven automated instruments. The release of the Model 370A DNA Sequencing System, using fluorescent tags, revolutionized gene discovery. The Model 340A Nucleic Acid Extractor became used in medical labs to isolate DNA from bacteria, blood, and tissue.
In 1987, Sam Eletr resigned for health reasons. Revenues increase by 63% to nearly US$85 million, with 788 employees, and another six new instruments. Applied Biosystems acquired the Kratos Division of Spectros International PLC.
By 1988, the product line had increased to over 25 different automated instruments, over 400 liquid chromatography columns and components, and about 320 chemicals, biochemicals, and consumables. Sales revenue grew to over US$132 million, with almost 1000 employees in eight countries. In that year for the first time, genetic science reached the milestone of being able to identify individuals by their DNA.
In 1989, sales revenue reached nearly $160 million. Applied Biosystems maintained 15 offices in 9 different countries, and introduced four new products. The company developed enzyme-based reagent
Reagent
A reagent is a "substance or compound that is added to a system in order to bring about a chemical reaction, or added to see if a reaction occurs." Although the terms reactant and reagent are often used interchangeably, a reactant is less specifically a "substance that is consumed in the course of...
kits made by Promega
Promega
Promega Corporation is a manufacturer of enzymes and other products for biotechnology and molecular biology.-History :Promega Corporation was founded by Bill Linton in 1978 to provide restriction enzymes for biotechnology...
Corporation, and in the new field of bioinformatics
Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. Bioinformatics deals with algorithms, databases and information systems, web technologies, artificial intelligence and soft computing, information and computation theory, software...
, licensed with TRW Inc. Also, joint marketing began with Perkin-Elmer Corporation and Cetus Corporation
Cetus Corporation
Cetus Corporation was one of the first biotechnology companies. It was established in Berkeley, California in 1971, but conducted most of its operations in nearby Emeryville. Before merging with another company in 1991, it developed several significant pharmaceutical drugs as well as a...
(formerly ) of instruments and reagents for DNA replication
DNA replication
DNA replication is a biological process that occurs in all living organisms and copies their DNA; it is the basis for biological inheritance. The process starts with one double-stranded DNA molecule and produces two identical copies of the molecule...
, the fastest growing segment in biotechnology.
In 1990, instrument sales underwent a cyclical slowdown, as the economy entered the 1990-1991 recession. For the first year, Applied revenues did not grow, and came in at less than $159 million, with 1,334 employees. New company developments included new instrumentation for robotics
Robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots...
and detection of DNA fragments using the company's fluorescent labelling.
Also in 1990, the U.S. government approved financing to support the Human Genome Project. Dr. James D. Watson
James D. Watson
James Dewey Watson is an American molecular biologist, geneticist, and zoologist, best known as one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA in 1953 with Francis Crick...
, who founded the consortium, forecast that the project could be completed in 15 years from its 1990 starting date, at a cost of cost US$3 billion. Over the next couple years, Japan began a project to sequence the rice genome, and other laboratories initiated programs to sequence the mouse, fruit fly, and yeast genomes.
In 1991, Applied sales revenue grew slightly, to almost $164 million, with consumables and service contracts up by 24% to account for 47% of total sales, and DNA sequencer and DNA synthesis instruments having record sales. Forty-five new consumable products and six new instruments were introduced.
In 1992, sales revenue grew by more than 11% to over $182 million, with Europe representing 25% of revenue, and Asia and the Pacific Rim
Pacific Rim
The Pacific Rim refers to places around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The term "Pacific Basin" includes the Pacific Rim and islands in the Pacific Ocean...
accounting for 26%. The company formed a new subsidiary, Lynx Therapeutics, Inc., to focus on antisense DNA research in the area of therapeutics for chronic myelogenous leukemia
Chronic myelogenous leukemia
Chronic myelogenous leukemia , also known as chronic granulocytic leukemia , is a cancer of the white blood cells. It is a form of leukemia characterized by the increased and unregulated growth of predominantly myeloid cells in the bone marrow and the accumulation of these cells in the blood...
, melanoma
Melanoma
Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce the dark pigment, melanin, which is responsible for the color of skin. They predominantly occur in skin, but are also found in other parts of the body, including the bowel and the eye...
, colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer, commonly known as bowel cancer, is a cancer caused by uncontrolled cell growth , in the colon, rectum, or vermiform appendix. Colorectal cancer is clinically distinct from anal cancer, which affects the anus....
, and AIDS.
Perkin-Elmer
In February 1993 Applied Biosystems was acquired by Perkin-Elmer, and became the Applied Biosystems Division, as part of the Life SciencesLife sciences
The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms, like plants, animals, and human beings. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of...
markets segment of that company. Andre Marion, who had been Applied Biosystems's Chairman, President and CEO, became a Senior Vice President of Perkin-Elmer, and President of the Applied Biosystems Division. That year the company was the world's leading manufacturer of instruments and reagents for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It marketed PCR reagents kits in alliance with Hoffman-La Roche Inc.
In 1994, Perkin-Elmer reported net revenues of over $1 billion, of which Life Sciences accounted for 42% of the business. The company has 5,954 employees. A brand-new highly competitive genomics industry had formed for the development of new pharmaceuticals, based on the work of the Human Genome Project. Companies such as Human Genome Sciences
Human Genome Sciences
Human Genome Sciences is a biopharmaceutical corporation founded in 1992. It uses the human DNA sequence to develop protein and antibody drugs. As of 2008, it has drugs under development to treat such diseases as hepatitis C, systemic lupus erythmatosis, anthrax disease, cancer, rheumatoid...
in Maryland, Myriad Genetics
Myriad Genetics
Myriad Genetics, Inc. is a molecular diagnostic company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Myriad employs a number of proprietary technologies that permit doctors and patients to understand the genetic basis of human disease and the role that genes play in the onset, progression and treatment of disease...
in Utah, INCYTE Pharmaceuticals (later Incyte Genomics) in California, and Millennium Pharmaceuticals
Millennium Pharmaceuticals
Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., The Takeda Oncology Company is a biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Company markets Velcade for injection, a cancer product, and has a growing clinical development pipeline of product candidates...
relied on the Applied Biosystems Division, which made thermal cyclers and automated sequencers for these new genomics companies.
In 1995, upon Andre Marion retirement, Mike Hunkapiller became President of PE Applied Biosystems Division which sold its 30,000th thermal cycler. To meet Human Genome Project goals, Perkin-Elmer developed mapping kits with markers every 10 million bases along each chromosome. Also that year, DNA fingerprinting using PCR became accepted in court as reliable forensic evidence.
In 1996, Perkin-Elmer acquired Tropix, Inc., a chemiluminescence company, for its life sciences division.
PE Applied Biosystems
In 1996, Tony L. White from Baxter InternationalBaxter International
Baxter International Inc. , is an American health care company with headquarters in Deerfield, Illinois. The company primarily focuses on products to treat hemophilia, kidney disease, immune disorders and other chronic and acute medical conditions...
Inc. became President and Chief Executive Officer of Perkin-Elmer and reorganized it into two separate operating divisions, Analytical Instruments and PE Applied Biosystems. The PE Applied Biosystems division accounted for half of Perkin-Elmer's total revenue, with net revenues up by 26%.
In 1997, revenues reached almost US$1.3 billion, of which PE Applied Biosystems was US$653 million. The company acquired GenScope, Inc., and Linkage Genetics, Inc. The Linkage Genetics unit was combined with Zoogen to form PE AgGen, focused on genetic analysis services for plant and animal breeding. The PE Applied Biosystems division partnered with Hyseq, Inc., for work on the new DNA chip technology, and also worked with Tecan U.S., Inc., on combinatorial chemistry
Combinatorial chemistry
Combinatorial chemistry involves the rapid synthesis or the computer simulation of a large number of different but structurally related molecules or materials...
automation systems, and also with Molecular Informatics, Inc. on genetic data management and analysis automated systems.
PE Biosystems
In 1998, PE Applied Biosystems became PE Biosystems, and the division's revenues reached US$871 million. In January 1998 Perkin-Elmer acquired PerSeptive Biosystems (formerly ) of Framingham, MassachusettsFramingham, Massachusetts
Framingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
. It was a leader in the bio-instrumentation field where it made biomolecule
Biomolecule
A biomolecule is any molecule that is produced by a living organism, including large polymeric molecules such as proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and nucleic acids as well as small molecules such as primary metabolites, secondary metabolites, and natural products...
purification systems for protein analysis. Noubar B. Afeyan, Ph.D., had been the founder, Chairman, and CEO of PerSeptive, and with the Perkin-Elmer successor company he set up the later tracking stock for Celera.
In 1998, Perkin-Elmer formed the PE Biosystems division, by consolidating Applied Biosystems, PerSeptive Biosystems, Tropix and PE Informatics. Informatics was formed from the Perkin-Elmer combination of two other acquisitions, Molecular Informatics and Nelson Analytical Systems, with existing units of Perkin-Elmer.
While planning the next new generation of machines, PE Biosystems' president, Michael W. Hunkapiller, calculated that it would be possible for their own private industry to decode the human genome before the academic consortium could complete it, by using the resources of a single, industrial-scale center, even though it would require starting from scratch. It was a bold prediction, given that the consortium target date set by Dr. Watson back in 1990 had been the forward year of 2005, only seven years away, and with the consortium already half the way to the completion target date.
Also, it meant that Dr. Hunkapiller's idea would require competing against his own customers, to all of whom Applied Biosystems sold its sequencing machines and their chemical reagents. However, he calculated that it would also mean doubling the market for that equipment.
Hunkapiller brought in Dr. J. Craig Venter to direct the project. Tony White, president of the Perkin-Elmer Corporation backed Hunkapiller on the venture. They organized the new company to accomplish the task. In May 1998, Celera Genomics
Celera Genomics
Celera Corporation was a business unit of the Applera Corporation, but was spun off in July 2008 to become an independent publicly traded company. In May 2011 Quest Diagnostics Incorporated completed the acquisition of Celera, which thus became a wholly owned subsidiary...
was formed, to rapidly accelerate the human DNA sequencing process. Dr. Venter boldy declared to the media that he would complete the genome decoding by 2001. That bold announcement prompted the academic consortium to accelerate their own deadline by a couple years, to 2003.
Also in 1998, PE Biosystems partnered with Hitachi
Hitachi, Ltd.
is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Marunouchi 1-chome, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company is the parent of the Hitachi Group as part of the larger DKB Group companies...
, Ltd. to develop electrophoresis
Electrophoresis
Electrophoresis, also called cataphoresis, is the motion of dispersed particles relative to a fluid under the influence of a spatially uniform electric field. This electrokinetic phenomenon was observed for the first time in 1807 by Reuss , who noticed that the application of a constant electric...
-based genetic analysis systems, which resulted in their chief new genomics
Genomics
Genomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...
instrument, the ABI PRISM 3700 DNA Analyzer, which advanced the Human Genome sequencing project by nearly five years ahead of schedule. The partnerships sold hundreds of the 3700 analyzers to Celera, and also to others worldwide.
The new machine cost US$300,000 each, but was a major leap beyond its predecessor, the 377, and was fully automated, allowing genetic decoding to run around the clock with little supervision. According to Venter, the machine was so revolutionary that it could decode in a single day the same amount of genetic material that most DNA labs could produce in a year.
The public consortium also bought one of the PE Biosystems 3700 sequencers, and had plans to buy 200 more. The machine proved to be so fast that by late March 1999 the consortium announced that it had revised its timeline, and would release by the Spring of 2000 a "first draft sequence" for 80% of the human genome.
At year end 1998, the PE Biosystems Group's sales reached US$940 million.
PE Corporation
In 1999, to focus on the new genomics, Perkin-Elmer Corporation was renamed PE Corporation, and sold its old Analytical Instruments division to EG&GEG&G
EG&G, formally known as Edgerton, Germeshausen, and Grier, Inc., is a United States national defense contractor and provider of management and technical services. The company was involved in contracting services to the United States government during World War II, and conducted weapons research and...
, Inc., which also acquired the Perkin-Elmer name. PE Biosystems remained with PE Corp., and became PE Biosystems Group, with 3,500 employees and net revenues of over $1.2 billion. New instruments were developed and sold for forensic human identification, protein identification and characterization, metabolite
Metabolite
Metabolites are the intermediates and products of metabolism. The term metabolite is usually restricted to small molecules. A primary metabolite is directly involved in normal growth, development, and reproduction. Alcohol is an example of a primary metabolite produced in large-scale by industrial...
pathway identification, and lead compound identification from combinatorial libraries.
On April 27, 1999, the shareholders of Perkin-Elmer Corporation approved the reorganization of Perkin-Elmer into PE Corporation, a pure-play life science company. Each share of the Perkin-Elmer stock (PKN) was to be exchanged for one share and for ½ of a share respectively of the two new common share tracking stocks for the two component Life Sciences groups, PE Biosystems Group (NYSE:PEB) and Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA).
On April 28, 1999, the two replacement tracking stocks for the new PE Corporation were issued to shareholders. Dr. Michael W. Hunkapiller remained as a Senior Vice President of PE Corporation, and as president of PE Biosystems.
On May 6, 1999, the recapitalization of the company resulted in issuance of the two new classes of common stock, called PE Corporation-PE Biosystems Group Common Stock and PE Corporation-Celera Genomics Group Common Stock. On that date, trading began in both new stocks on the New York Stock Exchange
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located at 11 Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed companies at 13.39 trillion as of Dec 2010...
, to great excitement.
On June 17, 1999 the Board of PE Corporation announced a two-for-one split of PE Biosystems Group Common Stock.
By June 2000, the genomics segment of the technology bubble was peaking. Celera Genomics (CRA) and PE Biosystems (PEB) were among five genetics pioneers leading at that time, along with Incyte Genomics , Human Genome Sciences
Human Genome Sciences
Human Genome Sciences is a biopharmaceutical corporation founded in 1992. It uses the human DNA sequence to develop protein and antibody drugs. As of 2008, it has drugs under development to treat such diseases as hepatitis C, systemic lupus erythmatosis, anthrax disease, cancer, rheumatoid...
, and Millennium Pharmaceuticals
Millennium Pharmaceuticals
Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., The Takeda Oncology Company is a biopharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Company markets Velcade for injection, a cancer product, and has a growing clinical development pipeline of product candidates...
. All five of those stocks by then had exceeded a price above $100 per share in the market, before ultimately crashing back down.
Applera
On November 30, 2000, PE Corporation changed its name to Applera, combining the two partial names Applied and Celera into one, with 5,000 employees. PE Biosystems Group was renamed once again to Applied Biosystems Group, and changed its ticker symbol from PEB to ABI. Its net revenues rose to almost US$1.4 billion. Celera that year made milestone headlines when it announced that it had completed the sequencing and first assembly of the two largest genomes in history, that of the fruit flyDrosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster is a species of Diptera, or the order of flies, in the family Drosophilidae. The species is known generally as the common fruit fly or vinegar fly. Starting from Charles W...
, and of the human.
In 2001, the Applied Biosystems division of Applera reached revenues of US$1.6 billion, and developed a new workstation instrument specifically for the new field of proteomics
Proteomics
Proteomics is the large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions. Proteins are vital parts of living organisms, as they are the main components of the physiological metabolic pathways of cells. The term "proteomics" was first coined in 1997 to make an analogy with...
, which had become Celera's new core business focus, as it shifted away from gene discovery. The instrument analyzed 1,000 protein samples per hour.
On April 22, 2002, the Celera Genomics Group announced its decision to shift the role of marketing data from its genetic database over to its sister company, the Applied Biosystems Group. Celera would instead develop pharmaceutical drugs. Applied Biosystems was a better fit for the database, because Applied already had the huge sales force in place for the marketing of its instruments. Plans were to expand those sales and those of the database into an electronic commerce system.
In 2002, Applied Biosystems reached revenues of US$1.6 billion for the year, and took control from Celera of the support of Celera Discovery System (CDS), a data tool to answer specific genomic and proteomic queries, involving the new genetic data field of tens of thousands of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the human genome. The company developed another new tool, which combined the first ever union of triple quadrupole
Quadrupole
A quadrupole or quadrapole is one of a sequence of configurations of—for example—electric charge or current, or gravitational mass that can exist in ideal form, but it is usually just part of a multipole expansion of a more complex structure reflecting various orders of complexity.-Mathematical...
and ion trap
Ion trap
An ion trap is a combination of electric or magnetic fields that captures ions in a region of a vacuum system or tube. Ion traps have a number of scientific uses such as mass spectrometery and trapping ions while the ion's quantum state is manipulated...
technologies, in proteomics research.
The database itself would remain with Celera, because of shareholder approval complications. Celera would retain responsibility for its maintenance and support to existing customers, and would receive royalties from Applied Biosystems.
In 2003, Catherine Burzik joined Applied's management, from Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics
Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics
Ortho Clinical Diagnostics is a Johnson & Johnson company that makes in vitro diagnostics products. It was created following Johnson and Johnson's acquisition of Eastman Kodak's Clinical Diagnostics Division in 1994 , which was then merged with Ortho Diagnostic Systems in 1997...
. Applied developed a new tool which measured antibody
Antibody
An antibody, also known as an immunoglobulin, is a large Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique part of the foreign target, termed an antigen...
/antigen
Antigen
An antigen is a foreign molecule that, when introduced into the body, triggers the production of an antibody by the immune system. The immune system will then kill or neutralize the antigen that is recognized as a foreign and potentially harmful invader. These invaders can be molecules such as...
binding in real-time kinetic analysis of up to 400 binding interactions simultaneously.
In 2004, Mike Hunkapiller retired and Cathy Burzik replaced him as President of Applied Biosystems. Applera collaborated with General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories is an American-based global, diversified pharmaceuticals and health care products company. It has 90,000 employees and operates in over 130 countries. The company headquarters are in Abbott Park, North Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded by Chicago physician, Dr....
, Seattle Genetics, and Merck
Merck & Co.
Merck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Merck headquarters is located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, an unincorporated area in Readington Township...
in diagnostics development. Applied Biosystmes also teamed with Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman Corporation is an American global aerospace and defense technology company formed by the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company was the fourth-largest defense contractor in the world as of 2010, and the largest builder of naval vessels. Northrop Grumman employs over...
and Cepheid of Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is one of the major cities that make up the Silicon Valley located in the San Francisco Bay Area...
, to detect Bacillus anthracis
Bacillus anthracis
Bacillus anthracis is the pathogen of the Anthrax acute disease. It is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium, with a width of 1-1.2µm and a length of 3-5µm. It can be grown in an ordinary nutrient medium under aerobic or anaerobic conditions.It is one of few bacteria known to...
during the anthrax
Anthrax
Anthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
contamination case of the U.S. Postal Service.
In 2005, the company released new tools for small molecule quantitation in pharmaceutical drug development. In Mexico, Applied Biosystems collaborated with the National Institute of Genomic Medicine of Mexico (Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genomica or INMEGEN), and established an Applied Biosystems Sequencing and Genotyping Unit at INMEGEN.
In 2006, Applied Biosystems acquired the Research Products Division of Ambion, a supplier of RNA
RNA
Ribonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
-based reagents and products. That year, with the Influenza A Subtype H5N1
H5N1
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1, also known as "bird flu", A or simply H5N1, is a subtype of the influenza A virus which can cause illness in humans and many other animal species...
"avian flu" strain scare, the company launched a global initiative to identify and track such infectious diseases.
In 2006, Applied Biosystems also acquired Agencourt Personal Genomics, located in Beverly, MA, to commercialize Agencourt's SOLiD sequencing system.
In 2007, SOLiD System - a next-gen DNA sequencing platform was announced. Mark Stevenson was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Applied Biosystems.
In November 2008, Applied Biosystems merged with Invitrogen
Invitrogen
Invitrogen Corporation was a large, multinational biotechnology company headquartered in Carlsbad, California. In November 2008, a merger between Applied Biosystems and Invitrogen was finalized...
, forming Life Technologies
Life Technologies
Life Technologies is a global biotechnology company headquartered in Carlsbad, California. It possesses a portfolio of more than 9 million genetic research assays and custom solutions...
.