Abcam is a producer, distributor and seller of protein research tools.

History

The company was founded in 1998 by Jonathan Milner with co-founders professor

Tony Kouzarides Tony Kouzarides (born 17 January 1958), FMedSci, FRS is a senior group leader Gurdon Institute, a founding non-executive director of Abcam and a Professor of Cancer Biology at the University of Cambridge. Education Tony did his PhD at thUnive ...

and

David Cleevely David Douglas Cleevely, CBE, FREng, FIET (born September 1953) is a British entrepreneur and international telecoms expert who has built and advised many companies, principally in Cambridge, UK. Telecommunications In 1985 Cleevely founded t ...

, with the idea of making it easier for research scientists to buy antibodies across the web. Milner was a

postdoctoral research A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). The ultimate goal of a postdoctoral research position is to p ...

er studying the newly discovered breast cancer protein

BRCA2 ''BRCA2'' and BRCA2 () are a human gene and its protein product, respectively. The official symbol (BRCA2, italic for the gene, nonitalic for the protein) and the official name (originally breast cancer 2; currently BRCA2, DNA repair associated) ...

in Kouzarides'

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

laboratory. The project had slowed because of problems finding quality antibody reagents that had honest and up-to-date information about their uses and limitations. This scenario provided the motivation to form an on-line service that would help themselves and researchers across the globe. Since its inception in 1998, the company has diversified from carrying only antibodies. It supplies antibody related products such as immunoassays (e.g. SimpleStep ELISA Kits), peptides, proteins and protein detection products (e.g. immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining kits). Abcam also has a portfolio of non-antibody related products such as biochemicals, cellular assays, and epigenetics kits (e.g. FirePlex Multiplex miRNA Kits). Abcam is listed on the

Alternative Investment Market AIM (formerly the Alternative Investment Market) is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange that was launched on 19 June 1995 as a replacement to the previous Unlisted Securities Market (USM) that had been in operation since 1980. It allows ...

and on

Nasdaq The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

Acquisitions

In May 2011, Abcam announced the acquisition of MitoSciences, a privately held biotech company based in Eugene, Oregon (US). The company produced and distributed

immunoassay An immunoassay (IA) is a biochemical test that measures the presence or concentration of a macromolecule or a small molecule in a solution through the use of an antibody (usually) or an antigen (sometimes). The molecule detected by the immunoass ...

platforms and high performance monoclonal antibodies. It was founded in 2004 with the mission of advancing mitochondrial research and developing products that support critical research in cancer,

neurodegeneration A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Such neuronal damage may ultimately involve cell death. Neurodegenerative diseases include amyotrophic ...

, and

metabolic disorders A metabolic disorder is a disorder that negatively alters the body's processing and distribution of macronutrients, such as Protein, proteins, Fat, fats, and Carbohydrate, carbohydrates. Metabolic disorders can happen when abnormal chemical react ...

. On 12 September 2011, Abcam completed the purchase of Ascent Scientific. Ascent Scientific was a company based in Bristol, United Kingdom that provided high-quality biochemical products that modulate the function of proteins for use in life science research. After outsourcing biochemical production, the Bristol site and manufacturing facilities were closed in 2017. On 19 April 2012, Abcam completed the purchase of Epitomics. Epitomics was a privately held biotech company in Burlingame, California (US) and Hangzhou (China) that focused on the development, production, and distribution of rabbit

monoclonal antibodies A monoclonal antibody (mAb, more rarely called moAb) is an antibody produced from a cell Lineage made by cloning a unique white blood cell. All subsequent antibodies derived this way trace back to a unique parent cell. Monoclonal antibodies ca ...

for biomedical research and diagnostic applications. On 20 January 2015, Abcam announced the acquisition of Firefly BioWorks, a privately held company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts (US), for . Firefly developed a novel

multiplex assay In the biological sciences, a multiplex assay is a type of immunoassay that uses magnetic beads to simultaneously measure multiple analytes in a single experiment. A multiplex assay is a derivative of an ELISA using beads for binding the capture a ...

platform for the detection of biomarkers, based on a microfabrication technology developed by Daniel Pregibon and Patrick Doyle at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, and launched its first products for the multiplex detection of

microRNA MicroRNA (miRNA) are small, single-stranded, non-coding RNA molecules containing 21 to 23 nucleotides. Found in plants, animals and some viruses, miRNAs are involved in RNA silencing and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. miRN ...

from RNA and crude biofluid. Firefly was rebranded to FirePlex in 2016. On 11 November 2015, Abcam announced the acquisition of AxioMx. AxioMx, based in Branford, Connecticut (US), "provides a comprehensive custom recombinant antibody discovery and development services platform". Abcam acquired Calico Biolabs in January 2019. A year later, on 6 January 2020, Abcam announces the successful acquisition of Expedeon’s Proteomics and Immunology business, which includes Innova and TGR Biosciences. On 4 March 2020, Abcam extend their assay and labelling capabilities by acquiring Marker Gene Technologies for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition of Marker Gene Technologies bring expertise in the areas of biology, organic synthesis and fluorescence chemistry. The team from MGT are experienced in the creation of detection tools that enable enhanced understanding of biological processes.

References

External links

Abcam websiteAbcam corporate website
*Abcam career portal https://careers.abcam.com/ *Sustainability
Our Impact 2020
{{Authority control Biotechnology companies of the United Kingdom Companies based in Cambridge Companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market Biotechnology companies established in 1998 1998 establishments in England