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Microbiological Associates ("MA"), today's
BioReliance Corporation, is incorporated on September 24 in Coral Gables,
Florida. Founded by Charles E. Bender, the Company produces a single product,
serum ultra filtrate, for the newly emerging tissue culture field.
MA is acquired by Dr. Samuel Reeder and relocates to
Bethesda, Maryland. The Company becomes the first commercial supplier
of cell cultures and reagents.
The Company establishes its first contract Research
& Development ("R&D") program with the United States
Government and the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis to support
development and production of the first polio vaccines.
MA begins producing viral diagnostic products. The
Company also establishes its first contracts with the National Institutes
of Health ("NIH") and the National Cancer Institute ("NCI").
In collaborations with NIH, the Company develops new
technologies for viral disease diagnoses of laboratory animals, including
development of the Mouse Antibody Production (MAP) test. Additional contracts
with NCI and NIH are established.
MA supports the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
("NASA") in development of safety testing protocols for lunar
samples brought back from the moon's surface in 1969.
MA becomes the first bioscience company acquired by
Whittaker Corporation of California. The Company begins developing new
diagnostic products for human infectious diseases.
MA is the largest contractor to the NCI, with more
than $7 million annually in contracts. The Company's client base is expanded
to include the FDA, EPA, USDA and DoD.
The Company becomes the first to license and market
an ELISA diagnostic test for detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV).
Whittaker Corporation divides MA into two parts, maintaining
all testing services under the "Microbiological Associates"
name. The tissue culture media, sera, and diagnostic products businesses
are retained as a division of Whittaker, which is named MA BioProducts.
Eventually spun off as BioWhittaker, this company continues today as a
leading manufacturer and marketer of research reagents and diagnostic
products.
MA begins expanding its commercial development and
testing services as an early Contract Service Organization ("CSO").
The Company creates a Biotechnology Services Division
specifically to pioneer new safety tests for the emerging biotechnology
industry. In collaboration with Genentech, Inc., MA establishes the original
biosafety testing program for what becomes the first licensed therapeutic
derived from mammalian cells (Activase¨).
MA acquires EG&G Mason Research Laboratories in
Rockville, Maryland, establishing MA as one of the leading genetic toxicology
laboratories in the world.
MA begins biosafety testing for what becomes the first
licensed therapeutic monoclonal antibody product (Ortho Pharmaceutical's
Orthomune OKT¨3).
Daryl Laboratories, owned principally by Sidney R.
Knafel, acquires MA from Whittaker Corporation and retains the name Microbiological
Associates for the merged Company relocating product development and
manufacturing operation from California to Maryland.
MA focuses principally on biotesting services for biotechnology,
pharmaceutical and government clients.
Most laboratories move to a new state-of-the-art, award-winning
40,000 square foot facility in the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center in
Rockville, Maryland.
The Company initiates expansion into international
markets, engaging an experienced agent to represent its services in Japan.
MA tests the first genetically-engineered microbial
pesticide to be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
for field trials (Bacillus thuringiensis).
MA's first major R&D collaboration with another
company includes a $2 million NIH contract to develop and validate a transgenic
mouse for safety testing of chemical products (Stratagene's Big Blue (R)).
The Company is the first U. S. biosafety testing Contract
Research Organization (CRO) to establish its own international laboratory,
incorporating a wholly-owned subsidiary in Stirling, Scotland, United
Kingdom.
MA develops testing protocols and evaluates the first
gene therapy products allowed into human clinical trials by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA).
As part of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement
(CRADA) with the U. S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
(USAMRIID), the Company becomes the first CDC-approved commercial laboratory
for testing simian filoviruses, including Ebola and Marburg.
MA is first to commercialize models for validating
a purification process' ability to remove or inactivate agents such as
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE, "mad cow disease"), Creutzfeldt-Jakob
Disease (CJD) in humans, and other Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies
(TSEs) from biologically-derived materials.
The Company is awarded a five year, $10 million
contract sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
(NIEHS) to evaluate the mechanism of action in various compounds' toxic
effects in animals.
MA produces recombinant adenovirus for the treatment
of cystic fibrosis on contract for the NIH.
Part of the Company's LSC facility is renovated and
validated to current Good Manufacturing Practices ("cGMP") standards
for cell banking, sterility testing and viral manufacturing.
The Company establishes MAGENTA Corporation as a wholly-owned
subsidiary and the world's first independent contract manufacturer for
viral-based products particularly gene therapies, viral vaccines and viral
oncolytics.
MA conducts safety testing for the first liver transplanted
from a baboon to a human.
MA enters the market for analytical testing of pharmaceuticals,
focusing on macromolecules and providing characterization services using
analytical techniques.
MA is selected "High Technology Firm of the Year"
from among over 200 technology company members of what is today the High
Technology Council of Maryland.
The Company establishes an international Scientific
Advisory Board to help advance new assay developments. The first four
members are Dr. Frances Gannon, Executive Director of the European Molecular
Biology Organization (EMBO; Heidelberg, Germany); Dr. Inder M. Verma,
Professor of Molecular Biology at the Salk Institute (La Jolla, California);
Dr. John E. Shively, Chairman of the Division of Immunology at the Beckman
Research Institute of the City of Hope (Duarte, California); and Dr. Richard
J. Albertini, former Director of the Vermont Cancer Center at the University
of Vermont (Burlington, Vermont).
MA acquires BIOMEVA GmbH, located in Heidelberg, Germany.
BIOMEVA already is a successful, cGMP-compliant Contract Manufacturing
Organization (CMO) offering fermentation services using recombinant and
natural microorganisms.
The Montgomery County Private Industry Council names
the Company "Employer of the Year."
BioReliance Corporation is established as the parent
Company to all testing, development and manufacturing subsidiaries worldwide.
BioReliance completes its Initial Public Offering (IPO)
effective August 1 and begins trading on the NASDAQ National Market under
the symbol "BREL." Underwriters are Morgan Stanley and Hambrecht
& Quist.
The Company is awarded a five-year, $18 million NIEHS
contract involving the evaluation of transgenic animal models for accelerated
cancer risk assessment. Company scientists begin an effort to shorten
the "in life" portion of long-term carcinogenicity studies from
two years to six months.
The Company is awarded four NIH contracts totaling
$3.5 million for vector development and manufacturing in support of a
number of different gene therapy protocols.
The Company forms BioReliance GmbH to provide development
services in Heidelberg, Germany.
The Company celebrates the 50th anniversary of its
founding on September 24 by breaking ground for a new 50,000 square foot
headquarters and laboratory facility located among its existing laboratory
facilities in Rockville, Maryland.
Analytical Services is expanded with the opening of
our new state-of-the-art analytical laboratory.
BioReliance expands R&D into the New Corporate
Headquarters Building.
BioReliance announces its selection by DynPort LLC
as the principal provider for development and manufacturing services suporting
the U.S. Department of defense (DoD) Smallpox Vaccine Biodefense Program.
This program is managed through the Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program
(JVAP), which was created to develop and procure biological defense vaccines
for all branches of the U.S. military to protect against biological warfare
threats.
BioReliance celebrates the opening of its new 58,000
square-foot manufacturing facility. The new facility, adjacent to its
corporate headquarters and other corporate laboratories, is believed to
be the first-of-its-kind contract facility for the manufacture of viral-based
products at commercial market scale under cGMP regulations.
BioReliance acquires Q-One Biotech.
BioReliance becomes a subsidiary of Invitrogen, so expanding our resources and broadening the range of services available to all
of our clients.
BioReliance is acquired by Avista Capital Partners, a leading private equity firm. Click here to read more.
BioReliance introduces its iNet client extranet to facilitate sample submission and client access to study status and study results.
BioReliance will celebrate its 60th anniversary, firmly establishing its position as one of the most experienced contract testing laboratories in the world.
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