Life Technologies Corporation was a biotech company founded in November 2008 through a US $6.7 billion merger of Invitrogen Corporation and Applied Biosystems Inc. The joint sales of the combined companies were about $3.5 billion; they had about 9,500 employees and owned more than 3,600 licenses and patents.[1]
 | |
| Company type | Retired Brand Name |
|---|---|
| Industry | Life Science/Biotechnology |
| Predecessor | Invitrogen Applied Biosystems |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Defunct | 2014 |
| Fate | Acquired by Thermo Fisher |
| Headquarters | Carlsbad, California , |
| Parent | Thermo Fisher Scientific  |
| Website | www.lifetechnologies.com |
Company name
editThe name "Life Technologies" was an old name from the history of Invitrogen. GIBCO (Grand Island Biological Company) had been founded around 1960 in New York; in 1983 GIBCO merged with a reagent company called Bethesda Research Laboratories (BRL) and the merged company was named Life Technologies. In 2000, Invitrogen acquired Life Technologies and discontinued that name. When Invitrogen and Applied Biosystems merged, the companies revived the name.[2]
The use of the "Life Technologies" brand name is disputed. Life Technologies (India) Private Limited, a company founded in 2002, operating in this corporate name claims ownership of the brand name.[3]
The "Life Technologies" brand language and industrial design for the award-winning Ion Proton Sequencer[4] was developed by RKS Design.[5]
Acquisition
editBetween its formation in 2008 and its acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2014, Life Technologies Corporation was an independent multinational corporation based in Carlsbad, California, United States.[6]
In 2013, they launched a project called Claritas Genomics in partnership with Boston Children's Hospital. With Children's as a major shareholder, Claritas Genomics merged the knowledge, resources, and employees of the Genetic Diagnostic Lab at the Boston hospital, a CLIA-certified facility that provided more than 100 genetic tests, including numerous specific diagnostics created at Boston Children's. It also made use of the Ion Proton Sequencer from Life Technologies, a precise benchtop device that might be scaled for widespread use in new assays.[7]
Later, in 2013, Thermo Fisher agreed to buy Life Technologies for $13.6 billion.[8]
Legal disputes
editA court case involving Life Technologies (as the former Applera Corp) ended in January 2014, as the Connecticut District Court penalized Life Technologies Corp over $60 million[9] for patent infringements by its parent companies prior to the merger. The jury awarded $48 million in royalty damages to the plaintiffs Enzo Biochem, Inc, Enzo Life Sciences, and Yale University.[10]
References
edit- ^ "Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen complete $6.7 billion merger". San Francisco Business Times. 21 November 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2009.
- ^ "Life Technologies: A Look Back". Genetic Engineering News. 15 April 2013.
- ^ "Life Technologies loses Indian court battle - News - separationsNOW.com". www.separationsnow.com.
- ^ "Red Dot Awards - Ion Proton Sequencer". 22 December 2022.
- ^ "Life Tech Global Brand Language - Preparing a Company to Sell". RKS Design. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
- ^ chcom (23 March 2014). "Life Technologies". CompaniesHistory.com - The largest companies and brands in the world. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ Levin, Jennifer (13 January 2013). "Boston Children's Hospital and Life Technologies Launch Claritas Genomics, a Clinical Genomics Company". Fierce Biotech. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ Bill Berkrot (15 April 2013). "Thermo Fisher to buy Life Tech for $13.6 billion". Reuters. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
- ^ "US District Court Order". Justia. 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Federal Court Awards Enzo Additional $12.4M Related to IP Suit Against Life Tech". GenomeWeb Daily News. 6 January 2014.
