Abcam
| Abcam | |
| Company type | Public company |
|---|---|
| LSE: ABC | |
| Industry | Biotech, Life sciences |
| Founded | 1998 |
Key people | Jonathan Milner CE-Ho |
| Products | Research antibodies, kits and assays for biological research |
| Revenue |  £97.8m (2012)[1] |
| £38.6m (2012)[1] | |
Number of employees | > 650 (2012)[1] |
| Website | www |
Abcam plc is a global biotech company based in the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England, with offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo.
History
The premise of the company was incubated from a laboratory in the University of Cambridge, UK in 1998. The principal founder Jonathan Milner was working as a Postdoctoral researcher studying the newly discovered breast cancer protein BRCA2 in Professor Tony Kouzarides' laboratory. The project 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.
The company was founded by David Cleevely, Jonathan Milner, and Tony Kouzarides in 1998, and has become one of the largest retailers of research antibodies in the world[citation needed]. Kouzarides invented the name, which is a portmanteau of antibody (ab) and Cambridge (cam). The idea was that Abcam would not only sell antibodies, but provide a high degree of scientific information and characterisation information associated with each antibody, such as Western blot images, and immunohistochemistry.
Since its inception in 1998, the company has diversified from carrying only antibodies and now supplies antibody-related products such as peptides and equipment.
Abcam is a life-science e-commerce company which facilitates public customer feedback on products using reviews and ratings which customers can submit. This has given rise to the nickname "the Amazon of antibodies"[2][3]
Abcam is also listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Acquisitions
In May 2011, Abcam announced the acquisition of MitoSciences. MitoSciences was a privately held biotech company based in Eugene, Oregon (US). The Company produce and distribute immunoassay 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, and metabolic disorders.
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.[1]
On 19 April 2012, Abcam completed the purchase of Epitomics. Epitomics was a privately held biotech company in San Francisco, California, focused on the development, production and distribution of rabbit monoclonal antibodies for biomedical research and diagnostic applications.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Abcam 2012 Annual Report" (PDF). Abcam PLC. September 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ "Midas Extra share tips: Abcam & Vectura". This Is Money. 1 February 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2009.
- ^ "Babraham to spin out antibody tyro". Business Weekly. 19 March 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2009. [dead link]
External links
- Abcam website
- Cambridge Network profile