Life Technologies was formed as an amalgamation of Invitrogen and Applied Biosystems in 2008 and was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific Corporation in Febuary 2014. Life had also acquired 10 other small firms - several of which were also SBIR involved. The company developed, manufactured and marketed research tools in kit form. The company's kits improved gene cloning, gene expression and gene analysis techniques as well as other molecular biology activities. These techniques and activities were used to study how a cell is regulated by its genetic material, known as functional genomics, and to search for drugs that can treat diseases. The Company's kits allowed researchers to perform these activities more accurately, efficiently and with greater reproducibility than conventional research methods. On September 2000, Invitrogen merged and acquired the assets of Dexter. In October 2004, the firm acquired the UK firm DNA Research Innovations. In October 2005, firm acquired CA based Quantum Dot. also an SBIR involved firm.
