In the Fall 2002, Xanthon, Inc. was closed down. The firm had been a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill spin-off that, at the height of its activities, employed c.50 people at its Research Triangle Park headquarters. The company was established with the objective of commercializing its patented electrochemical detection technology for the direct analysis of DNA, RNA and proteins. Operating as a bioinformation solutions company organized around commercialization of electrochemical detection technology for the direct analysis of DNA, RNA, and proteins, the company had developed products designed to enhance and shorten the discovery and development process for new therapeutics, medical diagnostics, agriculture, and crop protection products.