Celera went on to build a successful database business, providing custom search tools and software that enabled dozens of pharmaceutical companies and hundreds of academic, government and biotech clients to use its findings in biological research. While the Celera database business ultimately became profitable, it was clear by 2000 that this was not a sustaining business model, as the public effort caught up and provided free access to genome sequences.
Celera moved on - both scientifically and commercially. Scientifically, we recognized that understanding complex conditions like Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular disease required a greater understanding of human genetic variability and therefore embarked upon the Applera Genomics Initiative. This involved re-sequencing the genes and regulatory regions of 39 people to develop a catalog of human variation – focused on the parts of the genome that code proteins and are therefore most likely to impact human health. This effort resulted in the identification of over 40,000 novel functional SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms). This work has become a basis for many of the new genetic tests that Celera is developing.
 |
May — |
|
 Celera
Genomics founded by Applera Corporation and Dr. J. Craig Venter, with
the primary mission of sequencing and assembling the human genome
within three years. |
|
 |
| May — |
|
Recapitalization results in the issuance of two classes of stock;
Applera Corporation-Celera Genomics stock and Applera
Corporation-Applied Biosystems stock. |
|
 |
| March — |
|
Follow-on offering of Applera Corporation-Celera Genomics stock raises $944 million. |
|
| March — |
|
 Drosophila (fruit fly) sequence published by Celera and the Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project. |
|
| June — |
|
Celera announces completion of its first draft of the human genome. |
|
| November — |
|
Applera Corporation announces the appointment of Kathy Ordoñez to create a molecular diagnostics business. |
|
 |
| February — |
|
 Publication of Celera's human genome paper in Science. |
| February — |
|
Celera announces grant from NIH to sequence the rat genome. |
|
| April — |
|
Celera completes first assembly of the mouse genome. |
|
| July — |
|
Applera Genomics Initiative, a $100 million project to identify and validate functional SNPs, is announced. |
|
| November — |
|
 Celera acquires Axys Pharmaceuticals, a small molecule
drug discovery company. |
|
 |
| January — |
|
Dr. J. Craig Venter steps down as President of Celera. |
|
| April — |
|
Celera enters into a long-term marketing and distribution
agreement with the Knowledge Business of Applied Biosystems for the
Celera Discovery System online platform. |
|
| April — |
|
Kathy Ordoñez appointed President of Celera. |
|
|
| December — |
|
 Celera announces its new strategy for building its drug discovery and development business.
|
|
 |
| January — |
|
Success in its pilot proteomics study of pancreatic cancer leads Celera to initiate studies in lung and colon cancer. |
|
| June — |
|
Celera begins evaluating findings from genetic association
studies underway at Celera Diagnostics. These findings have the
potential to identify new therapeutic targets and to provide insight
into disease pathways and new approaches to clinical trial design. |
|
 |
| July — |
|
With Abbott Laboratories, announced the formation of a strategic
collaboration to discover, develop and commercialize therapies for the
treatment of cancer. The collaboration encompasses the development of
therapeutic antibodies and small molecule drugs. |
|
| — |
|
Celera forms a strategic collaboration with Seattle Genetics to jointly discover and develop antibody-based therapies for cancer. |
|
| — |
|
 Celera enters
research collaboration intended to accelerate the discovery and
development of new products for Targeted Medicine. |
|
| — |
|
Celera receives a milestone payment from Merck recognizing
Merck’s advancement of a Cathepsin K inhibitor into a Phase I clinical
trial as a potential treatment for osteoporosis. |
|
| October — |
|
Celera Diagnostics announced it has identified genetic variants
associated with late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The findings,
published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences, may have pharmacogenomic implications for drugs in
development as well as current and future therapies for Alzheimer’s and
other neurodegenerative diseases. The full-text article is
available online at www.pnas.org. |
|
 |
| April — |
|
Celera Genomics and Abbott announced that two Celera antigen
targets were selected for further investigation by Abbott for
therapeutic development. |
|
| May — |
|
Celera Diagnostics Identifies Gene
Variants Associated with Risk for Progressive Liver Disease - Link
Between Genetic Predisposition and Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH). |
|
| July — |
|
Abbott and Celera Diagnostics
announced that Abbott received CE Mark certification for a
real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test for monitoring hepatitis
C (HCV) viral load in patients, allowing the test to be marketed in the
European Union. This test is not available or approved for use in the
United States. |
|
| August — |
|
Novel findings linking
genetic variations in four genes with an increased risk for myocardial
infarction (MI), or heart attack. |
|
| September — |
|
Celera Genomics announced the initiation of Phase I clinical
testing for its cathepsin S inhibitor, CRA-028129, for the treatment of
psoriasis. |
|
| December — |
|
Celera Diagnostics announced the publication of data showing that a
novel locus on Chromosome 10 correlates strongly with increased risk
for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. |
|
 |
| January — |
|
Celera Genomics acquires full ownership of Celera Diagnostics joint venture, and announces that it will partner or sell Small Molecule Drug development programs. Strategy to reduce cash burn substantially and accelerate move to profitability. |
|
| February — |
|
Abbott selects two additional cancer targets for further development – total of seven Celera Genomics antigens in research pipeline with partners. |
|
| April — |
|
Data around the development of the Cirrhosis Risk Score presented at the 41st annual meeting of The European Association for the Study of the Liver, in Vienna, Austria |
|
| — |
|
Three programs around small molecule drug candidates for the treatment of cancer and other diseases sold to Pharmacyclics, Inc. (Nasdaq:PCYC). These included programs that target histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes, selective HDAC enzymes, Factor VIIa, and B cell tyrosine kinases involved in immune function. |
|
| June — |
|
Celera and Medarex form a strategic collaboration to discover and develop fully human antibodies for the potential treatment of multiple cancer indications. |
|
| — |
|
Celera and Specialty Laboratories sign an agreement granting Specialty a non-exclusive license to Celera’s risk markers for cirrhosis. |
|
| — |
|
Schering AG acquires Celera’s cathepsin S inhibitor small molecule drug program for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. |
|
| August — |
|
Data published in Human Molecular Genetics on the death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) gene in late-onset Alzheimer’s disease. |
|
| — |
|
National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards Celera approximately $900,000 to develop and commercialize an in vitro diagnostic test for the highly pathogenic influenza A/H5 virus (Asian lineage, H5N1). |
|
| October — |
|
Specialty Laboratories announced the commercial launch of its Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Liver Fibrosis GenotypR™ test, the first genomic clinical test to predict progression to liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in HCV patients based on Celera’s discoveries. |
|
| December — |
|
Data published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology around the identification of the FCAR genetic polymorphism associated with increased risk for myocardial infarction. The research study confirmed prior research findings of a genetic basis for individuals at elevated risk for heart attack who derive better than average protective benefits of statin treatment. |
|
| — |
|
Celera Genomics Group changes its name to Celera Group. |
|
 |
| January — |
|
Health Canada approves the Abbott m2000 instrument system and the Abbott RealTime™ HIV-1 and hepatitis C virus (HCV) viral load tests for marketing in Canada. |
|
| February — |
|
Findings published in the American Journal of Human Genetics that variants in two genes (IL12B and IL23R) involved in regulating the behavior of cells of the immune system independently contribute to psoriasis risk. |
|
| — |
|
Data published in Human Molecular Genetics on two genes associated with late onset Alzheimer’s Disease. |
|
| — |
|
Data presented at 24th annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference in Miami Beach, FL supporting Celera’s multi-gene expression prognostic constellation as a predictor of distant metastasis in Tamoxifen®-treated breast cancer patients. |
|
April — |
|
Celera grants a license to LabCorp to Celera’s breast cance metastasis and estrogen/progesterone receptor discoveries. |
|
— |
|
Celera publishes data validating Cirrhosis Risk Score as a predictor of cirrhosis in chronic hepatitis C infected patients |
|
May — |
|
HIV-1 viral load test approved by FDA for use on m2000 molecular diagnostics instrument |
|
June — |
|
Celera and collaborators discover a genetic marker associated with severe coronary artery disease |
|
August — |
|
Applera retains Morgan Stanley to explore potential corporate restructuring |
|
| September — |
|
Celera to acquire Berkeley HeartLab, Inc. |
|
| — |
|
Celera enters oncology research collaboration with Merck to develop pharmacogenomic tests |
|
| — |
|
Celera and collaborators identify gene variants predicting susceptibility to, and severity of, rheumatoid arthritis |
|
