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BBInternational – Company History

1986

John Chandler at Cardiff University provides immunogold reagents to the marketplace.
Biocell Research Laboratories created in Cardiff.

Established as leader in the electron microscopy research field.
Distributors established in 15 countries worldwide.
Identified strong market potential with secret recipe formula for superior quality gold colloid manufacture.
Strategic move into the £23 billion global in-vitro diagnostics market.

Biocell Research Laboratories relaunches as British Biocell International, (BBInternational in the US).
BBI builds on its in-house expertise and launches a unique 'full service' for rapid test development.
Experienced international sales and marketing operation in place.
Off-the-shelf product range increased.
90% of sales exported to some of the world's largest diagnostics companies.

Management buy-out led by Managing Director Julian Baines.
Stakeholders include 6 Heads of Department tasked with growing divisions of Sales & Marketing, Gold Reagents, Research & Development, and Manufacturing Operations.

Completion of first major development projects for Merck, featuring five lateral flow tests for food borne pathogens: E-coli, campylobacter, listeria, salmonella, verotoxin.
First major manufacturing contract secured for these projects.

28 April 2004 - Flotation of BBI Holdings onto the London Alternative Investment Market.
Cash raised used to repay Venture Capitalists. All immediately reinvested.
Quality products and services make BBI a cash generative business, taking advantage of profitable growth opportunities and adding value for shareholders.

BBI signs a unique agreement with Inverness Medical Innovations (now Alere), enabling us to offer manufacturing customers patent protection on selected non-competing lateral flow patents owned by IMI.
BBI Research launched in Madison, Wisconsin, bringing BBI's extensive R&D resource closer to US-based customers.
Our leading 40% dextrose gel is rebranded as GlucoGel focusing on growing UK and International sales and introducing other novel fast acting glucose products such as GlucoTabs and GlucoJuice

April 2006 - BBI Holdings acquires Alchemy Laboratories and re-launches as BBI Dundee.

March 2007 – BBI Holdings purchases point of care D-dimer assays from AGEN Biomedical.
May 2007 – BBI Holdings acquires Theratase plc, incorporating the Biozyme and Seravac enzyme divisions, and re-launches as BBI Enzymes.

February – BBI Holdings is acquired by Inverness Medical Innovations (now Alere).