Pierce Biotechnology Inc. is the ultimate origin of a number of products and product lines in the

Thermo Fisher Scientific Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is an American life science and clinical research company. It is a global supplier of analytical instruments, clinical development solutions, specialty diagnostics, laboratory, pharmaceutical and biotechnology s ...

research and development division, "Thermo Scientific Pierce Protein Biology." The company from which this division originated, the

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, Winnebago and Ogle County, Illinois, Ogle counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located in far northern Illinois on the banks of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock River, Rockfor ...

-based Pierce Chemical Company (PCC) was founded in 1948 when Alan Pierce assumed active management of a company known as Midwest Extraction, which focused on isolating

chlorophyll Chlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words (, "pale green") and (, "leaf"). Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy ...

from

alfalfa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial plant, perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, ...

(to take advantage of 1930s research arguing therapeutic uses for chlorophyll in infections, burns, and amputation). In assuming leadership of the company, Pierce transitioned the company to being a manufacturer of fine

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

chemicals, giving it the PCC name in 1950. Among other advances, PCC was the first commercial manufacturer of

ninhydrin Ninhydrin (2,2-dihydroxyindane-1,3-dione) is an organic compound with the formula C6H4(CO)2C(OH)2. It is used to detect ammonia and amines. Upon reaction with these amines, ninhydrin gets converted into deep blue or purple derivatives, which are ...

for use in

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...

analysis. After the first several years, the company diversified into other products and markets. Roy Oliver succeeded Pierce as company president in 1965 (Pierce remaining affiliated with eponymous products and business units until his retirement in 1994). Under Oliver, PCC expanded its operations internationally, entering into agreements with European distributors. The company's focus began to shift in the 1970s from the manufacture of organic chemical products at scale, to research, development, and production, of high-purity reagents for biotechnology research at smaller scales—resulting in its name chance to Pierce Biotechnology (PBT). PBT became a subsidiary of

Perstorp Group Petroliam Nasional Berhad, commonly known as PETRONAS (stylised in all caps), is a Malaysian multinational oil and gas company headquartered in Kuala Lumpur. Established in 1974, it is a legal entity incorporated under the Malaysian Compa ...

in the Perstorp Life Science Division, was spun off as a component of this division as Perbio Science AB, which was subsequently acquired by Fisher Scientific International in 2003. Fisher merged with

Thermo Electron Thermo Electron Corporation (NYSE: TMO) was a major provider of analytical instruments and services for a variety of domains. It was co-founded in 1956 by George N. Hatsopoulos, an MIT PhD in mechanical engineering, and Peter M. Nomikos, a Harv ...

in 2006, bringing some former PCC and PBT product lines of Perbio Science AB under

management, as brands of its "Thermo Scientific Pierce Protein Biology" division.

Perstorp management

In 1983,

Perstorp Perstorp is a locality and the seat of Perstorp Municipality in Skåne County, Sweden with 6,054 inhabitants (2018). History 19th Century Modernization of Sweden: 1860–1910 Prior to the municipal reforms of 1862, Perstorp was, just ...

, a Sweden-based chemical company, purchased Pierce. Perstorp was a manufacturer of chemicals, resins, plastics, and laminates. In 1985, researchers at Pierce Chemical Company, led by Paul K. Smith, published a method detailing the use of bicinchoninic acid (BCA) as a protein quantitation reagent. The BCA protein assay method maintains the high sensitivity and low variability among proteins associated with the

Lowry protein assay The Lowry protein assay is a biochemical assay for determining the total level of protein in a solution. The total protein concentration is exhibited by a color change of the sample solution in proportion to protein concentration, which can then be ...

, while providing increased tolerance to the presence of non-ionic detergents and buffer salts. The BCA assay has since become one of the most widely used methods of protein quantitation. Pierce was recognized for its international marketing efforts in 1990 when it received the US President's "E" Award for success in exporting. Only 24 "E" awards were presented nationwide that year. In 1995, Pierce Chemical Company introduced the patented SuperSignal

chemiluminescent Chemiluminescence (also chemoluminescence) is the emission of light (luminescence) as the result of a chemical reaction, i.e. a chemical reaction results in a flash or glow of light. A standard example of chemiluminescence in the laboratory se ...

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...

for the chemiluminescent detection of

biological Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution of ...

molecules such as

antibodies An antibody (Ab) or immunoglobulin (Ig) is a large, Y-shaped protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily which is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize antigens such as bacteria and viruses, including those that caus ...

pharmaceuticals Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...

. Chemiluminescence is the emission of

light Light, visible light, or visible radiation is electromagnetic radiation that can be visual perception, perceived by the human eye. Visible light spans the visible spectrum and is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400– ...

that occurs when a

chemical reaction A chemical reaction is a process that leads to the chemistry, chemical transformation of one set of chemical substances to another. When chemical reactions occur, the atoms are rearranged and the reaction is accompanied by an Gibbs free energy, ...

(in this case, between the SuperSignal Substrate and the tagged biological molecule) yields light. Researchers preserve the light signal on

X-ray film X-ray detectors are devices used to measure the flux, spatial distribution, spectrum, and/or other properties of X-rays. Detectors can be divided into two major categories: imaging detectors (such as photographic plates and X-ray film (photograp ...

or read the signal directly using an imager. Use of chemiluminescent technology allows researchers to replace

radioactive Radioactive decay (also known as nuclear decay, radioactivity, radioactive disintegration, or nuclear disintegration) is the process by which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by radiation. A material containing unstable nuclei is conside ...

tracers for greater personal safety and much less ecological impact. The introduction of SuperSignal Substrate was one of many product introductions that propelled Pierce Chemical Company to become a leader in the areas of

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

sample preparation, protein function and

modification Modification may refer to: * Modifications of school work for students with special educational needs * Modifications (genetics), changes in appearance arising from changes in the environment * Posttranslational modifications, changes to prote ...

, and protein detection. The company would soon change its name to Pierce Biotechnology, Inc. to reflect its focus and expertise on these growing areas. In June 1998, Pierce's parent company, Perstorp AB, announced several organizational changes, including the establishment of the separate Perstorp Life Science Division, of which Pierce was a key player. In 1999, the Perstorp Life Science Division was spun off into its own company, Perbio Science AB. The new company was listed on the

Stockholm Stock Exchange Nasdaq Stockholm, formerly known as the Stockholm Stock Exchange (), is a stock exchange located in Frihamnen, Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1863, it has become the primary securities exchange of the Nordic countries. As of March 2021, a total ...

O List in October 1999.

Fisher Scientific and subsequent management

In August 2003, Fisher Scientific International announced its intent to purchase Perbio Science AB. In November 2006,

and Fisher Scientific International merged to form

(TFS). Today, the company formerly known as Pierce Chemical Company and Pierce Biotechnology Inc. is the TFS research and development division, "Thermo Scientific Pierce Protein Biology".

References

{{reflist

External links

Pierce Protein Research Products

Pierce Antibodies
Biotechnology companies of the United States Companies based in Rockford, Illinois Chemical companies established in 1948 Biotechnology companies disestablished in 2003 1983 mergers and acquisitions 2003 mergers and acquisitions 1948 establishments in Illinois 2003 disestablishments in Illinois