Throughout our 30+ year history, LICORbio has developed revolutionary fluorescence imaging technologies to address the growing needs of the scientific community. Today LICORbio offers complete, integrated solutions for quantitative protein research, plate-based assays, small animal imaging, and more. From innovative protocols and industry-leading imaging systems to powerful analysis software, affordable reagents, and world-class scientific support, LICORbio continues to empower researchers around the world to answer difficult questions, make groundbreaking discoveries, and improve countless facets of human health.
In 1967, co-founder Bill Biggs graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) with a bachelor's degree in engineering and then pursued a master's degree. At the time, the Rockefeller Foundation was funding various programs to develop grain sorghum as a food supplement in underdeveloped countries, and it awarded a grant to UNL on these programs' behalf. For five years, this funding supported research initiatives for several scientists, including Bill, and allowed UNL to sponsor a symposium at the university's Kellogg Center.
+ Read MoreBill's role in the sorghum project was to develop instrumentation related to plant photosynthesis in collaboration with other UNL scientists. One of the instruments Bill designed—an accurate, inexpensive sensor and meter for measuring photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)—was highlighted in the journal Ecology. Shortly after the symposium ended, his group began to receive instrumentation requests from scientists who attended the symposium. This led to a part-time business in 1968 and a full-time operation as Lambda Instruments Corporation in 1971. The company's name was then formally changed to LI-COR, Inc. seven years later.
As LI-COR grew, the Environmental product line's staff continued to develop instruments to supplement the existing line of light sensors, porometers, spectroradiometers, and photosynthesis systems. The rapid growth in biotechnology research inspired LI-COR's early forays into DNA and gene sequencing technology. This eventually led to the development of the LI-COR Biotechnology product line and business unit.
While the Environmental and Biotechnology product lines remain distinct, they share one common element: they measure biological parameters based on the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and physical matter.
After earlier developments with argon lasers, LI-COR Biotechnology created the Model 4000 Automated DNA Sequencer with near-infrared (NIR) laser technology, whose launch in 1992 immediately garnered international attention. This sequencer played a key role in sequencing the human genome with over a thousand base-pair reads. A year later, the 4000L Long Read DNA Sequencing System set global standards for long read lengths and accuracy.
The Model 4300 DNA Analysis System was introduced in 2003. The Model 4300 System included comprehensive application packages for DNA sequencing, Microsatellite analysis, AFLP® analysis, reverse genetics (TILLING®), and SNP discovery (Ecotilling).
As its product line grew, LI-COR Biotechnology recognized the potential of infrared fluorescent dyes to improve the reliability, accuracy, and performance of DNA sequencing instruments. LI-COR Biotechnology soon began exploring new applications for infrared dye detection and found these same characteristics would also make NIR fluorescence an excellent platform for protein imaging.
In 2001, LI-COR Biotechnology released the first of the family of Odyssey® Imagers—the Odyssey Infrared Imaging System. The Odyssey Imaging System produced superior two-color quantitative fluorescent Western blots with clear, sharp bands in a fraction of the time and cost of chemiluminescence. It featured unprecedented direct detection for a variety of applications, including protein and DNA gels and Western blots. Since then, the Odyssey name has become synonymous with imaging quality, quantitative capability, and unmatched sensitivity.
The next member of the family came in 2010 with the release of the Odyssey Fc Imager. This instrument added the 600 nm detection channel and essential chemiluminescence imaging capabilities, offering researchers even greater application flexibility. It also featured a low-noise, thermoelectrically cooled CCD camera paired with patented FieldBrite™ XT2 optics for uniform illumination of the entire imaging surface.
Then in 2011, as a result of continued innovation on the flagship Odyssey platform, LI-COR Biotechnology launched the Odyssey CLx Imaging System as the successor to the original Odyssey Imaging System.
The C-DiGit® Blot Scanner, released in 2013, continues to offer an affordable and accurate digital method of performing chemiluminescent Western blots that improves on traditional methods by collecting a single digital image using a wide dynamic range. The D-DiGit Gel Scanner, released in 2017, provides a complete nucleic acid gel analysis system for researchers interested in a safer, more effective alternative to UV imaging.
To provide a complete solution for biotechnology research, LICORbio developed and released Image Studio™ Software. For years, Image Studio served as an industry-leading Western blot analysis software. Image Studio Software is now common in protein research laboratories around the world, with more than 120,000 downloads as of May 2024.
To align with publisher and industry best practices, LICORbio developed Empiria Studio® Software in partnership with high-impact journals. In 2018, Empiria Studio launched as a post-processing software for quantitative protein expression analysis of Western blots.
To continue to leverage the benefits of NIR fluorescence and to expand the capabilities of Odyssey Imagers, LI-COR Biotechnology invented the In-Cell Western Assay . The In-Cell Western Assay is a quantitative immunofluorescence assay used to quickly characterize cell signaling parameters. The assay has gained favor in the scientific community for its speed, accuracy, and reliability.
In 2021, the Odyssey XF and Odyssey DLx, were introduced as the next generation of Odyssey Imagers. These new and improved versions of the Odyssey Fc and the Odyssey CLx, respectively, both featured greatly enhanced electronics, software, and hardware.
In 2008, LI-COR Biotechnology launched the Pearl® Small Animal Imager for NIR fluorescent in vivo imaging. The Pearl was crucial for therapeutic companies to study disease onset and progression and to assess drug clearance, biodistribution, colocalization, and efficacy.
In 2010, to support the growing capabilities of the Pearl, LI-COR Biotechnology expanded its reagent family with BrightSite™ IRDye optical agents for in vivo imaging. Combining the Pearl Imager with BrightSite optical agents enabled researchers to track biological events and disease activity in living animals. This research is valuable in numerous areas of study, including apoptosis, angiogenesis, inflammation, bone growth, and the human microbiome. In 2015, the Pearl Trilogy was released with an additional detection channel for researchers interested in bioluminescence detection.
LI-COR Biotechnology is well known for developing a diverse line of novel fluorescent reagents, including IRDye® Infrared Dyes and conjugated secondary antibodies. For over 30 years, scientists have used LI-COR's infrared dyes for research including drug discovery, cell signaling analysis, animal imaging, and the Human Genome Project. LI-COR Biotechnology reagents and imaging systems have also been involved in more than 30 clinical trials spanning brain, lung, and breast cancer studies.
After the expansion into small animal imaging, the concept of live imaging moved into the clinic with the IRDye Infrared Dye portfolio being utilized in many cancer and non-cancer indications. IRDye 800CW has been used in breast and ovarian cancer resection as well as other indications like endometriosis. IRDye 700DX, which was invented and manufactured at LI-COR Biotechnology, possessed unique cancer killing properties. It was utilized by the National Institutes of Health and subsequently multiple commercial entities for unique light-based treatment for indications like head and neck cancer and ocular melanoma.
In 2007, IRDye 800CW completed animal toxicity studies. The completion of these studies was a key milestone in the development of IRDye 800CW for potential clinical imaging use. IRDye 800CW is cited in a wide variety of published non-clinical research for labeling nucleic acids, antibodies, proteins, and peptides where there is a need for high signal, low background imaging. With an 800 nm emission wavelength, this dye is spectrally ideal for animal imaging research
In 2009, LI-COR Biotechnology worked with the Spectros Corporation to couple IRDye® 800CW to Spectros’ proprietary targeted biomarkers and to develop the targeted fluorescent contrast agents for the real-time imaging and treatment of prostate and ovarian cancers in patients with products like ProstaFluor™.
In 2015, LI-COR Biotechnology partnered with Aura Biosciences to utilize IRDye 700DX in a novel, non-invasive ocular cancer treatment protocol. In 2020, IRDye 700DX was sold to Rakuten Medical, Inc. and served as a critical component of photoimmunotherapy for treatment of head and neck cancers. Rakuten Medical, Inc. has since made their novel drug available in Japan.
The utility of the IRDye portfolio in human clinical trials helped to expand LI-COR Biotechnology’s knowledge base in the unique opportunities for NIR technology in the realm of clinical therapy, diagnostics, and quantitative fluorescent imaging for drug development and research.
LI-COR Biotechnology has expanded its offerings over time to include a vast lineup of innovative imagers, software, and reagents for a wide variety of emerging applications. In 2021, LI-COR Biotechnology announced the largest product launch in its history.
Empiria Studio Software's unique workflow format was updated to guide researchers through analysis of Western blots, In-Cell Western Assays, membranes, slides, and gels. Additionally, LI-COR® Acquisition Software, two visible reagents, and three new imagers—the Odyssey XF, Odyssey DLx, and the revolutionary Odyssey M—were released.
The culmination of decades of continuous improvements in fluorescence imaging technology, the Odyssey M is truly unmatched in application versatility, performance, technology, and scientific expertise. This revolutionary multimodal instrument can image up to 19 different channels in dozens of combinations, including near-infrared and visible fluorescence, bioluminescence, chemiluminescence, and RGB true color.
The Odyssey M can accomplish the work of a Western blot imager, plate reader, slide scanner, luminescence imager, and other instruments—all in one imager. It created countless opportunities for researchers across multiple disciplines, including proteomics, transcriptomics, genomics, epigenomics, metabolomics, immunocytochemistry, immunohistochemistry, cancer and Alzheimer’s research, cell and gene therapy, and drug development. New applications continue to be published to this day.
In 2021, co-founders Bill and Elaine Biggs were inducted into the Nebraska Business Hall of Fame. Then with the retirement of then Chief Executive Greg Biggs, LI-COR Biosciences was acquired by Battery Ventures, a global technology-focused investment firm. The duties of the Chief Executive passed on to Tom Reslewic, who now leads LI-COR Biosciences into its next chapter. Tom and LI-COR look forward to continuing the company's legacy of innovation and impacting lives through science.
In April 2024, LI-COR Biotechnology formally rebranded to LICORbio, complete with a colorful new logo, brand visuals, and a brand promise to be "Your Constant" as you navigate the unpredictability of research. LICORbio also launched the Odyssey F Imaging Systems as the successors to the Odyssey DLx. With more channels, broader plate compatibility, and upgraded hardware, software, and electronics, the Odyssey F Imagers are the fastest biomolecular scanners on the market.
Backed by over 50 years of groundbreaking research and development in near-infrared imaging technology and empowered by its newfound identity, LICORbio has renewed its commitment to support the scientists advancing essential academic research and propelling revolutionary clinical applications and never-before-seen cell and gene therapies.
In the words of CEO Thomas Reslewic, “LICORbio represents our long heritage as well as the many opportunities we have for growth in the years ahead. While we may have a new name and a new look, our customers and stakeholders can rest assured that we’ll still provide them with the same trusted technology and unparalleled support that they’ve come to expect from us.”
