Brahms

B·R·A·H·M·S GmbH is a German in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) company headquartered in Hennigsdorf near Berlin, where it employs around 300 people. It belongs to the American life-sciences group Thermo Fisher Scientific and specialises in researching, developing and producing biomarkers for sepsis, cardiovascular, pulmonary and tumour diseases as well as prenatal early diagnostics. Its products are sold in more than 130 countries. The company originated in 1994 from the first management buy-out in the German pharmaceutical industry. Department heads of the diagnostics division of Henning Berlin / Marion Merrell Dow spun off the entire business unit, initially operating as Brahms Diagnostica GmbH in Berlin-Tempelhof. The name "B·R·A·H·M·S" is formed from the first letters of the founders' first names — Bernd Wegener, Rudolf Nothelfer, Andreas Bergmann, Herbert Sucka, Metod Miklus and Ute Schütt-Ewald (for the last, the first letter of her surname). Brahms was profitable from the start and did not need venture capital; research and development were financed from its own revenues. Growth soon pushed the Tempelhof site to capacity, and in 2000 the company moved to the technology centre in Hennigsdorf. During the 2000s several biotechnology firms — InVivo, InVent, Bioassays, LAD and Sphingotec — were spun off from Brahms, most of them still located in the Hennigsdorf technology centre. Brahms also participates in research collaborations with universities; in 2003, for example, it founded the Endocrine Research Centre (EnForCé) at the Charité in Berlin together with Schering AG and the Charité's Experimental Endocrinology unit. At the end of 2009 the company was acquired by the US group Thermo Fisher Scientific. As a specialist in in-vitro diagnostics, Brahms researches, develops and distributes immunoassays for determining antibodies and proteins from patients' blood. Historically, as a former part of the thyroid company Henning Berlin, Brahms is a leader in thyroid diagnostics. Its best-known product is the TRAK assay for determining antibodies against the TSH receptor in Graves' disease (Morbus Basedow), for which Brahms is the world market leader. In 1995 the company introduced procalcitonin (PCT), a biomarker for the early detection of sepsis. Further products include tumour markers and immunoassays for prenatal screening. Since 2001 Brahms has also manufactured and distributed a fully automated laboratory analyser, KRYPTOR, developed together with the French company Cezanne and based on a luminescence technology for which the French chemist Jean-Marie Lehn received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1987. Brahms' research activities focus on biomarkers in intensive care and endocrinology as well as pneumology and cardiology, supported by scientific collaborations with universities in Europe, the USA and Asia.

The origins of Brahms GmbH go back to the first management buy-out in the German pharmaceutical industry. In 1994, department heads of the diagnostics division of Henning Berlin / Marion Merrell Dow drove the spin-off of the entire business unit. The company was initially called Brahms Diagnostica GmbH and was based in Berlin-Tempelhof. Its name "B·R·A·H·M·S" is composed of the first letters of the founders' first names: Bernd Wegener, Rudolf Nothelfer, Andreas Bergmann, Herbert Sucka, Metod Miklus and Ute Schütt-Ewald (for the last, the first letter of her surname). Brahms was profitable from the beginning and did not depend on venture capital to maintain its business operations; research and development were financed from its own revenues. The company's growth soon brought the Tempelhof headquarters to its capacity limits. In 2000, Brahms therefore moved to the technology centre in Hennigsdorf. During the 2000s, several biotechnology companies were founded as spin-offs from Brahms — InVivo, InVent, Bioassays, LAD and Sphingotec — most of which are still located in the Hennigsdorf technology centre. Brahms GmbH participates in research collaborations with various universities. In 2003, for example, together with Schering AG and the Experimental Endocrinology unit of the Berlin Charité, it founded the Endocrine Research Centre (EnForCé) at the Charité. At the end of 2009, Brahms GmbH was acquired by the US company Thermo Fisher Scientific. On the product side, Brahms introduced procalcitonin (PCT) in 1995 as a biomarker for the early detection of sepsis. Since 2001 it has also manufactured and distributed the KRYPTOR fully automated laboratory analyser, developed together with the French company Cezanne and based on a luminescence technology for which the French chemist Jean-Marie Lehn was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1987. Historically, as a former part of the thyroid company Henning Berlin, Brahms became a leader in thyroid diagnostics; its best-known product is the TRAK assay for determining antibodies against the TSH receptor in Graves' disease, where Brahms is the world market leader. Its research focuses on biomarkers in intensive care and endocrinology as well as pneumology and cardiology, with scientific collaborations with universities in Europe, the USA and Asia.

• 2009

  Acquisition of Brahms GmbH by the US company Thermo Fisher Scientific at the end of the year.

• 2003

  Founding of the Endocrine Research Centre (EnForCé) at the Berlin Charité together with Schering AG and the Charité's Experimental Endocrinology unit.

• 2001

  Start of manufacturing and distribution of the KRYPTOR fully automated laboratory analyser, developed with the French company Cezanne.

• 2000

  Move of the company headquarters from Berlin-Tempelhof to the technology centre in Hennigsdorf.

• 1995

  Introduction of procalcitonin (PCT) as a biomarker for the early detection of sepsis.

• 1994

  Spin-off from the diagnostics division of Henning Berlin / Marion Merrell Dow as Brahms Diagnostica GmbH in Berlin-Tempelhof, the first management buy-out in the German pharmaceutical industry.

Specialist in in-vitro diagnostics and biomarker assays, historically a leader in thyroid diagnostics and world market leader in TSH-receptor antibody testing; now a biomarker brand within Thermo Fisher Scientific's diagnostics portfolio.

• TRAK assay

  Assay for determining antibodies against the TSH receptor in Graves' disease (Morbus Basedow); Brahms is the world market leader for this assay.

• Procalcitonin (PCT)

  Biomarker introduced in 1995 for the early detection of sepsis.

• KRYPTOR

  Fully automated laboratory analyser developed with the French company Cezanne, based on a luminescence technology for which Jean-Marie Lehn received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1987.

• Tumour markers

  Immunoassays for tumour diagnostics.

• Prenatal screening immunoassays

  Immunoassays for prenatal early diagnostics.

1. 1Brahms (Unternehmen) – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org
2. 2Brahms – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3B·R·A·H·M·S Biomarkers – Thermo Fisher Scientificthermoscientific.com