ProQinase GMBH was established as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tumor Biology Centre (TBC), Freiburg, in April 2001 to commercialize the centre's research on protein kinases. During their years of basic research at TBC, ProQinase's scientists have developed extensive know-how in the protein kinase arena and have established a range of tools and assays to identify, produce, manipulate and screen protein kinases' activities. These tools and assays now constitute the Integrated Technology Platform Protein Kinases that ProQinase is commercializing through a hybrid business model. The company will apply the platform technology to its own in-house drug discovery and development activities and also make it available to external clients on a fee-for-service basis.

In Vivo summarizes the technologies of several recently founded companies: Advanced BioChem Inc. provides contract protein biochemistry, immunoassay and proteomics services to companies developing pharmaceuticals and medical diagnostics tests. Arradial Inc. aims to accelerate the discovery and validation of therapeutic compounds with a personal desktop laboratory microarray screening system created jointly by Boston University and Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. Spun out of Evotec BioSystems AG, Direvo Biotech AG will use its directed evolution platform to optimize biomolecules for industrial applications, as well as to develop proteins for novel therapeutics. Evacyte Microarray Diagnostics Corp.'s new cancer detection device, the Optical Stretcher, uses laser beams to stretch individual cells, enabling doctors to extract very small samples to determine if cancer cells are present. Palumed SA is developing small molecule drugs for the treatment of malaria and other infectious diseases. Using technology developed by its founders at the University of Texas' MD Anderson Cancer Center and in collaboration with Tripos Inc., Signase Inc. will develop small-molecule inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinases to enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy directed at various types of solid tumors.