Deborah A. Smeltzer

Exonhit is developing and manufacturing novel pharmaceuticals from its expertise in the field of alternative RNA splicing, the process by which a single gene can lead to several proteins. The firm's proprietary gene profiling technology DATAS is utilized to identify genes whose splice variants produce abnormal proteins which may trigger or contribute to the development of disease. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Paris, France.

Applera Corp. manufactures medical instruments

Grotech Management Co (Grotech Management) is a venture capital firm founded in 1984 by Frank A. Adams. The firm is headquartered in Owings Mills, Maryland.

Part of Merck KGaA, Serono Genetics Institute SA is a French biotechnology company specializing in synthetic DNA and genetic analysis. The company is based in Paris, France. The company was founded in 1989 by Pascal Brandys. Serono Genetics Institute was acquired by Serono SA on September 23, 2002 for $65.82 million.

Applied Biosystems, Inc. is a company that provides integrated systems for sequencing, flow cytometry, and various types of PCR. The company is based in Foster City, CA. The company's products cover the entire process from sample preparation to data analysis. The company was founded by Chris Yoo, Marvin H. Caruthers, Michael W. Hunkapiller, and Leroy E. Hood. Applied Biosystems was acquired by Invitrogen Corp. from Applera Corp. on November 21, 2008 for $6,417.85 million.