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A Higher Level of PCR Excellence

To know Cepheid is to know our spirit of innovation. It is what compelled us to re-invent the industry’s approach to molecular diagnostic testing. Our founders envisioned A Better Way for healthcare professionals to access the accuracy of real-time PCR in a faster, more flexible, scalable, and user-friendly format — one that could extend beyond the laboratory. Our commitment to improve patient care with faster, more accurate answers is at the heart of everything we do. We call it the PCRplus advantage.

Our Mission

Delivering A Better Way to improve patient outcomes by enabling access to molecular diagnostic testing everywhere.

 

Our Vision

 To be the leading provider of seamlessly connected diagnostic solutions.

 

Associate Promise

Working at Cepheid is MORE than a career.

Explore opportunities to perform groundbreaking work.

Learn more about Cepheid’s Track Record of Innovation.

Cepheid’s Company History

Cepheid was founded in 1996 with a vision to develop an innovative system that simplified a highly complex, multi-stage process for the detection and analysis of nucleic acids, including DNA, in samples such as blood, urine, food, and industrial water. In its first phase, Cepheid was focused on its SmartCycler® system which integrated the amplification and detection phases of nucleic acid testing in a single instrument. The system was launched in 2000, the same year the Company went public.

The SmartCycler enjoyed broad adoption while the Company began to develop its next platform, the GeneXpert System. Today, the SmartCycler is still used on the International Space Station.1

Legacy Cepheid pcr test equipment

The GeneXpert System at the Heart of Biohazard Detection

Foreshadowing Cepheid's legacy of quickly developing tests to address urgent public health issues as they emerge, the company’s focus temporarily shifted following the U.S. terrorist attacks in 2001. In collaboration with Northrop Grumman, the GeneXpert system was at the heart of the biohazard detection system for the United States Postal Service. Launched in 2003, the program has delivered over 15 million test results with no false positives. While the biothreat aspect of Cepheid’s business grew, Cepheid quickly returned to its vision of delivering the GeneXpert system and an associated menu of diagnostic tests to the clinical market.

“Cepheid has a long history of quickly developing and delivering tests that address urgent public health issues as they emerge.”

-David H. Persing, M.D., Ph.D., Cepheid's EVP and Chief Medical and Scientific Officer
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Cepheid Becomes A Trusted Clinical Leader

In 2006, Cepheid officially launched the fully automated GeneXpert system into the clinical market with the release of Xpert® GBS, a test for intrapartum screening of Group B Streptococcus in labor and delivery. Since then, more than 20 US-IVD tests and 30 CE-IVD tests have been introduced — from healthcare-associated infections to women’s health, sexual health, blood virology, and respiratory infections. In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) endorsed Cepheid’s first tuberculosis test, Xpert® MTB/RIF as a major milestone2 for TB and Multidrug-resistant-TB (MDR-TB) care delivery, followed by Xpert MTB Ultra.*

Cepheid GeneXpert pcr test cartridge
A doctor comforting a couple

Cepheid Enters the Oncology Market

In 2015, the Company announced its intention to develop tests for oncology. Today, Cepheid’s oncology portfolio includes IVD tests for both leukemia and bladder cancer, along with research use only (RUO) assays supporting leukemia research investigations.

Cepheid Joins the Danaher Family

Cepheid has United States headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. The company operates in 17 countries with production sites in the United States, Sweden, and India. Listed on the Nasdaq in 2000, Cepheid was acquired in 2016 by Danaher Corporation, a Fortune 150 life science and technology innovator.

 

Cepheid is proud to be part of Danaher. Danaher’s science and technology leadership puts Cepheid’s solutions at the forefront of the industry, so they can reach more people. Being part of Danaher means we can offer unparalleled breadth and depth of expertise and solutions to our customers.

 

Together with Danaher’s other businesses across Biotechnology, Diagnostics, and Life Sciences, we unlock the transformative potential of cutting-edge science and technology to improve billions of lives every day.

Cepheid Leads COVID-19 Pandemic Response

In 2020, after the WHO declared a global pandemic in response to SARS-CoV-2, Cepheid rapidly developed ­– and received FDA Emergency Use Authorization - for its Xpert® Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test. The company leveraged its global network of GeneXpert systems and provided more than 100 million tests in the fight to slow the spread of COVID-19

2000

SmartCycler

Integrated amplification and detection

2005

   GeneXpert System

Integrated sample preparation, amplification, and detection. Available in multiple modular configurations

2009

GeneXpert Infinity-48 System

Greater automation with up to 48 modules

2011

GeneXpert Infinity-80 System

Continuous automated operation with up to 80 modules

2016

GeneXpert System Milestone

10,000th GeneXpert system delivered to 10 Hammersmith Broadway in London, UK

2017

GeneXpert Xpress

System for near-patient applications introduced for CLIA waived settings (with Touchscreen, 2019)

2004

Anthrax Cartridge

Integrated sample preparation, amplification, and detection for deployment in U.S. Postal Service sorting offices

2005

First Clinical Xpert Test

Xpert GBS was Cepheid’s first clinical test, launched for Group B Streptococcus detection in labor and delivery

2007

Xpert MRSA Surveillance cleared by FDA

2010

Xpert MTB/RIF

WHO endorsement through the Global Access Program to help fight tuberculosis around the world

2013

Xpert CT/NG

Launched in the U.S., Cepheid's initial entry into high-volume testing markets

2014

Xpert HIV-1 Viral Load CE

Cepheid enters virology testing

2017

Xpert Breast Cancer STRAT4

Cepheid enters the oncology market

2018

Xpert HCV VL Fingerstick

First molecular test to detect HCV RNA levels directly from a fingerstick of blood

2020

Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2

Receives Emergency Use Authorization in rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic

2021

Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2/Flu/RSV

For detection and differentiation of SARS-CoV02, Flu A, Flu B, and RSV

What milestone will you help create? Explore career opportunities.


References:

1. NASA Wetlab 2. NASA, Biosciences Division. https://www.nasa.gov/ames/space-biosciences/wetlab-2/

2. “WHO Endorses New Rapid Test for Tuberculosis.” World Health Organization, 8 Dec. 2010. Internet Archive, https://web.archive.org/web/20101210115147/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2010/tb_test_20101208/en/index.html.

 

*CE-IVD. In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Device. Not available in all countries.