LI-COR Biosciences is a leader in the design, manufacture, and marketing of integrated instrument systems for plant biology, gas analysis, drug discovery, protein research, small animal imaging and environmental research. LI-COR instruments for photosynthesis, carbon dioxide analysis, and light measurement are recognized world wide for standard-setting innovation in plant science research and environmental monitoring.
The company pioneered the development of infrared fluorescence labeling and detection systems for DNA sequencing, protein imaging, genotyping, and AFLP® for genomic and proteomic research.
Founded in 1971, the privately held company is based in Lincoln, Nebraska, with subsidiaries near Frankfurt, Germany and in Cambridge, UK. LI-COR systems are used in over 100 countries and are supported by a global network of distributors. The company can trace its origins to 1967, when a large project to develop sorghum as a world food product was started at the Agronomy Department of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln (UNL). William Biggs was hired as part of the research team and worked on the development of basic research instruments for the project. A quantum sensor to measure the quantity of light usable to plants for photosynthesis was developed for the project. Scientists from other laboratories around the world began requesting similar instruments. The research required to design these instruments formed the foundation of LI-COR's understanding of the optical properties of life systems and led them to concentrate on the infrared region where interference from light scatter and autofluorescence are minimal. The result is reliable data with high signal-to-noise ratios and superior sensitivity.
