Still Rapid After All These Years

Gasoline was $1.15 per gallon, every toddler wanted a Teletubbies doll, and a startup called Google barely had anything online to search for. But in 1998 there were big changes on the horizon – many of them illustrated by a new technology that would become the genesis of Rapid Micro Biosystems.

Commitment to evolve the Growth Direct^® System has halved its footprint while upgrading throughput, application set, LIMS integration, and ease of use.

Twenty-five years later, the forces that helped shape the 21st century still define our work at RMB: speed, digitalization, connectivity, automation. If you look at some milestones marking our journey in microbial quality control, you’ll sense a restless urgency to deliver new efficiencies for drug manufacturers and patients.

1998
A small team of Boston scientists creates a digital vision platform for genomic profiling.

2006
Adaptation for faster microbial enumeration in pharmaceutical quality control prompts a company makeover, to Rapid Micro Biosystems.

2009
First-generation Growth Direct^® System automates environmental monitoring and water testing.

2014  
Second-generation Growth Direct^® System triples capacity, with a new application set and half the footprint for easier co-location at manufacturing sites.

2018
Workflow connectivity is supported with two-way LIMS integration and 21CFR11 compliant software.

2021
Placement of our 100th system for commercial customers.

2022  
RMBNucleus™ mold alarm software enables 1-day detection for risk mitigation.

Then and now, old and new: these themes still play out in microbial quality control, where rapid microbial methods (RMMs) are only beginning to overtake the manual practices developed by Robert Koch nearly 150 years ago.

Even though our customer base today includes over half of the top 20 largest pharmaceutical companies as measured by revenue, the great majority of firms have been slow to implement RMMs. It’s difficult to grasp how vast this industry is until you try to change it. But we still have that sense of urgency.

What's Next at RMB?

True to our origins, we’ve been busy at lab benches and whiteboards in pursuit of new innovations that can help customers deliver quality, cost-effective products in less time. In coming months, you can look for a major product announcement on our website or at one of our industry events.

So, stay tuned. The best is yet to come!