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 SmartCyler is still used on the U.S. space station.

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

Cepheid Becomes Trusted Clinical Leader

In 2005, 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 milestone¹ for TB and Multidrug-resistant-TB (MDR-TB) care delivery, followed by Xpert MTB Ultra².

Cepheid Enters the Oncology Market

In 2015, the Company announced its intention to develop tests for oncology. In 2017, Cepheid entered the oncology market with the Xpert Breast Cancer STRAT4² test. Today, Cepheid offers diagnostic and/or prognostic tests for breast, prostate, and bladder cancer as well as leukemia.

Cepheid Joins the Danaher Family

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

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.