CERS

Cerus Corporation

A blood-safety company based in Concord, California, Cerus makes the INTERCEPT Blood System, a technology used by blood banks to zap donated platelets and plasma with UV light and a compound called amotosalen, neutralizing viruses, bacteria, and parasites before they reach patients. Founded in 1991 by hematologist Laurence Corash and chemist John Hearst, the company spun off its immunotherapy business in 2007 to focus on blood safety. Its product is aptly named: the system "intercepts" pathogens by cross-linking their DNA so they can't reproduce, rather than just screening for known ones.