ProtoPharm

The product of a merger between a group of chemical research and medical companies, ProtoPharm takes the best from both fields of science to create a corporation that provides an effective treatment for any ailment they're able to cure and a large enough research and development centre to find effective treatments for those they aren't.

Founded in the year 2646 and placed under the control of business lawyer Jakob Finster, ProtoPharm's first focus is towards the creation of a viable cryogenic storage solution. With the numerous companies all working together, it only takes six years for Finster's new company to enjoy fruition.

Implementing their technology into the Avenger, ProtoPharm becomes responsible for making the trip to Irata-3 a far more appealing prospect. Knowing that they would no longer die of old age before ever reaching the destination they set out for, the Avenger project - and the Great Trek which took place a little under a century later - becomes a resounding success.

In 2658, ProtoPharm then expand on their original cryogenic technology by inventing the Cryovault; a more sophisticated version of the chambers on the Avenger and allowing people to prolong their lifespans - potentially indefinitely - through their use. Somewhat unexpectedly to the general public, Jakob Finster places himself in one of the Cryovaults in 2664 and, in doing so, transfers the running of ProtoPharm to his nephew Alain.

During Alain's 37-year tenure as ProtoPharm's CEO, the company releases what many consider to be their greatest achievement: the Vitae vaccine. However, shortly after the arrival of the 28th Century, both the formula for Vitae and Alain himself disappear under suspicious circumstances. The fact that the Brotherhood of Crahn start to sell the Vitae vaccine shortly afterward lead many to conclude that they were in some way responsible for Alain's disappearance but, as with many things, conclusive proof on the matter is scarce.

With Alain now absent, Jan Pixner is the next member of ProtoPharm to take the CEO position. Despite allying the corporation with Lioon Reza's Twilight Guardian - and, following the revolution, Reza's City Administration - Pixner's tenure is largely forgotten, largely due to the actions of both his predecessor and his successor.

In 2739, the fourth CEO of ProtoPharm - Gene Manchia - attempts to replicate the success of Jakob Finster's nephew by creating what he hopes is the "second coming" of the Vitae vaccine. However, the resultant product is anything but. Instead, Spirula ends up causing unpredictable and irreversible genetic damage and the colossal scandal which follows leaves Manchia no other choice but to remove the product from the market and, in 2741, step down as ProtoPharm's CEO.

Manchia's replacement - current CEO Sandra Frasier - elects to have her corporation shy away from the spotlight for the next few years in order to avoid the backlash from the Spirula vaccine. Lioon Reza, out of a need to keep his people safe, deems the mutants caused by the vaccine to be less than human; victims of a horrific and terminal illness who are to be killed as an act of mercy.

Many of the mutants flee from the developed districts, retreating to either the Outzone or away from the city altogether. Frasier's actions - or rather inaction, compared to her predecessors - lead to ProtoPharm securing a cooperation contract with Biotech in 2750; one which she hopes will bring retribution for her company's chequered past.