Bioscreen was developed by the Finnish company Labsystems Oy in the mid 1980s. Starting off as a mutagenity / carcinogenity testing system, it soon became clear that this instrument would be a very useful tool for automating routine microbiology and was optimized for microbiology growth experiments. Key components included:

* Absorption photometer to measure turbidometry
* Accurate incubator to control bacterial growth
* Unique cuvette to provide even temperature distribution

Labsystems began promoting Bioscreen, and new applications were discovered at a rapid rate. During the next 20 years, over 500 Bioscreens have been sold worldwide.

Meanwhile, Labsystems Oy had been acquired by Thermo Electron and priorities changed. Due to the relatively small volumes Bioscreen generated within the new larger corporate environment, marketing and support efforts were consequently scaled back. But, the product was still very popular among users and a former Labsystems executive offered to acquire the product line.

His offer was accepted in early 2003 and production was transferred to his new company, Growth Curves Ltd. This company has continued to maintain the product excellence Bioscreen is known for. Today the company is controlled by a new generation of owner operators, dedicated to continue developing Bioscreen to meet the high demands of today’s users.