History
Dedicated to laboratory quality
since 1963
SERO’s story begins long before the company was officially founded. In the 1950s, Norwegian physician and biochemist Professor Dr. med. Lorentz Eldjarn began developing control sera out of a growing concern for reliable diagnostics in laboratory medicine. He believed that reliable diagnostics begins with reliable data—and that requires trustworthy quality controls.
From a visionary scientist to a trusted partner
Professor Eldjarn’s extensive expertise and passionate commitment to laboratory quality led to the founding of SERO in 1963. In 1975, he was honoured with the IFCC Clinical Chemistry Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the field. SERO’s first product, Seronorm™, was among the world’s first commercially available quality control materials—and it remains internationally recognised to this day.
Over the decades, we have stayed true to our roots. We continue to focus solely on the development and production of quality control materials. This clarity of purpose has allowed us to build deep technical expertise and long-standing customer relationships.
Shaped by science. Driven by quality.
As laboratory medicine has evolved, so have our products. SERO has developed QC materials that cover an extensive range of analytes—immunoassay, clinical chemistry, lipids, hormones, proteins, tumour markers, cardiac markers, diabetes, trace elements and drugs—to meet the growing needs of laboratories. The number of components in each product has grown, enabling more efficient, reliable control in clinical workflows.
Our ISO 13485-certified facility just outside Oslo, Norway, houses everything from R&D and raw material handling to accredited laboratory analysis, production and logistics. All processes are run under one roof to ensure seamless coordination and consistent quality.
Our laboratory was one of the first in Norway to be accredited in 1994, and we continue to operate at the highest level of scientific and regulatory standards.
A team built on competence and continuity
SERO’s staff is highly competent and dedicated. Around 70% of our employees hold a university degree, and the average work experience at SERO is more than 15 years. Our team includes 12 different nationalities.
Having all employees at a single site enables effective communication between departments and a high degree of flexibility. This is part of what makes us unique - and highly appreciated by the customers we serve.
From our home in Scandinavia to partners worldwide
SERO has a strong position in our Scandinavian home market and exports more than 90% of our products to over 60 countries. We work closely with IVD companies, distribution partners and end users around the world.
Long-term relationships, consistent quality, and trust-based collaboration are key elements of how we work—values that have been with us since day one.
Timeline
1950`s
Automated analyses were introduced in clinical chemistry laboratories. The first statistical quality control procedures using duplicated measurements and pooled patient samples were introduced. Professor Lorentz Eldjarn, Head of the Central Laboratory and Institute of Clinical Biochemistry at the Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, pioneers the development of a standardized control serum for internal QC in his laboratory.
1963
Following Professor Lorentz Eldjarn's publication of his ground breaking results describing the use of the standardized control serum for internal QC, and results of external surveys documenting a lack of inter-laboratory standardization, SERO was founded to provide control sera products to other laboratories. The company formed a joint venture with another Norwegian company NYCOMED (Nyegaard & Co) for the production and marketing of the products. This cooperation lasted to 1998.
1963
Seronorm™ was launched as the world's first commercially available, equine-based, standardized control serum with assigned values for clinical chemistry analysis. Today, Seronorm™ is known worldwide as a group of independent and reliable trueness controls covering the needs at medical laboratories.
1965
A training program based on Levy-Jennings principles for internal laboratory QC was launched in Norway and later translated to many languages based on the Levy-Jennings principles. The use of Seronorm™ becomes synonymous with control sera in Northern Europe.
1970
Expansion through scientific collaboration. A network of leading university laboratories in Europe collaborated with SERO to assign independent values included in the product documentation. SERO began exporting Seronorm™, Seronorm™ Lipid, Pathonorm™ and Autonorm™ to a number of countries worldwide and built up a strong presence in Japan and Germany.
1972
Nycomed/SERO started a distribution agreement with Daiichi in Japan. Four decades later SERO is, both through its branded products and the manufacturing of tailor-made controls, one of the major quality control players in Japan.
1975
Prof. Eldjarn received the IFCC Distinguished Scientist Award in Toronto.
1977
SERO began developing definitive methods with Mass Spectrometry to be introduced as reference methods in the data-key in our Seronorm™ products.
1978
The Seronorm™ products were introduced and sold in the USA. SERO and Nycomed start producing Chemistry Controls for Technicon, the largest producer of automated analytical instruments in the USA.
1979
Seronorm ™ Protein is launched, the first SERO product from a human source. This product is highly commutable and also suitable as a protein electrophoresis control.
1984
Seronorm™ Trace Elements products are introduced. These become a standard for trace elements analysis in whole blood, serum and urine.
1985-1986
Seronorm™ Hormone and Seronorm™ Human are introduced into the market.
1990
SERO developed a number of new specialized control products in the field of immunoassay and proteins.
1992
The first stable, liquid control sera products. Seronorm ™ Hemoglobin/Glucose, Autonorm™ Liquid and Seronorm™ CRP Liquid are launched.
1994
The SERO laboratory was accredited against EN 45001 ISO-Guide 25 as one the first laboratories in Norway.
1998
The joint venture with NYCOMED ends. SERO takes full responsibility for the control sera products, managing the whole product cycle from R&D to distribution and sales. SERO began direct distribution to laboratories in Scandinavia.
2001
SERO opened a brand new production facility specially designed for the filling and lyophilization of control sera, including sterile filling of stable liquid products.
2002
SERO introduced Seronorm™ Immunoassay - a complete multicomponent immunoassay control.
2004
SERO obtains ISO 9001/2000 and ISO 13485/2003 certification.
2004
Direct sales to end-users expanded to the whole of Scandinavia, including distribution of biochemistry reagents and selected IVD-products.
2006
SERO signed an agreement with EIKEN Chemical CO. LTD for distribution of EIKEN's IFOBT products in Scandinavia.
2009
Seronorm™ HbA1c Liquid is launched. The product is made by artificial glycation of blood from healthy donors, offering an ethical alternative to the use of controls based on donations from diabetes patients.
2012
The IFOBT instrument OC-sensor DIANA is installed at Radiumhospitalet in Oslo, Norway and at Aleris Medilab in Stockholm, Sweden, to be used in pilot studies.
2013
The OC-sensor DIANA is installed in 5 laboratories in Denmark.
2013
SERO celebrates its 50th anniversary as one of the world's leading control sera producers.
2014
SERO launches Seronorm™ Cardiac Acute Liq, the most complete acute marker control on the market.
2016
SERO establishes SERO BioScience & Technology (Beijing) Co., Ltd, a daughter company in China.
2017
SERO launches the three-level clinical chemistry control Autonorm™ Clin Chem Liq.
2017
SERO launches Autonorm™ Pharmaca Liq a liquid human based therapeutic drug control.
2018
Growth and Expansion
SERO opened a new production unit for filling and lyophilization and in 2018 SERO produced more than two million vials positioning SERO as one of the industry leaders.2020
Pathonorm® Cardiac Acute Liq. A SERO branded product specifically developed for Siemens Healthineers Atellica® VTLi point-of-care systems.
2023
SERO celebrates 60 years
The oldest quality control manufacturer in the world2024
Launching Seronorm® Cardiac Acute Lyo. A specific consolidated QC including 16 different markers to meet the demand for analyzing cardiac and acute markers.