YORK life-sciences business Intelsius has said it expects 2013 to be its best ever year, as it celebrates its 15th anniversary.

The company, which has its headquarters in Elvington, York, was formed in 1998 after developing a unique packaging designed for transporting samples suspected of containing the BSE, or mad cow disease, prion.

Within a year DGP Group, as it was then known, commercialised the product and became the first United Nations-certified shipper of BSE samples in the world.

International demand for a packaging solution for BSE drove the business to expand globally and it copied the formula of its York operations to manufacturing bases all over the world, designing and manufacturing temperature-controlled and regulation-compliant packaging for government agencies and the pharmaceutical industry.

The business, which operates the majority of its research and development in York, rebranded as Intelsius in 2010 and has grown from three partners to 40 members of staff in York, and with operations in Malaysia, North America, mainland Europe and India.

David Walsh, chief executive, said: “We are delighted to announce this milestone and intend to make it our most successful year ever.

“The answer to one problem created a new company that began making temperature controlled, regulatory compliant packaging 15 years ago and continues to create innovative solutions today.”

He said the business would continue to innovate to achieve performance targets and it appeared to the business that the recession is coming to an end and the economy is starting to look up.

He said the company, which employs about 40 people, expected to achieve double digit growth in 2013 and it expected to recruit more staff in the coming year.

“Intelsius will continue to push the design envelope, developing solutions and technological services, unavailable elsewhere in the temperature-controlled packaging industry,” he said.

“Patient safety has always been at the forefront of our minds. This is a great opportunity to renew our commitment to listening to our clients, being responsive to their needs and ultimately striving to anticipate their needs before they arise.”