Dr. Frederick R. Blattner founded Scarab Genomics in 2002. He is the Oliver Smithies Professor of Genetics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He is also the founder of NimbleGen Systems Inc. and DNAStar, Inc.

Dr. Blattner is a pioneer of bacterial genomics, being the first to complete the sequence for Escherichia coli K-12 strain, the "cornerstone" of bacterial genetics. He also led the E. coli Genome Project with a team at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, sequencing the highly pathogenic E. coli 0157:H7 strain, commonly referred to as the "hamburger strain," as well as the E. coli K-1 strain, responsible for neonatal sepsis and meningitis. His team also completed the sequencing of Shigella flexneri, Salmonella typhi, and Yersinia pestis.