Applied StemCell
Applied StemCell is a Milpitas-based biotechnology company that develops TARGATT-based genome engineering tools, iPSC lines and differentiated cells, and GMP cell therapy manufacturing services for biopharma developers and academic researchers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersMilpitas, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Applied StemCell does
Applied StemCell, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company founded in 2008 and headquartered in Milpitas, California, that builds genome engineering and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) platforms for drug discovery and cell therapy development. Its core technology is TARGATT™, a proprietary serine integrase-based site-specific integration system that inserts large DNA payloads (up to 50 kb at ~88% efficiency) into the H11 safe harbor locus in mammalian cells, complementing in-house CRISPR/Cas9 and MAD7 gene editing capabilities and a hypoimmunogenic iPSC platform (B2M/CIITA double knock-out). The company also operates five ISO 7 GMP cleanrooms with ISO 5 workspaces, holding ISO 13485 certification, California Department of Public Health licensure, and an FDA Drug Master File for its GMP-grade iPSC cell line ASE-9280.
Applied StemCell monetizes across a hybrid product-and-services model: catalog sales of TARGATT knock-in kits (RUO and GMP grades) for hiPSCs, HEK293, and CHO cells, plus ActiCells™ hiPSC lines and iPSC-derived differentiated cells (neurons, cardiomyocytes, NK cells, microglia, retinal cells, photoreceptors) priced at $1,650–$3,080 per unit; and quote-based professional services spanning iPSC generation (>95% reprogramming success), genome engineering, differentiation, cGMP cell banking, process and analytical development, and end-to-end clinical manufacturing. It sells research-grade products globally through direct sales and a distributor network covering Europe (Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, others) and Asia (China), while GMP services and custom projects are handled through direct enterprise engagement.
The customer base targets biopharma companies developing cell and gene therapies and academic researchers using iPSC platforms for disease modeling and drug discovery. Recent activity — including a new CEO (Dolores Baksh, August 2025), a Director of Business Development hire (September 2025), a strategic partnership with Cellipont Bioservices for integrated therapy development services (March 2026), an FDA Drug Master File submission (April 2025), and a 50 kb knock-in technical demonstration (November 2025) — indicates the company is positioning to scale its clinical-grade and contract manufacturing business beyond its historical research-catalog base.
Applied StemCell firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Applied StemCell
- Legal name
- Applied StemCell, Inc.
- Website
- https://appliedstemcell.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Applied StemCell is a Milpitas-based biotechnology company that develops TARGATT-based genome engineering tools, iPSC lines and differentiated cells, and GMP cell therapy manufacturing services for biopharma developers and academic researchers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Applied StemCell industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cell therapy and genome engineering services
- NAICS
- Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cell Therapy CDMO (HLAGABAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Cell Therapy Enabling Technologies (gene editing, cell engineering, delivery methods) (HLAAABAL), Clinical Trial Material (CTM) Manufacturing & Supply CDMO (HLAGABAK), Gene Therapy CMC/Process Development Platforms (capsid engineering, producer cell lines, plasmids, upstream/downstream) (HLAAACAN), Stem Cell–Based Regenerative Therapies (HLAAAGAA)
Keywords
Where Applied StemCell is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milpitas
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Applied StemCell business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- TARGATT Knock-in Kits: Sale of research-use-only and GMP-grade TARGATT kit products including hiPSC, HEK293, and CHO cell kits with landing pad cell lines, donor plasmids, and integrase plasmids. Kits are sold with license requirements for commercial use and MTA for academic use.
- iPSC Products: Sale of iPSC lines, iPSC-derived cells (neurons, cardiomyocytes, NK cells, etc.), and GMP-grade iPSCs. Products include catalog items priced at $1,650-$3,080 for differentiated cells.
- Genome Engineering Services: Custom cell line engineering services including knock-in, knock-out, point mutations using CRISPR, MAD7, and TARGATT technologies. Services offered at research or GMP grade with deliverables in 6-8 weeks for in-house lines.
- iPSC Services: iPSC generation, gene editing, and differentiation services. Includes GMP reprogramming, differentiation into various lineages (neural, cardiac, immune cells). Services provided from California facilities.
- cGMP Manufacturing Services: Complete GMP cell therapy manufacturing including cell banking, scale-up, fill/finish, and quality testing. Services span from technology transfer through clinical supply for cell and gene therapy products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | iPSC-Derived Cells - Standard cell types |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | iPSC-Derived NK Cells |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | iPSC-Derived Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | TARGATT Kits and GMP Products |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom Cell Line Engineering Services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Applied StemCell product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Applied StemCell develops and sells proprietary genome engineering products and services centered on its TARGATT™ site-specific knock-in technology, supplemented by CRISPR/Cas9 and MAD7 platforms. The company manufactures and distributes TARGATT™ knock-in kits (RUO and GMP grades), ActiCells™ iPSC lines, iPSC-derived differentiated cells, and hiEX™ research exosomes, and provides custom cell line engineering, iPSC generation/editing/differentiation, and cGMP cell banking and manufacturing services to biopharma and academic customers.
Product overview
Applied StemCell is a genome engineering platform company offering an integrated portfolio of products and services for cell therapy development. The core offering centers on TARGATT™ technology, a proprietary site-specific serine integrase system enabling large DNA knock-ins (up to 50 kb) at the H11 safe harbor locus. Product portfolio includes TARGATT™-enabled knock-in kits for hiPSCs (RUO and GMP grades), HEK293 cells, and CHO cells; ActiCells™ GMP-grade and RUO hiPSC lines; hiEX™ Research iPSC Exosomes; and iPSC-derived differentiated cells (neurons, cardiomyocytes, NK cells, microglia, retinal cells, and more). Services span the full development pathway from iPSC generation, genome engineering (TARGATT™, CRISPR/Cas9, MAD7), and differentiation, through GMP cell banking and manufacturing, with regulatory/quality management support. The company operates cGMP-compliant cleanroom facilities in Milpitas, California.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TARGATT™: Proprietary large knock-in technology platform for site-specific integration of large DNA fragments (up to 50 kb) into mammalian genomes at the H11 safe harbor locus.
- ActiCells™
- hiEX™
- ActiCells™ GMP hiPSCs
Products and services
- TARGATT™ RUO Hypo hiPSC Knock-in Kit Research-use-only hypoimmunogenic hiPSC platform pre-built with TARGATT technology, featuring B2M/CIITA double knock-out for allogeneic cell therapy development with up to 20 kb knock-in capacity. Targeted at academic and biopharma researchers building allogeneic cell therapy candidates.
- TARGATT™ RUO hiPSC Knock-in Kit Research-use-only hiPSC line engineered with TARGATT landing pad at the H11 locus, enabling site-specific single-copy insertion of up to 20 kb DNA payloads for cell therapy development.
- TARGATT™ GMP hiPSC Knock-in Kit Clinical-grade GMP hiPSC line with TARGATT landing pad, backed by US FDA Drug Master File, supporting site-specific integration of up to 20 kb for IND-enabling studies and clinical-grade cell therapy programs.
- TARGATT™ HEK293 Kits HEK293 cell lines with TARGATT landing pad for efficient protein expression and library creation, achieving up to 80% integration efficiency without drug selection.
- TARGATT™ CHO Kits CHO K1 cell lines with TARGATT landing pads at H11 and A2 sites for mammalian protein and antibody expression, and high-throughput library screening.
- ActiCells™ GMP hiPSCs GMP-grade human iPSCs reprogrammed from CD34+ cord blood cells with proven gene editing and differentiation capabilities, covered by a US FDA Drug Master File.
- ActiCells™ RUO hiPSCs Research-use-only human iPSCs reprogrammed from CD34+ cord blood cells, matching the GMP line for preclinical development.
- hiEX™ Research iPSC Exosomes Research-use exosomes derived from iPSCs for regenerative medicine research in wound healing, aging, and neural regeneration applications.
- iPSC-Derived Cells Differentiated cell types including neurons, cardiomyocytes, NK cells, microglia, and retinal cells derived from iPSCs for research applications, with published unit pricing of $1,650-$3,080.
- Genome Engineering Services Custom mammalian cell line development services using TARGATT™, CRISPR/Cas9, and MAD7 technologies for knock-in, knock-out, and point mutations, with 6-8 week turnaround for in-house lines and 2-3 months for customer-provided cells.
- iPSC Gene Editing Services Specialized iPSC genome editing services with pluripotency maintenance, offering knock-ins, gene fusions, conditional expression, and overexpression capabilities.
- iPSC Differentiation Services Differentiation of iPSCs into neural, hematopoietic, cardiovascular, and other lineages including neurons, NK cells, and cardiomyocytes.
- iPSC Generation Services Reprogramming services converting somatic cells to iPSCs using episomal, Sendai virus, or retroviral methods with >95% success rate.
- cGMP Cell Banking Services Master and working cell bank generation under GMP conditions with customizable bank size, concentration, and quality testing.
- cGMP Cell Manufacturing Services End-to-end GMP cell therapy manufacturing including iPSC engineering, differentiation, fill-finish, and clinical drug substance production.
- Process and Analytical Development CMC development services including gap assessment, process optimization, and analytical method qualification for cell therapy products.
- Quality Management and Regulatory Services QA/QC and regulatory consulting for cell and gene therapy including IND/BLA preparation, FDA compliance, and ISO 13485 quality systems.
Quantifiable outcome
- ~88% targeted integration efficiency for 50 kb constructs in iPSCs
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Applied StemCell
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Applied StemCell technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Applied StemCell partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Cellipont BioservicescoreStrategic partnership combining Applied StemCell's GMP iPSC lines and TARGATT gene editing technology with Cellipont's cGMP manufacturing and regulatory expertise. The collaboration provides integrated iPSC-derived cell therapy development services designed to reduce technical risk and shorten development timelines by connecting upstream cell engineering with late-stage manufacturing execution. Intended to support therapy developers from early development through clinical and commercial-scale production.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Applied StemCell competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics: Leading supplier of iPSC-derived differentiated cells (neurons, cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes) for drug discovery and cell therapy. Directly comparable to Applied StemCell's ActiCells and iPSC-derived cell catalog, with overlapping products, pricing models, and academic/biopharma customer base.
- REPROCELL: Provides iPSC reprogramming services, iPSC-derived cells, and gene-editing reagents for drug discovery and regenerative medicine. Highly comparable to Applied StemCell's iPSC services and product portfolio across research and GMP-grade workflows.
- Cellipont Bioservices: Cell therapy-focused CDMO offering cGMP manufacturing, cell banking, and regulatory services. Now an integrated partner of Applied StemCell; directly comparable for the GMP iPSC manufacturing and cell therapy CDMO services Applied StemCell delivers.
- Takara Bio: Provides cell biology reagents, gene editing tools, and iPSC-related products including the Cellartis line. Comparable product portfolio for stem cell and gene editing research tools, serving the same academic and biopharma customers.
Emerging players
- Century Therapeutics: Clinical-stage developer of iPSC-derived allogeneic cell therapies (NK and T cells) using multi-gene engineering. Comparable in its reliance on iPSC engineering, knock-in platforms, and hypoimmunogenic design — a downstream customer and technology benchmark for Applied StemCell.
- Fate Therapeutics: iPSC-derived NK and T cell therapy developer using multiplexed gene editing. Comparable end-user of site-specific knock-in and large-payload integration, and a natural customer for Applied StemCell's TARGATT platform.
- bit.bio: Developer of iPSC-derived cell products (ioCells) using opti-ox technology for reprogramming and differentiation. Comparable in offering catalog iPSC-derived cells to research and therapeutic customers, overlapping with Applied StemCell's iPSC-derived cell business.
- Genezen: Specialty CDMO focused on lentiviral and AAV gene therapy manufacturing, with emerging cell therapy capabilities. Comparable to Applied StemCell's cGMP manufacturing services for gene-modified cell therapies, particularly in early-phase clinical supply.
Broad incumbents
- Lonza Cell & Gene Technologies: One of the largest global CDMOs offering iPSC-derived cell therapy manufacturing, viral vector production, and process development. Overlaps with Applied StemCell's GMP iPSC and cell therapy CDMO offering as a much larger incumbent competitor.
- Charles River Laboratories: Major CRO/CDMO with cell and gene therapy manufacturing services (via Cobra Biologics and Cellular Therapy & Innovation Center). Competes with Applied StemCell's GMP cell banking and manufacturing services as a large-scale, full-service alternative.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Applied StemCell social profiles
Digital presenceApplied StemCell compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Applied StemCell financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Applied StemCell leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Applied StemCell funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Applied StemCell M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Applied StemCell
What does Applied StemCell do?
Applied StemCell develops and sells proprietary genome engineering products and services centered on its TARGATT™ site-specific knock-in technology, supplemented by CRISPR/Cas9 and MAD7 platforms. The company manufactures and distributes TARGATT™ knock-in kits (RUO and GMP grades), ActiCells™ iPSC lines, iPSC-derived differentiated cells, and hiEX™ research exosomes, and provides custom cell line engineering, iPSC generation/editing/differentiation, and cGMP cell banking and manufacturing services to biopharma and academic customers.
Is Applied StemCell a public or private company?
Applied StemCell is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Applied StemCell founded?
Applied StemCell was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Applied StemCell based?
Applied StemCell is headquartered in Milpitas, United States, in the North America region.
How does Applied StemCell make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. TARGATT Knock-in Kits are the primary driver. The others are iPSC Products, genome Engineering Services, iPSC Services and cGMP Manufacturing Services.
Who are Applied StemCell's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, REPROCELL, Cellipont Bioservices and Takara Bio. Emerging players are Century Therapeutics, Fate Therapeutics, bit.bio and Genezen. Broad incumbents are Lonza Cell & Gene Technologies and Charles River Laboratories.
Does Applied StemCell have an API?
No public API is recorded for Applied StemCell.
What industry is Applied StemCell in?
Applied StemCell's product category is Cell therapy and genome engineering services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGABAD, Cell Therapy CDMO, with a secondary code of HLAAABAL, Cell Therapy Enabling Technologies (gene editing, cell engineering, delivery methods). Its NAICS code is 325414 and its SIC code is 8731.