ATCC
ATCC is a nonprofit global biological resource center and standards organization that develops, authenticates, and supplies cell lines, microorganisms, organoid models, and certified reference materials to academic, pharmaceutical, IVD, CRO, and federal government customers worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1925
- HeadquartersManassas, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
ATCC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ATCC
- Legal name
- American Type Culture Collection
- Website
- https://atcc.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1925
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- ATCC is a nonprofit global biological resource center and standards organization that develops, authenticates, and supplies cell lines, microorganisms, organoid models, and certified reference materials to academic, pharmaceutical, IVD, CRO, and federal government customers worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ATCC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biological Reference Materials
- NAICS
- In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413), Medical Laboratories (621511)
- SIC
- In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Molecular & Genetic Testing (PCR/NGS/qPCR) (HLAGADAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/NAAT/NGS-based IVD) (HLAHAAAD), Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/qPCR, NGS-based assays) (HLAAALAA), Molecular Diagnostics & Genomics Laboratories (HLAFAMAE)
Keywords
Where ATCC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manassas
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ATCC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Biological Products Sales: Sales of authenticated cell lines, microorganisms, certified reference materials, and detection kits. Products include titered reference strains, quantitative genomic DNA, and specialty biological materials for research and quality control applications.
- Testing and Authentication Services: Contract testing services including PCR-based mycoplasma testing, cell authentication, and custom testing solutions for quality control in research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
- Federal Solutions: Government contracting and federal solutions including biodefense initiatives, pandemic preparedness support, and partnerships with agencies like DTRA for antiviral drug discovery programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Universal Mycoplasma Detection Kit - PCR-based detection kit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Titered Mycoplasma Reference Strains Panel |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual Mycoplasma Reference Strains |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Quantitative Genomic DNA Certified Reference Materials |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
ATCC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ATCC develops, authenticates, and distributes biological reference materials including cell lines, microorganisms, human organoid models, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) for life science research, drug discovery, and diagnostic assay development. The company also offers PCR-based mycoplasma detection kits and testing services, quantitative genomic DNA certified reference materials, and CRISPR-engineered cancer cell lines developed in collaboration with leading research institutions.
Product overview
ATCC is a nonprofit global biological resource center and standards organization, and the leading developer and supplier of authenticated cell lines and microorganisms. The product portfolio centers on biological reference materials including authenticated cell lines, microorganisms, human organoid models, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Supporting products include the Universal Mycoplasma Detection Kit (a PCR-based detection test for mycoplasma contamination), Quantitative Genomic DNA Controls (certified reference materials for assay calibration), Titered Mycoplasma Reference Strains, and Quantitative Genomic and Synthetic Nucleic Acids for molecular diagnostics. ATCC also offers Mycoplasma Testing Services. Recent additions include CRISPR-engineered isogenic non-small cell lung cancer cell lines developed in collaboration with the Broad Institute, designed to study resistance mechanisms to targeted therapies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Universal Mycoplasma Detection Kit
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 120 mycoplasma species detectable with ATCC detection kits and services
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use ATCC
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
ATCC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
ATCC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Broad InstitutecoreATCC and Broad Institute collaborated to develop 13 CRISPR-engineered isogenic non-small cell lung cancer cell lines that replicate resistance mechanisms to the EGFR inhibitor osimertinib. The engineered cell lines and genomic datasets will be publicly available through ATCC and the DepMap portal to support cancer research, functional genomics, and AI-driven drug discovery.
- National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB)coreATCC hosted NSCEB at its Virginia headquarters as part of the commission's 'Biotech Across America' roadshow, bringing together regional leaders from government, industry, and academia to discuss U.S. biotechnology policy and biosecurity. ATCC announced plans for a new biomanufacturing facility supporting NSCEB's recommendations.
- acCELLeratecoreacCELLerate partnered with ATCC to produce custom cell banks from ATCC's authenticated cell lines for pharmaceutical and biotechnology research clients. The collaboration aims to enhance assay reproducibility and scalability for R&D of new pharmaceuticals.
- The Align FoundationcorePartnership to create an AI-ready microbial phenotyping dataset, announced as part of a June 2025 collaboration. This initiative supports ATCC's data monetization and AI-driven biological design capabilities.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ATCC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Lonza Group: Global biomanufacturing and cell & gene services provider that operates in adjacent spaces (cell banking, primary cells, mycoplasma testing services) as part of a broader CDMO and life sciences portfolio, competing with ATCC in authenticated cell lines and testing services for regulated biopharma.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Global life sciences tools leader whose Gibco brand supplies cell culture media, sera, and primary cells overlapping ATCC's portfolio; offers authentication and mycoplasma detection within a much broader product suite serving the same biopharma and academic end markets.
- Merck KGaA / Sigma-Aldrich: Life science tools and reagents giant that supplies authenticated cell lines, microbial strains, and molecular biology reagents as part of a much broader portfolio, competing with ATCC for academic and industrial research customers worldwide.
Direct peers
- DSMZ (Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures): Germany's national culture collection offering authenticated cell lines, microorganisms, and biological reference materials - the European counterpart to ATCC with overlapping catalog, authentication services, and academic/biopharma customer base.
- ECACC (European Collection of Authenticated Cell Cultures): Operated by Culture Collections (part of UKHSA), ECACC supplies authenticated cell lines and quality-controlled reference materials - a direct functional peer to ATCC in cell authentication and distribution for life science research.
- STEMCELL Technologies: Specialized life science tools company providing primary cells, cell culture media, and assay-ready cell products including PBMCs - directly comparable to ATCC's PBMC and cell culture reagent offerings for academic and translational research customers.
- BioIVT: Provider of biological specimens including human and animal tissues, biofluids, and primary cells for research; overlaps with ATCC's biological materials and authenticated specimen offerings for pharma R&D and IVD development.
- Coriell Institute for Medical Research: Nonprofit biomedical research institute maintaining one of the world's most diverse cell line and DNA repositories (NIGMS Human Genetic Cell Repository), with comparable mission of providing authenticated biological materials to research and clinical communities.
- JCRB Cell Bank (National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation): Japan's national cell line repository providing authenticated cell lines to researchers and industry - comparable to ATCC in catalog curation, authentication services, and serving as a national/regional standards body.
Others
- Cellosaurus: SIB Swiss Institute's authoritative cell line knowledge resource providing curated metadata on cell lines used in research; complementary to ATCC's catalog by indexing ATCC and other biological resources for researchers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ATCC social profiles
Digital presenceATCC compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
ATCC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ATCC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
ATCC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ATCC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ATCC
What does ATCC do?
ATCC develops, authenticates, and distributes biological reference materials including cell lines, microorganisms, human organoid models, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) for life science research, drug discovery, and diagnostic assay development. The company also offers PCR-based mycoplasma detection kits and testing services, quantitative genomic DNA certified reference materials, and CRISPR-engineered cancer cell lines developed in collaboration with leading research institutions.
Is ATCC a public or private company?
ATCC is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ATCC founded?
ATCC was founded in 1925. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is ATCC based?
ATCC is headquartered in Manassas, United States, in the North America region.
How does ATCC make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Biological Products Sales are the primary driver. The others are testing and Authentication Services and federal Solutions.
Who are ATCC's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Lonza Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Merck KGaA / Sigma-Aldrich. Direct peers are DSMZ (Leibniz Institute DSMZ-German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures), ECACC (European Collection of Authenticated Cell Cultures), STEMCELL Technologies, BioIVT, Coriell Institute for Medical Research and JCRB Cell Bank (National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation). Cellosaurus is listed as an others.
Does ATCC have an API?
No public API is recorded for ATCC.
What industry is ATCC in?
ATCC's product category is Biological Reference Materials. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGADAF, Molecular & Genetic Testing (PCR/NGS/qPCR), with a secondary code of HLAHAAAD, Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/NAAT/NGS-based IVD). Its NAICS code is 325413 and its SIC code is 2835.