PhenoVista Biosciences

What PhenoVista Biosciences does

PhenoVista Biosciences, Inc. is a San Diego, California-based contract research organization (CRO) founded around 2014-2015 that delivers high-content imaging (HCI)-based phenotypic assay services to biopharmaceutical R&D teams worldwide. The company operates a platform-plus-modules service architecture comprising (a) Bespoke/Custom assay services for collaboratively designed projects, (b) a standardized Ready-2-Go (R2G) catalog of pre-validated assays (Lung Fibrosis, Liver Fibrosis, Cell Health, Mitochondrial Health, Neurotoxicity, Neurite Outgrowth, Neurite Network Dynamics, Microglia Phagocytosis, AAV Gene Delivery) with 4-8 week turnarounds, and (c) specialized Cell Painting & Screening and Imaging & Analysis offerings. The underlying technology combines state-of-the-art fluorescence and brightfield imaging instrumentation with in-house advanced informatics and machine learning to produce multiplexed, quantitative readouts across 2D, 3D, co-culture, and microfluidic formats using primary human cells, iPSC-derived neurons and glia, and client-engineered lines.

The R2G modules are organized under four research-area service lines: Fibrosis, Neurobiology, Oncology & Immuno-oncology, and Cell & Gene Therapy. PhenoVista's go-to-market is a hybrid: a direct B2B sales team (CEO, VP Commercial Operations, Director of Business Development, BD Representative, Associate Director of BD & Marketing) sells to enterprise biotech and pharma clients globally, supplemented by inbound via website forms, procurement-marketplace storefronts (Scientist.com, Science Exchange), and co-marketing with reagent/imaging partners (Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics, Yokogawa, Revvity, EditCo, Sapient, Rosa & Co, NETRI, Inventia, Carolina Molecular, Neuroservices Alliance). Pricing is quote-based per project scope, consistent with fee-for-service CRO economics rather than subscription software.

The company is privately held, with the only disclosed institutional capital being a December 2022 strategic investment from Fujifilm's Life Sciences Corporate Venture Capital Fund. In May 2026, InSphero AG announced the acquisition of PhenoVista, combining the company's high-content imaging and phenotypic assay expertise with InSphero's 3D biology platforms and AkuraFlow microphysiological systems; the combined entity operates under a phenovista-insphero brand. PhenoVista reports no formal company-wide GLP certification and discloses self-attested GLP-environment operational experience.

Name

PhenoVista Biosciences

Legal name

PhenoVista Biosciences, Inc.

Website

https://phenovista.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PhenoVista Biosciences is a San Diego-based CRO providing high-content imaging-based phenotypic assay services for global biopharma R&D teams, specializing in iPSC-derived and primary human cell models across fibrosis, neurobiology, oncology, and cell and gene therapy research areas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Research Organization (Drug Discovery CRO Services)

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Preclinical CROs (Discovery/Pharmacology/DMPK) (HLAGAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty Therapeutic-Area CROs (e.g., oncology/rare disease) (HLAGAAAL), Bioanalytical & Biomarker CROs (PK/PD/Immunogenicity) (HLAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Phenotypic assay services
• High-content imaging
• Cell-based assay CRO
• IPSC-derived cell models
• Drug discovery services

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. CRO Assay Services (Custom & Ready-2-Go): Fee-for-service contract research revenue from biopharmaceutical clients for imaging-based phenotypic assays. Includes both custom/bespoke assay design projects and predefined Ready-2-Go (R2G) catalog assays with fixed deliverables and turnaround times (4-8 weeks). Mix implies project-based/recurring CRO engagements rather than subscription software.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PhenoVista Biosciences is a contract research organization (CRO) that provides high-content, imaging-based phenotypic assay development and screening services to biopharmaceutical clients. Its offerings combine custom (bespoke) assay design with a catalog of pre-validated Ready-2-Go (R2G) assays spanning fibrosis, neurobiology, cell health, mitochondrial health, and AAV gene delivery, using 2D, 3D, co-culture, and microfluidic formats with primary and iPSC-derived human cell models, and is now part of InSphero AG following the May 2026 acquisition.

Product overview

PhenoVista Biosciences is a contract research organization (CRO) — not a single unified SaaS product — that delivers a service platform built around high-content, imaging-based phenotypic assays. The offering is a platform-plus-modules architecture: clients can engage via Bespoke (Custom) Assay Services, the standardized Ready-2-Go (R2G) Assay catalog, or specialized Cell Painting & Screening and Imaging & Analysis service offerings. The R2G catalog itself is a modular portfolio of fixed-turnaround assays — including R2G Lung Fibrosis, R2G Liver Fibrosis, R2G Cell Health, R2G Mitochondrial Health, R2G Neurotoxicity, R2G Neuronal Mitochondrial Health, R2G Neurite Outgrowth, R2G Neurite Network Dynamics, R2G Microglia Phagocytosis, and R2G AAV Gene Delivery — that can be bundled together or transitioned into more complex Custom Services. These modules are organized under four research-area service lines: Fibrosis, Neurobiology, Oncology & Immuno-oncology, and Cell & Gene Therapy. Client access is supported through the PhenoVista Project Portal, and the services are also listed on external procurement marketplaces (Scientist.com and Science Exchange).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Assay Services (Bespoke Services) Collaboratively designed cell-based assay services for clients whose research questions are not addressed by the off-the-shelf Ready-2-Go offerings. Covers 2D, 3D, co-culture, and microfluidic formats using primary cells, iPSC-derived neurons and glia, and client-engineered lines. For biopharma R&D teams needing bespoke phenotypic assay design.
• Ready-2-Go (R2G) Assays Off-the-shelf, validated high-content imaging-based phenotypic assays delivered as standardized CRO services with 4-8 week turnaround. For biopharma R&D teams needing fast, defined-scope phenotypic screening.
• R2G Lung Fibrosis Assay Service Measures fibrotic induction and inhibition in primary, human lung fibroblasts using high-content imaging readouts (F-actin, alpha-SMA). 6-8 week turnaround. For fibrosis researchers and pulmonary drug discovery teams.
• R2G Liver Fibrosis Assay Service Measures fibrotic induction and inhibition in primary, human hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), with nuclei, F-actin, alpha-SMA markers and optional fibronectin add-on. 6-8 week turnaround. For hepatic fibrosis drug discovery teams.
• R2G Cell Health Assay Service Multiplexed measurements of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and viability in A549, U-2 OS, or Hep G2 cells. 4-6 week turnaround. For drug-safety and cytotoxicity screening teams; bundleable with R2G Mitochondrial Health.
• R2G Mitochondrial Health Assay Service Multiplexed measurements of mitochondrial function (membrane potential) and localization in multiple cell types, providing early assessment of drug-induced mitochondrial toxicity. For safety assessment and toxicology teams.
• R2G Neurotoxicity Assay Service Uses multiplexed dyes to simultaneously measure apoptosis and viability in human, iPSC-derived glutamatergic neurons, supporting CNS-targeting drug safety assessment and off-target neurotoxicity screening.
• R2G Neuronal Mitochondrial Health Assay Service Multiplexed measurements of mitochondrial quantity, location, and functionality in human, iPSC-derived glutamatergic neurons, supporting neurodegenerative-disease drug development (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia).
• R2G Neurite Outgrowth Assay Service Quantifies the effects of test articles on neuronal development in human, iPSC-derived glutamatergic neurons using quantitative morphological measurements of neurites and soma. For CNS drug development and neurotoxicity teams.
• R2G Neurite Network Dynamics Assay Service Quantitatively assesses the effect of therapeutics on established networks of human, iPSC-derived glutamatergic neurons to provide insights into toxicity profiles of CNS-targeting therapeutic candidates.
• R2G Microglia Phagocytosis Assay Service Measures uptake of fluorescent bacterial bioparticles by human, iPSC-derived microglia (wild-type, TREM2-homozygous, or TREM2-heterozygous), with Alzheimer's disease relevance. For neurodegeneration and microglia biology researchers.
• R2G AAV Gene Delivery Assay Service Panel of AAV serotypes packaged with a fluorescent reporter, matrixed with a panel of iPSC-derived cell types (glutamatergic neurons, GABAnergic neurons, astrocytes, cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, retinal pigment epithelial cells) to assess AAV tropism, efficacy, and preferential uptake. For gene therapy R&D teams.
• Cell Painting & Screening Service Cell Painting and morphological screening service leveraging high-content imaging to support mechanism-of-action studies, compound library screening, and phenotypic profiling across multiple cell types including cardiomyocytes. For drug discovery and mechanism-of-action teams.
• Imaging & Analysis Service Provides clients access to PhenoVista's high-content imaging instrumentation and in-house informatics pipelines for custom image acquisition and quantitative analysis across 2D, 3D, co-culture, and microfluidic formats. For clients needing image acquisition and analysis support.
• PhenoVista Project Portal Client-facing web portal that provides PhenoVista clients with access to ongoing project information and deliverables for their commissioned assay projects. For PhenoVista CRO clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 265+ Custom Studies completed
• +7 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SBH Sciences: Bioanalytical and biomarker CRO offering cell-based assays, multiplex cytokine/immunogenicity services, and biomarker testing for biopharma. Comparable to PhenoVista in providing fee-for-service, cell-based assay work for biopharma, with overlapping quantitative biology capabilities.
• Molecular Devices (Danaher): High-content imaging instrument vendor and Danaher operating company that also supports fee-for-service imaging and phenotypic screening via its ImageXpress platform and services offering. Directly comparable to PhenoVista in HCI technology and biopharma customer base.
• InSphero AG: Swiss 3D-biology / microphysiological systems company and PhenoVista's acquirer (May 2026). Operates the AkuraFlow platform and now owns PhenoVista's HCI phenotypic assay capability, making it the closest direct peer in the 3D/functional cell-based assay CRO market.
• Reaction Biology: Specialty CRO offering biochemical and cell-based assay services, including high-content imaging and target-based screens, for biopharma and academic clients. Comparable to PhenoVista as a mid-sized, specialty discovery-services CRO with a similar biopharma buyer profile.
• Vala Sciences: San Diego-based CRO specializing in high-content screening and cell-based phenotypic assays for drug discovery, including iPSC-derived models. Closely comparable to PhenoVista in technology, geography, customer type, and service offering scope.

Broad incumbents

• Charles River Laboratories: Major global CRO with extensive cell-based assay, high-content imaging, and discovery services across multiple therapeutic areas. Competes with PhenoVista for biopharma R&D budgets while offering far greater scale, GLP certification, and integrated discovery-to-IND workflows.
• Eurofins Discovery: Discovery services arm of Eurofins Scientific, offering a broad portfolio of in vitro pharmacology, ADME-Tox, and phenotypic screening services to biopharma. Comparable to PhenoVista in providing cell-based assay services but at vastly larger scale and with much broader therapeutic-area coverage.

Emerging players

• Newcells Biotech: UK-based iPSC-derived cell and organoid CRO providing in vitro disease models and assay services for biopharma, including neurodegeneration and ophthalmology. Comparable to PhenoVista in iPSC-driven phenotypic assay services and disease-area focus.
• Censo Biotechnologies: iPSC-derived cell model CRO providing disease-relevant human cell lines and assay services for drug discovery, including CNS and oncology applications. Comparable to PhenoVista in the use of iPSC-derived human cells for phenotypic drug discovery, with overlapping neurobiology/fibrosis customer use cases.

Others

• Yokogawa Life Science: Manufacturer of high-content imaging instrumentation (CellVoyager CQ1, CV8000) and a PhenoVista technology/co-marketing partner. Comparable as an adjacent enabling technology provider whose instruments underpin high-content phenotypic workflows offered by PhenoVista.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/phenovista
• Facebookfacebook.com/PhenoVista-Biosciences-1565884820345796

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PhenoVista Biosciences