BrainXell
BrainXell manufactures iPSC-derived human neural cell products — including neurons, astrocytes, microglia, OPCs, and disease-specific lines — for pharmaceutical drug discovery and academic neuroscience research, distributing globally and pursuing cell-therapy applications.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersMadison, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What BrainXell does
BrainXell is a Madison, Wisconsin-based biotechnology company founded in 2015 by Dr. Su-Chun Zhang, a pioneer in stem-cell-derived neural cell technology. The company manufactures iPSC-derived human neural cell products — including motor, cortical glutamatergic and GABAergic, midbrain dopaminergic, medium spiny, and sensory neurons, plus astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocyte progenitor cells, endothelial cells, disease-specific lines, and reporter cell lines — for pharmaceutical drug-discovery and academic neuroscience research. Its 50+ product catalog is supported by 50+ scientific publications and 50+ poster validations, and the company reports its cells are used by 75%+ of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies alongside academic customers.
The company monetizes through direct catalog sales of cryopreserved and live cell products priced between $25 and $3,055 per unit, supplemented by higher-value service offerings including custom iPSC differentiation, iPSC reprogramming, and assay services, plus the BrainBloX neuromuscular asset platform and BrainFast cell-culture supplements. Distribution combines direct North American sales with a global network of distributors covering Japan (Funakoshi), Europe, and additional Asia-Pacific markets. In addition to research tools, BrainXell has begun a therapeutic push with BXT-110, an iPSC-derived dopaminergic neuron candidate for Parkinson's disease currently in preclinical development, and has formed partnerships with EditCo/Synthego for gene-edited iPSC lines and NeuroDex for exosome applications.
BrainXell has raised $13.25M in a 2021 SEC Form D filing, operates with 11-50 employees, and serves both enterprise pharma and academic end-markets. Customer diversification spans large pharma, biotech firms such as Neurona, and academic institutions, with custom service contracts representing the higher-value revenue tier alongside catalog unit sales.
BrainXell firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BrainXell
- Legal name
- BrainXell, Inc.
- Website
- https://brainxell.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- BrainXell manufactures iPSC-derived human neural cell products — including neurons, astrocytes, microglia, OPCs, and disease-specific lines — for pharmaceutical drug discovery and academic neuroscience research, distributing globally and pursuing cell-therapy applications.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BrainXell industry classification
Industry- Product category
- iPSC-Derived Neural Cells
- NAICS
- Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)
- akta.pro primary industry
- In Vitro Model Systems & Organoid Platforms (iPSC/organoids, microphysiological systems) (HLAAAIAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Stem Cell Therapies (MSC/iPSC/HSC-derived) (HLAAABAE)
Keywords
Where BrainXell is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Madison
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
BrainXell business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- iPSC-Derived Cell Products: Sale of cryopreserved human iPSC-derived neurons, astrocytes, microglia, endothelial cells, OPCs, and related supplements. Products are sold in various vial sizes (1M, 2M/2.5M, 5M cells) with pricing ranging from $25 for supplements to $3,055 for specialized microglia variants. Revenue is one-time per transaction with repeat purchases for ongoing research.
- Custom Differentiation Services: Custom production of neural and glial cells from client-provided iPSC lines, accommodating scales from 25 million to 20 billion cells. BrainXell dedicates over half of its production capacity to custom differentiation projects. Projects are flexible with varying characterization needs and delivery formats.
- iPSC Reprogramming Services: Fee-for-service reprogramming of human fibroblasts into iPSCs using advanced mRNA technology. Typical turnaround of 3 months from fibroblast receipt to iPSC delivery. Provides both clonal and pooled iPSC lines with COA and characterization documentation.
- Assay Services: Small-scale assay services including toxicity/viability assays, immunofluorescence and microscopy, multi-electrode array (MEA) assays, qPCR gene expression analysis, and neuronal culture with drug treatments. Performed using BrainXell iPSC-derived cells in 96-well format.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Neuron Products (1M-5M cells) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Specialty Cell Products with Reporters/Edits |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Astrocyte Products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Microglia Products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Endothelial Cells |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | BrainFast Supplements |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells (OPCs) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom Differentiation Services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
BrainXell product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BrainXell manufactures and sells high-purity, cryopreserved human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons, astrocytes, microglia, endothelial cells, and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells for neuroscience research and drug discovery. The company also offers custom differentiation services (scales from 25 million to 20 billion cells), mRNA-based iPSC reprogramming services, and small-scale assay services (MEA, qPCR, immunofluorescence, toxicity), complemented by BrainFast maturation supplements and BrainBloX modular CNS model systems.
Product overview
BrainXell is a biotechnology company offering a comprehensive portfolio of human iPSC-derived neural and glial cells for neuroscience research and drug discovery. The core product line includes neurons (Spinal Motor Neurons, Cortical Glutamatergic Neurons, Cortical GABAergic Neurons, Medium Spiny GABAergic Neurons, Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons, Sensory Neurons, Mixed Cortical Neurons), astrocytes (Cortical Astrocytes, Spinal Astrocytes), Microglia, Endothelial Cells, and Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells (OPCs). Disease-specific variants and Reporter Cell lines (eGFP, GCaMP8f/m, RCaMP1a) enable targeted research applications. The BrainFast supplement line accelerates neuronal maturation. Services include Custom Differentiation (scale from 25M to 20B cells), iPSC Reprogramming (mRNA-based, 3-month turnaround), and Assay Services (toxicity, MEA, qPCR, immunofluorescence). The BrainBloX NAM Platform provides modular CNS model systems combining multiple cell types for 2D/3D culture applications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- BrainBloX: BrainBloX is BrainXell's modular framework for designing human-relevant CNS systems tailored to specific research questions. Starting with a foundation of human iPSC-derived neurons, astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes, disease-specific lines, and reporter technologies, researchers can select the cellular components most relevant to their biology and combine them into customized experimental platforms.
- BrainFast
- NAMs (New Approach Methodologies)
Products and services
- Spinal Motor Neurons Cryopreserved human iPSC-derived spinal motor neurons with greater than 90% purity and greater than 70% motor neuron content, expressing MAP2 and FOXP1 markers. Suitable for neurodegenerative disease research, drug discovery, and neurotoxicity screening.
- Cortical Glutamatergic Neurons Cryopreserved human iPSC-derived excitatory cortical neurons with greater than 90% purity, expressing CTIP2 and TBR1 markers. Used for neuroscience research, synaptic biology, and cortical disease modeling.
- Cortical GABAergic Neurons Cryopreserved human iPSC-derived inhibitory neurons with greater than 90% purity expressing GABA. Used for studying inhibitory signaling, epilepsy research, and cortical network studies.
- Medium Spiny GABAergic Neurons Human iPSC-derived medium spiny neurons for Huntington's disease research and striatal neural circuit studies.
- Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons Human iPSC-derived midbrain dopaminergic neurons containing 50% TH+ cells for Parkinson's disease research and dopaminergic signaling studies.
- Human iPSC-Derived Sensory Neurons Human iPSC-derived peripheral sensory neurons expressing Nav1.7-1.9 channels, TRPV1, TRPM8, P2RX3, and opioid receptors. Designed for pain biology, sensory transduction, and ion channel pharmacology research.
- Mixed Cortical Neurons Kit combining cortical glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons at a 5:1 ratio for studying excitatory/inhibitory balance and cortical circuit function.
- Cortical Astrocytes Cryopreserved human iPSC-derived cortical astrocytes expressing GFAP and S100B at greater than 90%, capable of glutamate uptake. Used for neuroimmune studies and co-culture systems.
- Spinal Astrocytes Human iPSC-derived spinal astrocytes with greater than 90% expressing GFAP, ALDH1L1, and Vimentin. Ready for functional assays 7 days post-thaw.
- Microglia Cryopreserved human iPSC-derived microglia demonstrating phagocytosis and cytokine secretion. Available in wild-type, reporter, and disease variants including APOE4/E4 and TREM2 mutations.
- Endothelial Cells Human iPSC-derived brain endothelial cells with greater than 95% VE-Cadherin+ expression for blood-brain barrier research and neurovascular modeling.
- Oligodendrocyte Progenitor Cells (OPCs) Human iPSC-derived OPCs expressing O4, SOX10, and MBP for studying oligodendrocyte maturation, myelination, and myelinoid applications.
- Disease Cells Disease-specific iPSC-derived cells including APOE4/E4 edits, TREM2 KO, TREM2 R47H, and patient-derived SOD1 mutations for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS research.
- Reporter Cells iPSC-derived neurons and glia with functional reporters including eGFP, GCaMP8f, GCaMP8m, and RCaMP1a for real-time visualization of cellular activity and signaling.
- BrainFast Supplements Proprietary small molecule supplements (BrainFast Motor, Glut, GABA, Dopa, Astro, D4, SK) for accelerated neural progenitor maturation to mature neurons in 1-2 weeks.
- Custom Differentiation Services Fee-for-service custom differentiation of client-provided iPSCs into specific neural and glial cell types at scales from 25 million to 20 billion cells. Includes disease, isogenic corrected, gene-edited, and reporter lines. BrainXell dedicates over half of its production capacity to these custom projects.
- iPSC Reprogramming Services Footprint-free, xeno-free reprogramming of patient fibroblasts to iPSCs using advanced mRNA technology with 3-month turnaround. Delivers clonal and pooled iPSC lines with COA and STR analysis.
- Assay Services Small-scale assay services including toxicity/viability assays, immunofluorescence/microscopy, multi-electrode array (MEA) assays, qPCR gene expression analysis, and neuronal culture with drug treatments. Performed using BrainXell iPSC-derived cells in 96-well format.
- BXT-110 Autologous iPSC-Derived Neuronal Therapy for Parkinson's Disease Autologous iPSC-derived midbrain dopaminergic progenitor therapy candidate for Parkinson's disease, demonstrating significant graft survival and functional recovery in preclinical rodent models.
Quantifiable outcome
- Greater than 90% neuronal purity across neuron products
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use BrainXell
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BrainXell technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature5 records
BrainXell partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Edit Co (Synthego)coreAs part of the Edit Co (Synthego) Discovery Partnership Ecosystem, BrainXell control iPSC lines are fast-tracked for rapid turnaround of iPSC editing projects, enabling streamlined workflows from gene editing to differentiated neural cells.
- NeuroDexsupportingCollaboration with NeuroDex, which developed proprietary neuron-derived exosome isolation technology. BrainXell confirmed exosome secretion from iPSC-derived cortical neurons, enabling applications in diagnostics, therapeutics, and research.
- Bio-Connect B.V.supportingRegional distributor for Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Contact: +31 (0)26-326-4450, [email protected], [email protected]
- StratechsupportingRegional distributor for United Kingdom. Contact: +44 (0) 1638 782600, [email protected], [email protected]
- BIOZOL Diagnostica Vertrieb GmbHsupportingRegional distributor for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Contact: +49 (089) 3799 666-6, [email protected], [email protected]
- CliniSciencessupportingRegional distributor for France and Italy. Contact: +39 06 94 80 56 71, [email protected], [email protected]
- QuimigensupportingRegional distributor for Spain. Contact: +34 91 675 0700, [email protected]
- Funakoshi Co., Ltd.supportingRegional distributor for Japan. Contact: +81 3 5684 1620, [email protected]
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
BrainXell competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NeuCyte: Specializes in iPSC-derived neural cells and 3D brain models for CNS drug discovery and toxicity testing. Closely comparable focus on human neural in vitro models for pharma.
- FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics: Largest commercial supplier of human iPSC-derived cells, including neurons, for drug discovery and research. Direct competitor across BrainXell's core catalog product lines, with significantly greater scale and a broader portfolio.
- Ncardia: Develops iPSC-derived cell products and assay services for cardiac and neural drug discovery. Closely comparable in business model (catalog cells + custom services + assay support) and customer base (pharma and biotech).
- bit.bio: Precision reprogramming company producing human iPSC-derived cell types at scale, including neural cells for research and drug discovery. Comparable technology platform and pharma customer overlap.
- Axol Bioscience: Supplier of iPSC-derived neural and other cell types plus custom services for neuroscience and drug discovery research. Direct competitor in iPSC-derived neural cell products.
- Aspen Neuroscience: Develops autologous iPSC-derived dopaminergic neuron cell therapies for Parkinson's disease. Direct peer to BrainXell's BXT-110 program, using overlapping iPSC-to-dopaminergic-neuron differentiation IP.
- REPROCELL: Provides iPSC-derived cell products and stem cell-related services for drug discovery and regenerative medicine. Comparable catalog-plus-services model in human iPSC reagents.
Broad incumbents
- STEMCELL Technologies: Major life sciences tools supplier of stem cell culture reagents, media, and primary cell products. Overlaps with BrainXell via shared stem cell and neural cell research customer base, though STEMCELL has a much broader, less specialized portfolio.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Diversified life sciences tools giant whose bioscience offerings (including Gibco media and cell culture reagents) compete for the same pharma and academic neuroscience budgets. Not a direct neural-cell competitor but competes for tooling wallet.
Emerging players
- iXCells Biotechnologies: Provider of primary cells, iPSC-derived cells, and custom cell services for drug discovery. Smaller, emerging competitor with overlapping custom services and disease-model offerings.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BrainXell social profiles
Digital presenceBrainXell financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BrainXell leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
BrainXell funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
BrainXell 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 BrainXell
What does BrainXell do?
BrainXell manufactures and sells high-purity, cryopreserved human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons, astrocytes, microglia, endothelial cells, and oligodendrocyte progenitor cells for neuroscience research and drug discovery. The company also offers custom differentiation services (scales from 25 million to 20 billion cells), mRNA-based iPSC reprogramming services, and small-scale assay services (MEA, qPCR, immunofluorescence, toxicity), complemented by BrainFast maturation supplements and BrainBloX modular CNS model systems.
Is BrainXell a public or private company?
BrainXell is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was BrainXell founded?
BrainXell was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is BrainXell based?
BrainXell is headquartered in Madison, United States, in the North America region.
How does BrainXell make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. iPSC-Derived Cell Products are the primary driver. The others are custom Differentiation Services, iPSC Reprogramming Services and assay Services.
Who are BrainXell's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NeuCyte, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics, Ncardia, bit.bio, Axol Bioscience, Aspen Neuroscience and REPROCELL. Broad incumbents are STEMCELL Technologies and Thermo Fisher Scientific. iXCells Biotechnologies is listed as an emerging player.
Does BrainXell have an API?
No public API is recorded for BrainXell.
What industry is BrainXell in?
BrainXell's product category is iPSC-Derived Neural Cells. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAIAJ, In Vitro Model Systems & Organoid Platforms (iPSC/organoids, microphysiological systems), with a secondary code of HLAAABAE, Stem Cell Therapies (MSC/iPSC/HSC-derived). Its NAICS code is 325414 and its SIC code is 2836.