What Galaxy Diagnostics does

Galaxy Diagnostics, Inc. (DBA Galaxy Dx) is a CLIA- and COLA-accredited specialty diagnostic laboratory headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, focused exclusively on detecting stealth vector-borne pathogens—Bartonella, Borrelia (Lyme), and Babesia—that evade conventional diagnostics through immune suppression and tissue persistence. The company combines direct detection (Digital PCR across 26,000 partitions offering up to 10x sensitivity vs standard PCR, plus Nanotrap® urine antigen capture licensed from Ceres Nanosciences) with indirect methods (a 4-species Bartonella IFA serology panel developed with North Carolina State University) and BAPGM™ culture enrichment. Core products include BBB Direct Detect™, Lyme Borrelia Direct Detect (Nanotrap®), Bartonella IgG Detect, the BAPGM™ enrichment culture, and the Suspected Tick-Borne Bundle. Tests are sold exclusively to licensed healthcare providers in 49 US states under a pre-payment cash-pay model with no insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid enrollment; patients receive superbills for self-submission. The company was founded in 2009, is led by CEO Nicole Bell (appointed June 2024), and is advancing a Lyme peptidoglycan diagnostic licensed from Virginia Tech/Dr. Brandon Jutras toward FDA submission via the LymeX Diagnostic Prize Challenge Phase 4.

Name

Galaxy Diagnostics

Legal name

Galaxy Diagnostics, Inc.

Website

https://galaxydx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Galaxy Diagnostics is a CLIA-accredited specialty laboratory that detects stealth vector-borne pathogens (Bartonella, Borrelia, Babesia) via Digital PCR, Nanotrap® urine antigen testing, and 4-species IFA serology, serving licensed healthcare providers across 49 US states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Infectious Disease Diagnostics

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing Laboratories (HLAFAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing (Trial Support) (HLAGAEAF)

Keywords

• Infectious disease diagnostics
• Tick-borne disease testing
• Molecular diagnostic laboratory
• Vector-borne pathogen detection
• Specialty clinical laboratory

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Testing Services: Galaxy Diagnostics offers CLIA-accredited laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) for vector-borne pathogens. Pre-payment is required for all orders. Accepted payment methods include major credit cards, checks, CareCredit, and Affirm (case-by-case BNPL). The company is not enrolled in insurance networks but provides superbills for self-submission to insurance providers. No Medicare or Medicaid enrollment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Galaxy Diagnostics operates a CLIA- and COLA-accredited specialty reference laboratory that provides laboratory-developed diagnostic tests (LDTs) for stealth vector-borne pathogens, with primary focus on Bartonella and extending to Borrelia (Lyme disease) and Babesia. The company combines direct detection methods — Digital PCR and Nanotrap® urine antigen testing — with indirect detection (4-species Bartonella IFA serology) and BAPGM enrichment culture, delivering results to licensed healthcare providers through a HIPAA-compliant portal. Tests are sold exclusively to clinicians (MD, DO, NP, PA, ND with active NPI numbers), not directly to consumers, with the company licensed to operate in 49 U.S. states.

Product overview

Galaxy Diagnostics provides a CLIA-accredited diagnostic testing platform focused on stealth vector-borne pathogens (Bartonella, Borrelia, and Babesia) through three complementary testing modalities: Digital PCR (BBB Direct Detect™) for highly sensitive genus-level DNA detection across all three pathogens, Nanotrap® urine antigen testing (Lyme Borrelia Direct Detect) for non-invasive direct detection of Borrelia OspA antigen, and a 4-species Bartonella IgG IFA Serology Panel for immune response assessment. These products can be ordered individually or bundled as the Suspected Tick-Borne Bundle, and are supported by BAPGM™ enrichment culture for enhanced Bartonella detection. All tests are laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) validated in-house under CLIA regulations, with results delivered through a HIPAA-compliant provider portal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BBB Direct Detect™ Digital PCR-based multiplexed assay detecting Bartonella, Babesia, and Borrelia at the genus level from blood samples, with option for serial triple-draw collection to improve detection of intermittently circulating pathogens. Sold to licensed healthcare providers.
• Lyme Borrelia Direct Detect – Nanotrap® Direct detection test using proprietary Nanotrap® particles to capture and concentrate Borrelia OspA antigen from urine, enabling earlier Lyme disease diagnosis without relying on antibody response. Sold to licensed healthcare providers.
• Bartonella IgG Detect Indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) serology panel detecting IgG antibodies against four Bartonella species (B. henselae, B. vinsonii berkhoffii, B. quintana, B. koehlerae), providing immune response insights and species-specific exposure confirmation. Sold to licensed healthcare providers.
• Suspected Tick-Borne Bundle Comprehensive testing bundle combining BBB Direct Detect (digital PCR across three serial blood draws), Bartonella IgG Detect (serology for four species), and Lyme Borrelia Direct Detect (urine antigen testing) for patients with suspected tick-borne illness. Sold to licensed healthcare providers.
• Bartonella IFA Panel 4-species IgG immunofluorescence assay panel covering B. henselae, B. vinsonii berkhoffii, B. quintana, and B. koehlerae, developed in partnership with North Carolina State University using clinical isolates. Sold to licensed healthcare providers.
• BAPGM™ Culture Proprietary Bartonella alpha-Proteobacteria Growth Medium enrichment culture for Bartonella species used prior to digital PCR testing, dramatically improving detection sensitivity by enriching bacterial growth before molecular confirmation. Sold to licensed healthcare providers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6x higher positivity rates with digital PCR compared to standard qPCR (Maggi et al., Parasites & Vectors, 2024)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Virginia TechcoreTechnology or Integration · 26 January 2026Exclusive license agreement for Dr. Brandon Jutras's novel peptidoglycan diagnostic target for Lyme disease. Partnership aims to combine Galaxy's urine antigen detection technology with Virginia Tech's peptidoglycan research to develop more reliable early-stage Lyme diagnostics for FDA submission. Represents Galaxy's strategy to bridge academic discovery with real-world diagnostic access.
• Dr. Brandon L. JutrascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGalaxy's first commercialization partner for Dr. Jutras's peptidoglycan diagnostic technology. Collaboration includes clinical sample evaluation and scientific validation required to support future assay development and regulatory pathways. Dr. Jutras is Associate Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and internationally recognized expert in tick-borne bacterial infections.
• North Carolina State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with NC State University's College of Veterinary Medicine for Bartonella research and diagnostic development. Dr. Edward Breitschwerdt serves as Chief Scientific Advisor and is a professor at NC State. Dr. Ricardo Maggi is a Research Professor directing research at NC State's Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory. The Bartonella IFA Panel was developed in partnership with NC State using clinical isolates.
• Ceres NanosciencescoreTechnology or IntegrationLicensing partner for Nanotrap® particle technology. Ceres Nanosciences developed the proprietary Nanotrap® particles that capture and concentrate Borrelia OspA antigens from urine. Galaxy Diagnostics has optimized this technology for clinical use and real-world patient testing.
• Research and Testing PartnersminorOthersGalaxy Diagnostics offers pathogen testing services to research collaborators including: Bayer Animal Health, Idexx Reference Labs, Focus on Lyme, Duke University, University of Minnesota, University of Washington's Center for One Health Research, One Medicine Institute, and various drug development companies.
• Board of Directors AdvisorscoreOthersBoard includes leaders from Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics who help ensure what Galaxy builds works in the real world. Scientific Advisory Board includes Dr. Meghan Starolis (Quest Diagnostics), Dr. Suzanne Dale (LabCorp), Dr. John Aucott (Johns Hopkins University), Dr. Ross Boyce (UNC Chapel Hill).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IGeneX: IGeneX is a specialty reference laboratory in California offering tick-borne disease testing (Lyme, Babesia, Bartonella) via PCR, IFA serology, and immunoblot, serving the same functional/integrative medicine provider community as Galaxy. It is the closest direct competitor on Lyme and Bartonella specialty testing.
• Vibrant Wellness: Vibrant Wellness (formerly Vibrant America) is a functional medicine specialty lab offering extensive serum, stool, and infectious disease panels (including tick-borne) ordered through integrative providers. It competes with Galaxy for the same practitioner-driven, self-pay testing volumes in the functional medicine channel.
• Genova Diagnostics: Genova Diagnostics is a specialty laboratory focused on functional and integrative medicine testing (gastrointestinal, hormonal, genomic, and select infectious panels). It targets the same provider base and uses a similar direct-to-provider ordering model, making it a direct peer for clinical sales motion and test menu.
• Doctor's Data: Doctor's Data is a specialty reference lab serving integrative and functional medicine practitioners with stool, toxic exposure, and infectious panels. It shares Galaxy's practitioner-direct distribution model and target buyer (naturopathic and integrative physicians).

Broad incumbents

• Quest Diagnostics: Quest Diagnostics is one of the two largest U.S. clinical reference laboratories, offering broad infectious disease serology and PCR including Lyme and Babesia. While it does not specialize in stealth vector-borne testing, it is expanding specialty tick-borne panels and represents the incumbent Galaxy would compete against for mainstream Lyme testing volumes.
• LabCorp: LabCorp is a leading global clinical laboratory network with broad infectious disease menu including tick-borne disease serology and PCR. As a broad incumbent with national phlebotomy and payer relationships, LabCorp is the natural strategic acquirer or distribution partner for Galaxy's specialty tick-borne diagnostic IP.
• ARUP Laboratories: ARUP Laboratories is an academic reference laboratory affiliated with the University of Utah, providing esoteric infectious disease testing including Lyme and Bartonella. As a non-profit hospital-affiliated reference lab with strong academic credentials, ARUP competes for hospital-driven specialty Lyme testing.
• Mayo Clinic Laboratories: Mayo Clinic Laboratories is a major academic reference laboratory offering esoteric infectious disease and vector-borne testing. It represents the established academic reference lab option for clinicians seeking specialty diagnostics and could either partner with or compete against Galaxy for hospital-based Lyme/Bartonella testing.

Others

• Ceres Nanosciences: Ceres Nanosciences is the developer of Nanotrap particle technology, which Galaxy licenses for its Lyme Borrelia urine antigen test. As the upstream licensor, Ceres is an enabling ecosystem participant rather than a competitor but could become a strategic channel if it broadens its clinical diagnostics footprint.
• Bay Area Lyme Foundation: Bay Area Lyme Foundation is a nonprofit research and advocacy organization supporting Lyme disease diagnostics and treatment; its venture philanthropy arm (Bay Area Lyme Ventures) made a strategic investment in Galaxy. It is an ecosystem/funder participant driving awareness, capital, and patient demand into Galaxy's market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights9 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GalaxyDiagnosticsVideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/galaxydx
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/galaxy-diagnostics-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/galaxydiagnostics
• Xx.com/Bartonella

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors1 record

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 Galaxy Diagnostics