Certis Oncology Solutions

What Certis Oncology Solutions does

Certis Oncology Solutions, Inc. is a privately held, San Diego-based precision oncology and translational science company that builds orthotopic patient-derived xenograft (O-PDX) preclinical research services for pharmaceutical and biotechnology drug developers, academic institutions, and treating oncologists. Its core platform combines a characterized PDX tumor bank (including a 63-model sarcoma repository with 23 matched cell cultures) and matched low-passage PDX-derived 3D cell cultures, profiled by RNA-seq and whole-exome sequencing with TCGA benchmarking (Pearson r=0.82), with quantitative imaging (Aspect Imaging M3 compact MRI), radiation capability (X-Rad 320), and a proprietary AI layer branded as CertisAI Predictive Oncology Intelligence that supports predictive analytics across small molecules, ADCs, mAbs, bispecifics, and peptides. The offering is structured as a platform plus service modules (Cancer Models, Custom Model Development, In Vitro/Ex Vivo Pharmacology, In Vivo Pharmacology, Imaging/Endpoint Analysis, Immuno-Oncology), with targeted screening products (KRAS, Sarcoma, and Glioblastoma CertiScreens) layered on top and a searchable BarneyOI Cancer Model Database for model discovery. Revenue is generated through quote-based, scoped preclinical research contracts with pharma and academic clients, plus direct-to-patient YourPDX engagements and licensing-style access to the tumor bank; pricing is not publicly disclosed and all engagement is relationship-led via a dedicated business development team. The company has raised $42M in cumulative venture funding (including a $10M Series C in January 2024) and most recently extended into radiopharmaceutical preclinical development via a strategic collaboration with Perceptive Discovery.

Name

Certis Oncology Solutions

Legal name

Certis Oncology Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://certisoncology.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Certis Oncology Solutions is a San Diego-based precision oncology company that provides orthotopic patient-derived xenograft (O-PDX) preclinical research services, a characterized tumor bank, and CertisAI Predictive Oncology Intelligence to pharmaceutical drug developers, academic institutions, and oncologists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Preclinical Oncology Research Services

NAICS

Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Oncology (HLAKAFAB)

Keywords

• Preclinical oncology research
• Patient-derived xenograft models
• Translational drug development
• Functional precision oncology
• Cancer pharmacology 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. Custom Preclinical Research Services: Fee-for-service preclinical contract research for pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions. Services include custom cancer model development, in vivo pharmacology, in vitro/ex vivo pharmacology, imaging/endpoint analysis, immuno-oncology studies, and radiation therapy studies. Engagement initiated via Business Development contact and custom project scoping — pricing not publicly disclosed.
2. Targeted Preclinical Screens (CertiScreen™): Pre-structured preclinical efficacy evaluation panels offered as discrete products (e.g., Glioblastoma In Vitro CertiScreen, KRAS-CertiScreen, Sarcoma CertiScreen with 21 best-in-class tumor models). Combines predictive AI with advanced cancer models for faster, more cost-efficient screening pathways.
3. YourPDX® Patient Service: Direct service for individual cancer patients and their treating oncologists: orthotopic patient-derived xenograft (O-PDX) study initiated from patient tumor sample, with pharmacology testing of treatment regimens and a final report delivered to the treating oncologist. Studies typically take 4–5 months.
4. Tumor Model and Cell Line Sales (Tumor Bank): License/sale of access to characterized PDX tumor models and matched PDX-derived cell lines from the Certis Tumor Bank / BarneyOI Cancer Model Database. Includes 63 highly characterized sarcoma tumor models and 23 matched cell cultures. Access via registration to searchable database.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion5 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Certis Oncology Solutions provides contract preclinical oncology research services centered on orthotopic patient-derived xenograft (O-PDX) mouse models, complemented by PDX-derived 3D cell cultures, in vitro/ex vivo and in vivo pharmacology, MRI-based imaging, and immuno-oncology studies. Its CertisAI Predictive Oncology Intelligence platform applies AI to characterized cancer models to support go/no-go decisions in drug development. The company also offers a direct-to-patient YourPDX service for oncologists, and licenses access to its BarneyOI Cancer Model Database of characterized PDX tumors and cell lines.

Product overview

Certis Oncology Solutions offers a single translational oncology intelligence platform — branded as Certis Oncology Intelligence® — anchored by patient-derived xenograft (PDX) and orthotopic PDX (O-PDX) preclinical research services and the CertisAI Predictive Oncology Intelligence AI product. The offering follows a platform-plus-modules architecture: the core O-PDX methodology and TumorBank of characterized PDX models feed multiple service modules including Cancer Models, Custom Model Development, In Vitro/Ex Vivo Pharmacology, In Vivo Pharmacology, Imaging/Endpoint Analysis, and Immuno-Oncology, all of which are searchable via the BarneyOI Cancer Model Database™. Targeted screening products (CertiScreen offerings for KRAS, Sarcoma, and Glioblastoma) and the patient-facing YourPDX® service layer on top of the core platform, while a strategic collaboration with Perceptive Discovery extends the offering into radiopharmaceutical preclinical development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CertisAI™: Predictive oncology intelligence / AI-driven platform for early oncology drug development and directing oncology drug development and clinical research studies.
• YourPDX®
• CertiScreen™
• BarneyOI Cancer Model Database™
• ONCOLOGY INTELLIGENCE®

Products and services

• CertisAI Predictive Oncology Intelligence Predictive AI platform that combines artificial intelligence with advanced cancer models (PDX, O-PDX) to direct oncology drug development and clinical research studies across therapeutic modalities including small molecules, ADCs, mAbs, bispecific antibodies, and peptides.
• Cancer Models / Preclinical Studies Preclinical cancer model offerings including the Certis TumorBank of characterized PDX tumor models with matched cell lines, used to support drug development and translational research across cancer types.
• Custom Model Development Customized preclinical oncology model creation service spanning cellular and in vivo models of recurrence, resistance, and metastasis to rare and humanized mouse models, leveraging patient-derived tissue, commercially available tissue/cell lines, or client-supplied tumors.
• In Vitro / Ex Vivo Pharmacology Custom in vitro pharmacology services for oncology drug developers, including tailored assay development using PDX-derived cell cultures with rigorous QC (mycoplasma testing, mouse content via spectral flow cytometry, RNA-seq/WES characterization).
• In Vivo Pharmacology In vivo pharmacology testing using personalized mouse models, including orthotopic patient-derived xenograft (O-PDX) and subcutaneous PDX models for therapeutic response, drug resistance, and metastasis studies.
• Imaging / Endpoint Analysis Imaging and endpoint analysis services using murine-scale MRI (Aspect Imaging M3) and bioluminescent/fluorescent imaging to obtain quantitative 3D tumor measurements and visual proof of tumor response in live animals.
• Immuno-Oncology Immuno-oncology preclinical services leveraging humanized mouse models and PDX platforms to support testing of immunotherapy candidates.
• YourPDX Patient-facing service offered through oncologists that orthotopically engrafts a patient's tumor into immunodeficient mice (O-PDX avatar) and conducts multi-arm pharmacology testing to inform personalized treatment decisions; studies typically take 4 to 5 months.
• BarneyOI Cancer Model Database Searchable database of advanced PDX mouse models and matched PDX-derived 3D cell cultures; enables filtering by mutation, copy number, fusions, microsatellite instability (MSI), and gene expression to identify clinically relevant cancer models for preclinical studies. Access via oncointel.certisoncology.com.
• Glioblastoma In Vitro CertiScreen Screening service to evaluate preclinical efficacy and mechanism of action of glioblastoma (GBM) drug candidates using up to nine well-characterized orthotopic intracranial GBM 3D spheroid models with patient history, treatment history, survival rates, growth kinetics, growth sensitivity to temozolomide (TMZ), and stem cell marker data.
• KRAS CertiScreen Targeted screening service combining CertisAI predictive AI with advanced cancer models to help validate and direct KRAS-targeting oncology drug development and clinical research studies.
• Sarcoma CertiScreen Screening service for sarcoma drug candidates using 21 best-in-class tumor models; includes access to Certis's TumorBank of 63 highly characterized sarcoma tumor models and 23 matched cell cultures (some with TILs).

Quantifiable outcome

• 63 highly characterized sarcoma tumor models plus 23 matched cell cultures available in Certis Tumor Bank
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Perceptive DiscoveryflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2026Strategic collaboration to advance radiopharmaceutical development, combining Certis Oncology's patient-derived models with Perceptive Discovery's radiochemistry and imaging capabilities. The partnership aims to support targeted radiotherapeutics and radiotracers by providing biologically relevant preclinical data and models.
• Taconic BiosciencescoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of immunodeficient mouse models (female NOG mice from Taconic) used in Certis O-PDX studies. Taconic Biosciences also partnered with Certis for a December 15, 2020 webinar in which Dr. Jonathan Nakashima (Certis CSO) presented a comprehensive overview of O-PDX testing.
• Aspect ImagingcoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of the M3™ compact MRI used by Certis to track tumor growth in O-PDX studies across multiple organs and tumor types, enabling non-invasive, quantitative 3D tumor volume measurement.
• UCLAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with UCLA investigators Noah Federman MD, Arun Singh MD, and Fritz C. Eilber MD on the AACR 2021 Poster #2929 study comparing subcutaneous PDX vs O-PDX therapeutic responses and gene expression profiles. UCLA also contributes medical/scientific advisors to Certis.
• UCSDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with UCSD investigator Brian Datnow MD on the AACR 2021 Poster #2921 study. Brian Datnow MD is also listed as a Certis scientific advisor.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Champions Oncology: Champions Oncology operates a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumor bank and provides custom in vivo and in vitro pharmacology services to pharma drug developers, directly overlapping Certis' core PDX/O-PDX CRO offering and translational customer base.
• Crown Bioscience: Crown Bioscience is one of the largest preclinical oncology CROs globally, offering an extensive PDX and humanized mouse model portfolio plus in vivo pharmacology services to pharma, making it a direct peer in the same translational oncology services category as Certis.
• Taconic Biosciences: Taconic supplies the immunodeficient mouse models used by Certis (NOG) and also offers its own preclinical research services and humanized mouse portfolio, making it both a supplier and a peer competing for translational oncology engagements.

Broad incumbents

• Jackson Laboratory (JAX): JAX is a leading nonprofit biomedical research institute that develops and distributes patient-derived and genetically engineered mouse cancer models and provides preclinical services, offering overlapping capabilities to Certis across in vivo oncology models and translational research.
• Charles River Laboratories: Charles River is a large CRO providing preclinical oncology services including in vivo pharmacology, tumor models, and discovery research; it competes with Certis for enterprise pharma preclinical budgets as part of a much broader service portfolio.
• WuXi AppTec: WuXi AppTec offers preclinical oncology CRO services globally including PDX models and in vivo pharmacology; its scale and breadth make it a broad incumbent peer competing for the same pharma drug-development engagements as Certis.

Emerging players

• Notable Labs: Notable Labs is a functional precision oncology company that uses patient-derived tumor models to predict drug response, overlapping with Certis' YourPDX patient service and functional precision oncology thesis, though with a different technology stack.
• SEngine Precision Medicine: SEngine offers functional precision oncology testing combining patient-derived 3D cell cultures and AI to predict drug response for cancer patients, directly comparable to Certis' YourPDX and PDX-derived 3D cell culture offerings.
• XenoSTART: XenoSTART (formerly START Biopharma) provides patient-derived xenograft and tumor model services for preclinical oncology research, comparable to Certis' PDX/O-PDX services for pharmaceutical and academic clients.
• MI Bioresearch (Molecular Imaging): MI Bioresearch provides preclinical oncology CRO services including in vivo pharmacology, tumor models, and longitudinal imaging endpoints for pharma, directly comparable to Certis' imaging/endpoint analysis and in vivo pharmacology service modules.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CertisOncology
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCeX4_jh3RlNKxQxZ89_utjg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CertisOncology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/certis-oncology
• Instagraminstagram.com/certis_oncology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 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 Certis Oncology Solutions