Molecular Loop
Molecular Loop develops and sells LoopCap™ molecular inversion probe-based targeted NGS reagent kits, serving infectious disease surveillance labs, academic genomic researchers, and reference labs (including Labcorp) with pathogen capture kits and custom panel design services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersAllston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Molecular Loop does
Molecular Loop Biosciences, Inc. is a private Woburn, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company (founded 2018, 11–50 employees) that develops and sells targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) reagents built around its proprietary LoopCap™ molecular inversion probe (MIP) chemistry. LoopCap combines target capture and library preparation into a single-tube, 4-step workflow with roughly 75 minutes of hands-on time and uses redundant probe tiling with non-overlapping priming sites to provide variant resilience against rapidly mutating pathogens. The company sells predesigned Viral RNA Target Capture Kits (SARS-CoV-2, RSV A/B, Hantavirus, Flu A/B incl. H5N1, HIV-2, Measles, Mumps, Powassan/deer tick virus, pan-viral/respiratory surveillance), a Viral DNA Target Capture Kit (mpox), an Inherited Disease research line, custom panel design services, and required Index Primer accessory kits, with products supporting Illumina, PacBio, and Oxford Nanopore sequencing platforms.
The business model is primarily a one-time-purchase NGS reagent sale priced at $7,815 per 96-reaction capture kit, $835 per Index Primer plate, and $3,000 per custom panel design unit, distributed through a direct e-commerce storefront at molecularloop.com with FedEx overnight cold-chain shipping. Distribution is supplemented by an exclusive Canadian agreement with D-MARK Biosciences (April 2023) and a manufacturing partnership with Watchmaker Genomics (May 2021) for enzyme formulations and scaled production. Marketing is anchored on conference participation (ASHG, AMP, AGBT, AACR, ACMG, APHL), the company website, and PRNewswire-distributed press releases.
Molecular Loop's customers include reference labs (notably Labcorp, which deployed its SARS-CoV-2 Research Sequencing Panel for CDC-affiliated surveillance), academic medical centers (Stanford, UC Davis, Northern Arizona University), and genomics research institutions (New York Genome Center, TGen North). The company remains Research Use Only, has not pursued diagnostic claims, and has secured a $1.8M Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant (December 2023) to extend multi-pathogen surveillance products into low- and middle-income countries. Total disclosed funding is approximately $4.3M across a 2019 raise, a 2022 exempt securities offering (~$2.5M filed / ~$1.79M sold), and the 2023 Gates grant.
Molecular Loop firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Molecular Loop
- Legal name
- Molecular Loop Biosciences, Inc.
- Website
- https://molecularloop.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Molecular Loop develops and sells LoopCap™ molecular inversion probe-based targeted NGS reagent kits, serving infectious disease surveillance labs, academic genomic researchers, and reference labs (including Labcorp) with pathogen capture kits and custom panel design services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Molecular Loop industry classification
Industry- Product category
- NGS Target Capture Reagents
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Molecular Biology & Genomics Instruments (PCR/qPCR, Sequencing, Microarrays) (HLAGAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes) (HLAGAIAI)
Keywords
Where Molecular Loop is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Allston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Molecular Loop business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- NGS Capture Kit Sales: Molecular Loop sells targeted sequencing reagent kits (capture kits) primarily as one-time purchases. Products include Viral RNA Target Capture Kits, Viral DNA Target Capture Kits, and Custom Panel Design services. Kits are sold in 96-reaction pack sizes, priced per kit. Additional accessories such as Index Primer Kits are sold separately.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Viral RNA Target Capture Kits (predesigned panels) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Viral DNA Target Capture Kits |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Panel Design |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Index Primer Kits (UDI plates) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Molecular Loop product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Molecular Loop develops and sells targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) reagent kits built on its proprietary LoopCap molecular inversion probe (MIP) chemistry, which combines target capture and library preparation into a single-tube workflow. The product line consists of predesigned Viral RNA and Viral DNA Target Capture Kits for specific pathogens (SARS-CoV-2, RSV A/B, influenza incl. H5N1, mpox, HIV-2, measles, mumps, hantavirus, Powassan, and pan-viral/respiratory surveillance panels), required Index Primer Kit accessories, and a Custom Panel Design service for viral genomes and germline targets.
Product overview
Molecular Loop offers a portfolio of targeted NGS products centered on its proprietary LoopCap™ technology, which combines target capture and library preparation into a simplified 4-step workflow. The core offering includes pre-designed Viral RNA and DNA Target Capture Kits for specific pathogens (SARS-CoV-2, RSV A/B, Hantavirus, influenza variants including H5N1, HIV-2, Measles, Mumps, Powassan/deer tick virus, mpox) and a Pan-Viral/Respiratory Virus Surveillance Panel for multi-pathogen detection. Custom panel design services allow customers to create tailor-made assays for any viral genome or germline targets. Products are available for Illumina, PacBio, and Oxford Nanopore sequencing platforms. Required accessories include Index Primer Kits for multiplexing. The company also offers Inherited Disease research panels with flexible sizing from few targets to hundreds of genes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Viral RNA Target Capture Kit, SARS-CoV-2, Illumina
Quantifiable outcome
- 96% on-target rate achieved on first-pass design of a 1 Mbp panel covering 339 full genes including 5' UTRs
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Molecular Loop
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Molecular Loop technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Molecular Loop partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- D-MARK BiosciencescoreExclusive distribution agreement making D-MARK Biosciences the sole distributor of LoopCap technology throughout Canada. D-MARK is a leading distributor of Genomic Workflow products and services in Canada with extensive relationships with genomic scientists and a strong reputation in the scientific research community.
- Watchmaker GenomicscorePartnership to accelerate commercialization of streamlined, high-stringency genetic testing for pathogen surveillance. Watchmaker brings expertise in computational biology, high-throughput enzyme engineering, and large-scale enzyme production to further enable Molecular Loop's advanced assay technologies. The collaboration enabled the launch of Molecular Loop's comprehensive SARS-CoV-2 Research Panel with customized enzyme formulations and scaled manufacturing.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Molecular Loop competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Roche: Roche — through Roche Molecular Diagnostics (former employer of Molecular Loop board member Paul Brown) — is a broad incumbent in molecular diagnostics and NGS-based clinical assays. It does not directly sell targeted NGS capture kits at research scale but represents the eventual clinical-diagnostics competitor Molecular Loop might face or partner with.
- Illumina: Illumina dominates the sequencing platform layer that Molecular Loop's kits feed into (Illumina, alongside PacBio and ONT). Illumina also offers AmpliSeq and other library prep reagents that overlap with LoopCap's amplicon/capture use cases, making it both an ecosystem enabler and competitor.
- QIAGEN: QIAGEN offers a broad portfolio of sample prep, target enrichment (QIAseq), and NGS reagent kits serving the same infectious disease and inherited disease research customers as Molecular Loop. It overlaps with Molecular Loop's library prep and capture workflows as part of a much broader life-science tools portfolio.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher's Ion Torrent sequencing and Applied Biosystems/Invitrogen reagents for NGS library prep and target enrichment compete in the same RUO research workflow as Molecular Loop's kits, though as part of an enormously broader life-sciences portfolio.
- PerkinElmer / Revvity: Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer's life sciences business) supplies genomics reagents, including target enrichment and library prep kits, alongside broader life-science tools. It serves viral surveillance and inherited disease labs with overlapping catalog offerings.
Direct peers
- Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT): IDT (a Danaher company) sells the xGen suite of hybridization capture and library prep reagents for targeted NGS. Its research-use kits for viral surveillance (including SARS-CoV-2) and germline panels compete head-to-head with Molecular Loop's viral capture kits.
- Agilent Technologies: Agilent's SureSelect target-enrichment platform is a leading NGS capture chemistry used in inherited disease, oncology, and infectious disease research. Molecular Loop competes with SureSelect on customizable, scalable targeted sequencing panels for similar end customers.
- Twist Bioscience: Twist develops synthetic DNA-based target enrichment and library preparation kits for NGS workflows sold to research and clinical labs. Both companies sell NGS capture panels to infectious disease and inherited disease researchers, making Twist the closest direct peer to Molecular Loop's LoopCap kits.
- New England Biolabs (NEB): NEB's NEBNext product line covers DNA and RNA library prep and target enrichment reagents used by the same research and clinical genomics labs as Molecular Loop. Both vendors supply RUO capture and library prep kits for viral pathogen sequencing.
Emerging players
- Watchmaker Genomics: Watchmaker Genomics is Molecular Loop's strategic manufacturing partner and a fellow emerging player in NGS enzymes and library prep. Both companies serve targeted-sequencing and viral surveillance labs, with Watchmaker overlapping in enzymes and high-stringency assay chemistry.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Molecular Loop social profiles
Digital presenceMolecular Loop financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Molecular Loop leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Molecular Loop funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Molecular Loop 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 Molecular Loop
What does Molecular Loop do?
Molecular Loop develops and sells targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) reagent kits built on its proprietary LoopCap molecular inversion probe (MIP) chemistry, which combines target capture and library preparation into a single-tube workflow. The product line consists of predesigned Viral RNA and Viral DNA Target Capture Kits for specific pathogens (SARS-CoV-2, RSV A/B, influenza incl. H5N1, mpox, HIV-2, measles, mumps, hantavirus, Powassan, and pan-viral/respiratory surveillance panels), required Index Primer Kit accessories, and a Custom Panel Design service for viral genomes and germline targets.
Is Molecular Loop a public or private company?
Molecular Loop is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Molecular Loop founded?
Molecular Loop was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Molecular Loop based?
Molecular Loop is headquartered in Allston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Molecular Loop make money?
One revenue line is on record: NGS Capture Kit Sales.
Who are Molecular Loop's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Roche, Illumina, QIAGEN, Thermo Fisher Scientific and PerkinElmer / Revvity. Direct peers are Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), Agilent Technologies, Twist Bioscience and New England Biolabs (NEB). Watchmaker Genomics is listed as an emerging player.
Does Molecular Loop have an API?
No public API is recorded for Molecular Loop.
What industry is Molecular Loop in?
Molecular Loop's product category is NGS Target Capture Reagents. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAF, Molecular Biology & Genomics Instruments (PCR/qPCR, Sequencing, Microarrays), with a secondary code of HLAGAIAI, Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.