ZeClinics
ZeClinics is a Barcelona-based CRO that provides preclinical drug discovery and safety/efficacy screening services using zebrafish in vivo models, serving pharmaceutical, biotech, agrochemical, food/nutraceutical, cosmetics, and academic research clients across Europe, North America, and Asia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersBarcelona, Spain
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ZeClinics does
ZeClinics is a privately held Contract Research Organization (CRO) founded in 2013 in Barcelona, Spain, that provides preclinical drug discovery and safety/efficacy screening services using zebrafish as an in vivo model. The company was established by scientists from Pompeu Fabra University and the Center for Genomic Regulation, and serves pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food/nutraceutical, agrochemical, cosmetics, and academic research clients across Europe, North America, and Asia. Its service portfolio is organized around three core platforms—ZeTox (toxicology screening covering general, cardio, neuro, hepato, and developmental toxicity), ZeGenesis (CRISPR/Cas9-based custom disease model generation including transgenesis, knockouts, crispants, and morpholino knock-down), and ZeEfficacy (efficacy and phenotyping across disease models for epilepsy, Parkinson's, retinal degeneration, DMD, NAFLD, and metabolic disorders)—supported by specialized offerings such as ZeGlobalTox (multi-organ toxicity), ZeCardio (automated cardiotoxicity HTS), ZeOncoTest (oncology xenograft screening), and ZeBYTE (AI-integrated drug discovery).
The underlying technology exploits the genetic similarity between zebrafish and humans (84% of disease-causing genes shared), embryo transparency for imaging, and rapid development cycles to deliver outcomes the company claims are 40% faster and 60% cheaper than traditional rodent-based approaches, with 66% reduction in animal use through multi-organ testing. Automation and AI are applied through the ROBO-FISH robotics platform and ZeBYTE AI pipeline, with image and video-based phenotypic analysis supporting high-throughput screening.
ZeClinics generates revenue primarily through fee-for-service, project-based contracts with multi-year cadence, priced per scope. GTM is enterprise field sales augmented by heavy conference presence (Neuroscience 2024, BioJapan, BioSpain, ARVO, SETAC, European Epilepsy Congress). The company has historically been bootstrapped via a mix of EU research grants (notably a €986k EIC-Pathfinder award in October 2022 for the EdiGenT gene therapy consortium), crowdfunding (€100k via Capital Cell in 2015), and service revenue, and in February 2023 relocated its headquarters to Almirall's 7,400 sqm R&D facility in Sant Feliu de Llobregat. Leadership includes co-founder and CEO Simone Calzolari, COO Ignasi Sahún Abizanda, CDD Javier Terriente, and Chairman Davide D'Amico.
ZeClinics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ZeClinics
- Legal name
- ZeClinics SL
- Website
- https://zeclinics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ZeClinics is a Barcelona-based CRO that provides preclinical drug discovery and safety/efficacy screening services using zebrafish in vivo models, serving pharmaceutical, biotech, agrochemical, food/nutraceutical, cosmetics, and academic research clients across Europe, North America, and Asia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ZeClinics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Preclinical Contract Research Services
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Preclinical CROs (Discovery/Pharmacology/DMPK) (HLAGAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- In Vivo Pharmacology (Efficacy/PD Models) (HLAGAFAA), Toxicology & Safety Assessment CROs (GLP) (HLAGAAAC)
Keywords
Where ZeClinics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Barcelona
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
ZeClinics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Contract Research Services (CRO): ZeClinics provides fee-for-service preclinical drug discovery services to pharmaceutical, biotech, food, nutraceuticals, agrochemical, cosmetics companies, and academic institutions. Services include toxicity screening, efficacy studies, and custom disease model development billed on a per-project basis.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom project-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
ZeClinics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ZeClinics is a Contract Research Organization (CRO) that delivers preclinical drug discovery services using zebrafish as an in vivo model. Its core offerings span toxicology screening (ZeTox), CRISPR-based custom genetic disease model generation (ZeGenesis), and efficacy testing with disease-specific phenotyping (ZeEfficacy), complemented by AI-integrated platforms (ZeBYTE, ROBO-FISH). Services are billed on a per-project basis to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food/nutraceutical, agrochemical, cosmetics, and academic clients across therapeutic areas including ophthalmology, CNS, metabolic, and muscular disorders.
Product overview
ZeClinics is a Contract Research Organization (CRO) specializing in zebrafish-based preclinical drug discovery services. The company operates three integrated platforms: ZeTox (toxicology screening), ZeGenesis (CRISPR-based genetic model generation), and ZeEfficacy (efficacy and disease modeling). Supporting platforms include ZeGlobalTox for multi-organ toxicity testing, ZeCardio for automated cardiotoxicity screening, ZeOncoTest for oncology diagnostics, and ZeBYTE for AI-driven drug discovery. Services span pharmaceutical, food/nutraceutical, agrochemical, cosmetics, and basic research sectors, targeting therapeutic areas including ophthalmology, metabolic disorders, muscular diseases, and CNS disorders. The company leverages AI integration with zebrafish validation to reduce drug discovery timelines by 40% and costs by 60% compared to traditional rodent approaches.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ZeTox: Toxicology screening platform for human and environmental risk assessment, covering general toxicity, cardiotoxicity, neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and developmental toxicity.
- ZeGenesis
- ZeEfficacy
- ZeCardio
- ZeGlobalTox
- ZeOncoTest
Products and services
- ZeTox Toxicology screening service offering general toxicity and organ-specific toxicity assays (cardio, neuro, hepato, developmental, reproductive, bioavailability) using zebrafish embryos and larvae for human and environmental risk assessment; targeted at pharma, biotech, agrochemical, cosmetics, and chemical clients.
- ZeGenesis CRISPR/Cas9-based service platform creating customized zebrafish disease models including transgenesis, stable knockouts, crispants, morpholino knock-down, and antisense oligonucleotide knock-down; enables client-driven generation of genetic models that mimic human disease.
- ZeEfficacy Efficacy screening service using zebrafish disease models for target validation, custom phenotyping, high-throughput screening, transcriptomics, and indication-specific models (epilepsy, Parkinson's, retinal degeneration, DMD, NAFLD, metabolic disorders); supports early-stage drug discovery programs.
- ZeGlobalTox Multi-organ toxicity service that sequentially assesses cardio-, neuro-, and hepato-toxicity in the same zebrafish embryo using automated imaging and analysis, reducing animal use by 66% while delivering integrated safety data.
- ZeCardio Automated, robotic, and software-driven cardiotoxicity screening service using zebrafish embryos for high-throughput assessment of drug-induced cardiovascular effects.
- ZeOncoTest Standardized, automated, and validated zebrafish larvae xenograft assay for oncology drug discovery and diagnostics with increased translatability and higher screening throughput.
- ZeBYTE AI-powered drug discovery platform that uses artificial intelligence technologies throughout the target discovery process combined with zebrafish in vivo data to predict drug effects, with claimed reductions of 40% in timelines and 60% in cost versus rodent approaches.
- ROBO-FISH Automated high-throughput oncology drug screening service in zebrafish using robotics and AI for injection and imaging automation.
- ZeNeuroid Human-based neural organoid network service for Parkinson's drug discovery combining patient-derived iPSCs and CRISPR-edited human iPSCs with zebrafish in vivo models.
- Fish Embryo Acute Test (FET) Standard acute toxicity assay using zebrafish embryos to meet regulatory compliance and environmental risk assessment requirements for chemicals, agrochemicals, and pharmaceuticals.
- ZeCardioTest Early zebrafish-based cardiotoxicity test for drug screening, predecessor to the automated ZeCardio system.
- Zebrafish Transgenesis Service Custom transgenic zebrafish model generation service for replicating human disease pathologies, offered as part of the ZeGenesis platform.
- Zebrafish CRISPR Knockouts Service CRISPR/Cas9-based gene knockout service generating precise zebrafish genetic disease models, offered as part of the ZeGenesis platform.
- Zebrafish Crispants Service Rapid gene knockout service using crispants for accelerated zebrafish disease model generation, offered as part of the ZeGenesis platform.
- Automated Microinjection for Zebrafish Xenograft Models Automated microinjection service for zebrafish xenograft cancer models, boosting speed and consistency for oncology drug screening and diagnostics.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduce drug discovery timelines by up to 40%
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ZeClinics
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ZeClinics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature6 records
ZeClinics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- Celtarys Research and University of Santiago (USC)majorJoint project using AI and massive compound screening to develop new drugs for Parkinson's disease treatment, with 147,000€ funding.
- AlmirallcoreZeClinics moved its headquarters to Almirall's R&D centre in Sant Feliu de Llobregat in February 2023. The agreement provides access to Almirall's 7,400 square meter facility including laboratories and production areas.
- EIC-Pathfinder Challenge Consortium (EdiGenT)coreZeClinics leads the EdiGenT project receiving 986k€ of 3.9M€ total consortium funding to develop new technologies for gene therapy including prime editing and non-viral delivery strategies. Consortium includes organizations from Netherlands, France, and Spain.
- EUROSTARS CARDIOMYO ConsortiummajorHTS in vitro drug screening platform to identify new therapies for cardiomyopathies using human iPSC cardiomyocytes combined with zebrafish in vivo cardiovascular phenotyping.
- Institut de la Vision (Paris)coreCollaboration with researcher Filippo del Bene to develop innovative approaches for complex genetic modifications using zebrafish for genome editing technology testing, particularly for vision research.
- Dompé FarmaceuticimajorSuccessful collaboration validating the use of zebrafish for modeling human retinopathies reliably, demonstrating successful alliance between CRO and pharma.
- University of MessinaminorAgreement to launch a joint Industrial PhD Program in Veterinary Sciences, combining academic research with industry experience.
- EIT Health Bridgehead ProgramminorSelected as one of 9 Spanish startups in the Bridgehead Global program for internationalization support.
- Three S Japan Co.minorCommercial alliance for distribution of ZeClinics services in Japan through Three S Japan Co.
- COBO ScientificminorCommercial alliance for distribution of ZeClinics services through COBO Scientific's network.
- 3D-NEONET (Drug Discovery and Delivery Network for Oncology and Eye Therapeutics)minorJoined the network for oncology and ophthalmology drug discovery and delivery, connecting with other specialized companies and researchers.
- NC3RS (UK) / Noldus / Pivot Park Screening CentremajorZeGlobalTox project funded by NC3RS (30,000£) with partners Noldus and Pivot Park Screening Centre to develop multi-organ toxicity testing in zebrafish using automated imaging and analysis.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ZeClinics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Biobide: Spanish-headquartered zebrafish CRO providing toxicology and efficacy screening services to pharma and chemical companies; the closest direct competitor to ZeClinics with overlapping offerings (cardiotox, neurotox, teratogenicity) and similar Europe-based academic spin-out origin.
- Phylonix Services: US-based zebrafish CRO offering in vivo drug efficacy and toxicity assays; directly comparable business model delivering zebrafish-based preclinical contract research to pharma/biotech clients.
- ZeClinics' (anchor) closest niche peers: (Omitted - replaced with substantive entry below) ZeClinics direct zebrafish specialty peer; comparable service menu in toxicology, efficacy, and disease modeling using zebrafish.
- Danio Lab: Zebrafish-focused contract research provider offering toxicology, pharmacology, and disease modeling services with similar therapeutic-area coverage; a direct niche competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Charles River Laboratories: Largest preclinical CRO globally with broad safety assessment and discovery services; competes for the same pharma R&D outsourcing budget from a position of vastly greater scale, though not specialized in zebrafish.
- WuXi AppTec: Global CRO/CDMO with extensive preclinical discovery and safety assessment capabilities including zebrafish work; represents the largest potential competitive threat among broad incumbents.
- Evotec: Integrated drug discovery CRO offering in vitro and in vivo pharmacology services; competes for early-discovery outsourcing work and has been expanding zebrafish and AI-enabled discovery capacity.
- Inotiv: Preclinical CRO and research models provider offering toxicology, safety assessment, and research models; comparable in serving outsourced preclinical research for pharma/biotech with regulatory-grade deliverables.
Emerging players
- Toxys: Dutch-based specialty toxicology CRO using in vitro and zebrafish-based assays; overlaps with ZeClinics in toxicology but anchors on different model systems, making it a partial competitive peer.
Others
- Noldus Information Technology: Provider of behavioral and imaging automation software/hardware with extensive zebrafish research applications; an ecosystem partner (ZeGlobalTox NC3Rs collaboration) and adjacent infrastructure provider rather than direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ZeClinics social profiles
Digital presenceZeClinics compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
ZeClinics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ZeClinics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
ZeClinics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ZeClinics 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 ZeClinics
What does ZeClinics do?
ZeClinics is a Contract Research Organization (CRO) that delivers preclinical drug discovery services using zebrafish as an in vivo model. Its core offerings span toxicology screening (ZeTox), CRISPR-based custom genetic disease model generation (ZeGenesis), and efficacy testing with disease-specific phenotyping (ZeEfficacy), complemented by AI-integrated platforms (ZeBYTE, ROBO-FISH). Services are billed on a per-project basis to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food/nutraceutical, agrochemical, cosmetics, and academic clients across therapeutic areas including ophthalmology, CNS, metabolic, and muscular disorders.
Is ZeClinics a public or private company?
ZeClinics is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ZeClinics founded?
ZeClinics was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ZeClinics based?
ZeClinics is headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does ZeClinics make money?
One revenue line is on record: contract Research Services (CRO).
Who are ZeClinics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Biobide, Phylonix Services, ZeClinics' (anchor) closest niche peers and Danio Lab. Broad incumbents are Charles River Laboratories, WuXi AppTec, Evotec and Inotiv. Toxys is listed as an emerging player. Noldus Information Technology is listed as an others.
Does ZeClinics have an API?
No public API is recorded for ZeClinics.
What industry is ZeClinics in?
ZeClinics's product category is Preclinical Contract Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAAAB, Preclinical CROs (Discovery/Pharmacology/DMPK), with a secondary code of HLAGAFAA, In Vivo Pharmacology (Efficacy/PD Models). Its NAICS code is 5417 and its SIC code is 8731.