Molecular Instruments
Molecular Instruments commercializes HCR (Hybridization Chain Reaction) reagent kits and custom probe design services for multiplex quantitative RNA and protein bioimaging, serving academic, pharmaceutical, and clinical pathology customers globally via exclusive Caltech-licensed technology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Molecular Instruments does
Molecular Instruments, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Los Angeles, California, that commercializes Hybridization Chain Reaction (HCR) technology originally developed at the California Institute of Technology. The company's core offering is a family of reagent kits and custom probe design services for multiplex, quantitative bioimaging of RNA and protein targets in intact tissue samples. Two principal product lines — HCR Gold (enzyme-free, 1-step signal amplification supporting up to 10-plex detection) and HCR Pro (enzymatic amplification for extreme-sensitivity chromogenic or fluorescent RNA in situ hybridization) — are complemented by add-on modules for immunofluorescence, RNA flow cytometry, northern blots, single-molecule and subcellular RNA imaging, and spectral unmixing. The Infinite Catalog provides validated probe designs for any RNA target across the tree of life with no per-design fee.
The company sells through its own e-commerce storefront with quote-based pricing and 30-day payment terms, complemented by an academic discount program for universities, government labs, and non-profit research institutes. Customer segments are organized horizontally across academic research, pharmaceutical R&D, and clinical pathology/diagnostics, with secondary exposure to agricultural and veterinary applications. Distribution is increasingly augmented by channel integrations with the dominant automated staining and imaging platforms — Leica Biosystems BOND RX and BOND-III, Standard BioTools Hyperion, Biocare Medical ONCORE Pro X, and NeoPATH Pro — as well as AI-driven image analysis partners Visiopharm, Indica Labs, and Alpenglow Biosciences, and a compatibility partnership with Abcam's antibody catalog.
Revenue mechanics are tied to one-time kit and probe purchases, with custom probe design rights retained by the company for inclusion in catalog offerings. The business is founder-controlled (CEO Harry M.T. Choi and Chair Niles A. Pierce, both HCR originators from Caltech), operates with an 11–50 employee team from a single Los Angeles office, and holds an exclusive Caltech license to multiple granted HCR patents across US, EP, AU, HK, and IL jurisdictions. In November 2025 a court invalidated two competitor patents (Advanced Cell Diagnostics) and ordered £1.35M in MI's favor, materially strengthening the company's freedom to operate in RNA-ISH.
Molecular Instruments firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Molecular Instruments
- Legal name
- Molecular Instruments, Inc.
- Website
- https://molecularinstruments.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Molecular Instruments commercializes HCR (Hybridization Chain Reaction) reagent kits and custom probe design services for multiplex quantitative RNA and protein bioimaging, serving academic, pharmaceutical, and clinical pathology customers globally via exclusive Caltech-licensed technology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Molecular Instruments industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Spatial Biology & In Situ Hybridization Reagents
- NAICS
- In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413)
- SIC
- In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes) (HLAGAIAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Biomarker Assay & Reagent Development (LDT/IVD assay design, antibodies/standards/controls) (HLAAAMAL), Library & Diversity Generation Platforms (display libraries, DNA-encoded libraries for biologics, variant libraries) (HLAAAIAL)
Keywords
Where Molecular Instruments is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Molecular Instruments business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Research Kit Sales: One-time purchase of HCR reagent kits for RNA-FISH, immunofluorescence, and RNA-ISH applications. Kits include probes, amplifiers, buffers, and accessories. Individual components available for purchase separately. Prices exclude shipping, taxes, and handling.
- Custom Product Design Services: Custom HCR HiFi Probe design services for specific RNA targets. No design fee for standard probes; custom probe design available for specialized applications. MI retains rights to include custom products in catalog offerings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard commercial pricing for research kits |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Academic/Non-profit pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Molecular Instruments product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Molecular Instruments designs, develops, and commercializes HCR (Hybridization Chain Reaction) reagent kits and custom probe design services for multiplex, quantitative, high-resolution RNA and protein bioimaging. Products span HCR Gold (enzyme-free) and HCR Pro (enzymatic) lines for RNA-FISH, immunofluorescence, combined RNA-FISH/IF, and specialized applications including flow cytometry, Northern blots, spectral imaging, and single-molecule imaging, sold to academic research labs, pharmaceutical and biotech firms, and clinical pathology customers worldwide.
Product overview
Molecular Instruments offers a multi-product platform centered on HCR (Hybridization Chain Reaction) technology for multiplex quantitative bioimaging. The core platform comprises two main product lines: HCR Gold for enzyme-free signal amplification enabling 10-plex multiplex imaging across RNA-FISH, immunofluorescence (IF), and combined RNA-FISH/IF assays; and HCR Pro for enzymatic amplification providing extreme-sensitivity RNA imaging with chromogenic (RNA-CISH) or fluorescent staining options. Supporting add-on modules include HCR Gold 2°IF for different-species protein multiplexing, RNA Flow Cytometry, Northern Blots, and specialized spectral imaging and subcellular/single-molecule quantitative imaging capabilities. The platform is complemented by an Infinite Catalog service for custom probe design and integrates with automated staining instruments from Leica Biosystems (BOND RX/III) and NeoPATH Pro, as well as Standard BioTools imaging systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- HCR™: Hybridization Chain Reaction technology platform for multiplex quantitative bioimaging
- HCR™ Gold
- HCR™ Pro
- HCR™ HiFi Encoder
- Infinite Catalog
- Imaging the Molecules of Life®
- By Scientists For Scientists®
Products and services
- HCR Gold RNA-FISH 10-plex, quantitative, high-resolution, enzyme-free RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization kit with automatic background suppression for multiplex bioimaging across diverse sample types, for academic, pharmaceutical, and clinical pathology researchers.
- HCR Gold IF Multiplex immunofluorescence kit using the HCR HiFi Encoder to encode quantitative 1-step signal amplification onto the user's own primary antibodies, enabling same-species/isotype multiplexing without cross-reactivity, for researchers needing flexible multiplex protein detection.
- HCR Gold RNA-FISH/IF Unified multiplex quantitative high-resolution combined RNA-FISH and immunofluorescence kit using 1-step HCR Gold signal amplification for simultaneous detection of up to 10 RNA and/or protein targets, for translational research and biomarker discovery.
- HCR Pro RNA-ISH Enzymatic-amplification RNA imaging kit with chromogenic (RNA-CISH) or fluorescent (RNA-FISH) staining and a protease-free workflow for extreme-sensitivity RNA in situ hybridization when signal-to-background is critical, for clinical pathology and demanding research applications.
- Infinite Catalog (Custom HCR HiFi Probe Design Service) Custom HCR HiFi Probe design service covering any target RNA in any organism across the tree of life with no design fee, backed by the HCR HiFi Probe Promise, for researchers needing validated probes for non-standard or novel RNA targets.
Quantifiable outcome
- Halved costs and doubled processing speed compared to existing chromogenic ISH methods
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Molecular Instruments
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Molecular Instruments technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature5 records
Molecular Instruments partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.
- Empire Genomics (Biocare Medical)coreLaunch of NISH (largest ready-to-use, fully automated ISH library) powered by HCR Pro, exclusively available worldwide on NeoPATH Pro automated staining platform. Features over 17 ready-to-use ISH probes with run times as little as 5.5 hours, powered by protease-free HCR Pro RNA-ISH technology.
- Leica Biosystems (BOND-III)coreLaunch of fully ambient-temperature HCR Pro RNA-ISH on the BOND-III autostaining platform for clinical-grade RNA in situ hybridization. The technology eliminates heat- and enzyme-driven variability to preserve tissue morphology and deliver consistent high signal-to-background performance.
- Standard BioToolscoreStrategic collaboration to develop amplified multi-omic readouts for imaging mass cytometry. Integration aims to improve sensitivity and flexibility by enabling amplified detection of RNA and protein markers for multi-omic analysis within a single workflow using the Hyperion Imaging System.
- AbcamcoreBroad compatibility announced between MI's HCR HiFi Encoder and Abcam's RabMAb and mouse antibody portfolio. Collaboration enables detection of up to 10 targets simultaneously in a single sample, enhancing multiplex immunofluorescence and RNA imaging workflows.
- Alpenglow BiosciencesstrategicPartnership to advance 3D RNA imaging in intact biological samples. Collaboration enables deeper tissue penetration and 3D reconstruction capabilities using MI's HCR technology.
- Leica BiosystemscoreLeica Biosystems partnership enables HCR Pro RNA-ISH technology integration with BOND RX and BOND RXm research staining instruments for automated multiplex immunofluorescence workflows. MI announced release of HCR Gold IF on the BOND RX in June 2026, enabling flexible multiplex protein detection using off-the-shelf primary antibodies on an established automation platform.
- VisiopharmstrategicStrategic partnership to combine AI-driven precision pathology with HCR Pro assays to advance clinical-grade RNA-ISH. Integration of AI image analysis with MI's clinical-grade RNA detection technology.
- Indica LabsstrategicPartnership to advance AI-powered quantitative image analysis with HCR RNA-ISH technology. Integration enables automated quantification of MI's multiplex imaging data.
- HistoWizminorCollaboration to advance ISH services powered by HCR RNA-ISH technology. HistoWiz provides pathology services using MI's RNA-ISH products.
- Biocare MedicalstrategicPartnership to revolutionize automated bioimaging through ONCORE Pro X and HCR RNA-ISH assays. Integration of MI's RNA detection technology with Biocare's automated staining platform.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Molecular Instruments competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Standard BioTools (formerly Fluidigm): Developer of the Hyperion Imaging System for imaging mass cytometry; MI is a strategic partner integrating HCR amplification into Hyperion workflows. Overlaps with MI in highly multiplexed tissue imaging for translational research.
- Advanced Cell Diagnostics (Bio-Techne): Developer of the RNAscope in situ hybridization platform — the dominant commercial ISH technology and MI's primary direct competitor. Recently involved in IP litigation with MI that MI won, underscoring their direct competitive overlap in RNA-ISH for research and clinical pathology.
- Biocare Medical: Channel partner integrating MI's HCR RNA-ISH chemistry onto ONCORE Pro X and NeoPATH Pro automated staining platforms, and via Empire Genomics distributing the NISH ready-to-use probe library. Direct overlap in automated clinical ISH workflows.
- NanoString Technologies: Spatial biology competitor with CosMx SMI single-molecule imaging and GeoMx digital spatial profiling platforms. Directly competes with MI's HCR-based multiplex RNA imaging for spatial transcriptomics and biomarker discovery.
- Akoya Biosciences: Multiplex immunofluorescence and spatial phenotyping company with PhenoCycler-Fusion and OPAL chemistry. Competes with MI's HCR Gold IF / HiFi Encoder in multiplex protein imaging, particularly in immuno-oncology and translational research.
- 10x Genomics: Spatial biology leader with Xenium (in situ imaging) and Visium (spatial transcriptomics) platforms that compete with MI in multiplex RNA imaging, particularly for translational and pharma biomarker applications. Targets overlapping academic and pharma customer segments.
Emerging players
- Abcam: Major antibody supplier whose RabMAb and mouse antibody portfolio is now broadly compatible with MI's HCR HiFi Encoder. Adjacent/ecosystem competitor in multiplex immunofluorescence via its own antibody-pairing kits, and a distribution amplifier for MI.
Broad incumbents
- Leica Biosystems (Danaher): Owner of the BOND family of clinical autostainers on which MI's HCR Gold and HCR Pro chemistries are integrated; also markets BOND-MAX and ancillary IHC/ISH reagents. Both partner and broad competitor in clinical pathology workflows.
Others
- Indica Labs: AI-powered quantitative pathology image analysis provider integrated with MI's HCR RNA-ISH workflows. Adjacent ecosystem participant — neither competes with nor manufactures reagents, but enables quantitative read-out of MI's multiplex images.
- Visiopharm: AI-driven precision pathology platform partnered with MI for clinical-grade RNA-ISH image analysis. Ecosystem enabler for MI's translational and clinical diagnostic positioning; does not directly compete in reagent chemistry.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Molecular Instruments social profiles
Digital presenceMolecular Instruments financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Molecular Instruments leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Molecular Instruments funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Molecular Instruments 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 Instruments
What does Molecular Instruments do?
Molecular Instruments designs, develops, and commercializes HCR (Hybridization Chain Reaction) reagent kits and custom probe design services for multiplex, quantitative, high-resolution RNA and protein bioimaging. Products span HCR Gold (enzyme-free) and HCR Pro (enzymatic) lines for RNA-FISH, immunofluorescence, combined RNA-FISH/IF, and specialized applications including flow cytometry, Northern blots, spectral imaging, and single-molecule imaging, sold to academic research labs, pharmaceutical and biotech firms, and clinical pathology customers worldwide.
Is Molecular Instruments a public or private company?
Molecular Instruments is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Molecular Instruments founded?
Molecular Instruments was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Molecular Instruments based?
Molecular Instruments is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Molecular Instruments make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Research Kit Sales are the primary driver. The others are custom Product Design Services.
Who are Molecular Instruments's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Standard BioTools (formerly Fluidigm), Advanced Cell Diagnostics (Bio-Techne), Biocare Medical, NanoString Technologies, Akoya Biosciences and 10x Genomics. Abcam is listed as an emerging player. Leica Biosystems (Danaher) is listed as a broad incumbent. Others are Indica Labs and Visiopharm.
Does Molecular Instruments have an API?
No public API is recorded for Molecular Instruments.
What industry is Molecular Instruments in?
Molecular Instruments's product category is Spatial Biology & In Situ Hybridization Reagents. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGAIAI, Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes), with a secondary code of HLAAAMAL, Biomarker Assay & Reagent Development (LDT/IVD assay design, antibodies/standards/controls). Its NAICS code is 325413 and its SIC code is 2835.