Vector Laboratories

What Vector Laboratories does

Vector Laboratories, Inc. is a private life science reagents company headquartered in Newark, California, founded in 1976 (per firmographic data; company history cites 1980) and operating under the ownership of Thompson Street Capital Partners (TSCP). The company supplies proteomics, glycomics, and bioconjugation tools to academic research institutions, biopharmaceutical developers, diagnostic companies, and contract manufacturing organizations, with its products cited in more than 350,000 scientific publications. Its catalog spans protein detection and visualization reagents (ImmPRESS polymer kits, VECTASTAIN avidin-biotin kits, VECTASHIELD mounting media, secondary antibodies, blocking reagents, and enzyme substrates), bioconjugation chemistry (the proprietary dPEG monodisperse PEG linker platform, SideWinder and BodyArmor ADC linker architectures, click chemistry reagents, fluorescent dyes, and payload delivery modifiers), and glycobiology products (lectins and the Glysite Explorer kit co-developed with Navinci).

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market model. Catalog products are sold directly through a self-serve e-commerce storefront on vectorlabs.com and through an international distributor network that expanded into the UK and Europe following the 2024 merger with Absolute Biotech. Higher-value enterprise services — including the BioDesign collaborative linker development process, custom bioconjugation, and the Absolute Antibody recombinant antibody sequencing and engineering platform (also serving LSBio's IHC-validated primary antibody catalog) — are delivered through direct account management under Statement-of-Work agreements. Catalog products carry publicly listed unit pricing typically between $162 and $706+, while custom volumes are handled via quote requests. Manufacturing is conducted at an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility.

Since 2023, the company has executed an aggressive platform expansion strategy under TSCP sponsorship, acquiring Click Chemistry Tools and Fluoroprobes (March 2023), Quanta BioDesign (July 2023), and merging with Absolute Biotech (May 2024) to broaden its bioconjugation IP base, expand manufacturing capacity, and extend its geographic footprint. The company employs between 251 and 500 people and is led by CEO Lisa Sellers.

Name

Vector Laboratories

Legal name

Vector Laboratories, Inc.

Website

https://vectorlabs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Vector Laboratories supplies life science reagents and bioconjugation tools — including ImmPRESS detection kits, VECTASTAIN systems, and proprietary dPEG linker technology — to academic, biopharmaceutical, diagnostic, and CMO customers globally, operating as a TSCP-backed private platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Life Science Reagents & Detection Kits

NAICS

In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes) (HLAGAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB), Biomarker Assay & Reagent Development (LDT/IVD assay design, antibodies/standards/controls) (HLAAAMAL), Raw Materials & Critical Reagents Supply (Media/Resins/Cytokines) (HLAGAGAI), IVD Reagents, Assay Kits & Consumables (Non-instrument) (HLAHAAAM)

Keywords

• Life science reagents
• Immunohistochemistry detection kits
• Antibody-drug conjugate linkers
• Bioconjugation services
• Recombinant antibodies

Headquarters

HQ city

Newark

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Catalog Product Sales: Sale of standardized life science reagent catalog products including antibodies, detection kits, blocking reagents, substrates, dyes, and bioconjugation tools. Products are sold in standard milligram/milliliter quantities with list pricing available on the website.
2. Custom Manufacturing Services: Bespoke product development and manufacturing services including custom volumes, formulations, bioconjugation, and OEM/private-label options. Revenue generated through project-based custom development with Statement of Work agreements.
3. Custom Antibody Services: Recombinant antibody sequencing, engineering, production, and purification services offered through Absolute Antibody, a Vector Laboratories company. Includes hybridoma sequencing, antibody humanization, bispecific development, and scalable expression from microgram to gram quantities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Vector Laboratories manufactures and sells life science reagents and detection systems for protein detection and visualization (IHC, IF, Western blot), bioconjugation tools including proprietary PEG-based ADC linkers, glycobiology reagents, and a catalog of secondary/primary antibodies, blocking reagents, mounting media, substrates, and custom dyes. The company also provides custom services: BioDesign ADC linker development, Absolute Antibody recombinant antibody engineering, and bulk/OEM custom manufacturing.

Product overview

Vector Laboratories is a life science reagent company offering a comprehensive portfolio of products organized around protein detection and visualization, bioconjugation, and glycobiology workflows. The product portfolio includes: (1) Protein Detection & Visualization products including ImmPRESS HRP/AP Polymer Detection Kits, VECTASTAIN ABC-HRP/AP Kits (Elite and Original variants), secondary antibodies in biotinylated, fluorophore-conjugated, enzyme-conjugated, and unconjugated formats, blocking reagents (BLOXALL, Animal-Free, Carbo-Free, BSA), mounting media (VECTASHIELD, VectaMount), enzyme substrates (HRP/AP), antigen retrieval solutions, counterstains, and avidin/streptavidin reagents; (2) Bioconjugation products including cross-linkers, DSPE linkers, click chemistry reagents (azide, DBCO, tetrazine), fluorescent dyes, and payload delivery linkers with the proprietary dPEG linker platform; (3) Glycobiology products including lectins, antibodies to lectins, and glycan screening kits including the Glysite Explorer line; (4) Custom services including BioDesign ADC linker development services and Absolute Antibody custom antibody sequencing, engineering, and production services through its Absolute Antibody brand; (5) Custom manufacturing solutions for volume scaling, formulation development, and bioconjugation. The company is ISO 9001:2015 certified and has made strategic acquisitions including Quanta BioDesign (2023), Click Chemistry Tools, Fluoroprobes (2023), and Absolute Biotech (2024) to expand capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Absolute Antibody: Provider of custom antibody sequencing, engineering, production, and purification services. Founded as a Vector Laboratories company with focus on recombinant antibody technology.
• LSBio

Products and services

• ImmPRESS HRP Polymer Detection Kits Ready-to-use polymer antibody reagents with high-density HRP enzyme conjugated to secondary antibodies, providing strong signal intensity with low background for immunohistochemistry applications without the need for avidin/biotin blocking.
• ImmPRESS AP Polymer Detection Kits Ready-to-use polymer detection reagents featuring a polymer backbone conjugated to multiple alkaline phosphatase (AP) enzymes and secondary antibodies for enzyme-based detection in immunohistochemistry applications.
• ImmPRESS Duet Double Staining Polymer Kits Kits enabling simultaneous detection of two distinct antigens in a single tissue section using a two-color enzyme-based HRP and AP polymer system that eliminates the need for primary antibody species selection.
• ImmPRESS Excel Amplified Polymer Staining System Two-step peroxidase polymer-based detection system that includes an unconjugated amplifier antibody to increase staining sensitivity three- to four-fold over standard one-step polymer IHC detection systems.
• VECTASTAIN Elite ABC-HRP Kits Advanced avidin-biotin complex (ABC) detection systems providing greater sensitivity than original ABC kits, with strong signal development and low background for peroxidase-based IHC staining applications.
• VECTASTAIN Original ABC-HRP Kits Time-tested avidin-biotin complex (ABC) detection systems based on the classic ABC method offering consistent, high-quality peroxidase-based staining with strong signal amplification for IHC.
• VECTASTAIN ABC-AP Kits Sensitive enzyme-based detection system utilizing the avidin-biotin complex method with alkaline phosphatase for high signal amplification and low background in immunohistochemistry applications.
• VECTASHIELD Antifade Mounting Media Antifade mounting media products for preserving fluorescence signals in immunofluorescence applications, including VECTASHIELD Vibrance and VECTASHIELD PLUS variants with DAPI counterstain.
• Primary Antibodies for IHC/IF Validated and highly cited primary antibodies for immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry applications sourced through partners including Absolute Antibody, LSBio, Everest Biotech, Kerafast, and Exalpha.
• Mouse-on-Mouse (M.O.M.) ImmPRESS Detection Kits Specialized detection kits designed for species-on-species detection, using Vector's proprietary Mouse Ig Blocking Reagent to minimize endogenous mouse Ig staining when using mouse primary antibodies on mouse tissues.
• Human-on-Human (H.O.H.) Detection Kits Detection kits designed for detecting human primary antibodies on human tissue samples, enabling specific staining without background interference from endogenous human immunoglobulins.
• Cross-Linkers and DSPE Linkers Classical cross-linkers, click chemistry reagents, DSPE linkers, and uniform PEG cross-linkers for protein modification and bioconjugation applications in life science and biopharma research.
• Click Chemistry Reagents Azide reagents, DBCO reagents, tetrazine reagents, TCO reagents, terminal alkyne reagents, and accelerating ligands for bioorthogonal click chemistry applications in bioconjugation and labeling.
• Fluorescent Dyes and Quenchers Broad portfolio of fluorophores including AMCA, Cy3, Cy5, Cy7, fluorescein, Oregon Green, Pacific Blue, TAMRA, Texas Red, and IR dyes for fluorescence-based detection and labeling applications.
• Lectins and Glycan Analysis Products Lectins available as agarose-bound, biotinylated, fluorophore-conjugated, and unconjugated formats, plus antibodies to lectins, inhibiting sugars, and glycan screening kits for glycobiology research.
• Payload Delivery Linkers and Modifiers Functional linkers, uniform PEG modifiers, branched PEG modifiers, mPEG modifiers, radionuclide chelators (DOTA), and thiolation reagents for drug delivery, antibody-drug conjugate, and bioconjugate therapeutic applications.
• BioDesign Services Expert-guided collaborative linker development service for bioconjugate therapeutic development, providing proprietary dPEG, SideWinder, and BodyArmor linker architectures with chemical biology expertise for ADC development.
• Absolute Antibody Custom Antibody Services Custom antibody sequencing, engineering, production, and purification services including recombinant antibody expression in HEK or CHO cells, isotype/species switching, humanization, bispecific and multispecific antibody development from microgram to gram scales.
• Custom Manufacturing Solutions Custom manufacturing services including large-volume product manufacturing, custom formulation development, custom bioconjugation, and recombinant antibody services tailored to customer specifications from microgram to liter/gram scale.
• LSBio IHC-plus and PathPlus Antibodies LSBio, a Vector Laboratories sub-brand, provides IHC-validated antibodies including 15,000 IHC-plus products tested on multiple tissue types, and 2,000 PathPlus premium antibodies focusing on cancer and neuroscience targets in human diseased tissues.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully produced 200+ different antibody formats
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• NavinciminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Collaborative partnership resulting in the Glysite™ Explorer kit - the first commercially available product to study protein glycosylation with spatial context. The kit integrates Vector's Glysite Explorer lectins with Navinci's proprietary in situ Proximity Ligation Assay technology for detecting glycans proximal to proteins in tissue samples. The product has been adopted by leading research institutions including Harvard Medical School for oncology and immunology studies.
• Absolute BiotechcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2024Vector Laboratories and Absolute Biotech, both backed by Thompson Street Capital Partners, merged in 2024. The merger strengthened their position as suppliers of antibodies, bioconjugation linkers, and related biotech tools, expanding manufacturing, distribution, and product development capabilities into the UK and Europe.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Leica Biosystems (Danaher): Leica Biosystems is a broad incumbent in IHC and pathology workflows, offering automated staining instruments (Leica Bond) and reagents that compete with Vector's ImmPRESS and VECTASTAIN detection kits. Vector's reagents are validated as compatible with Leica Bond, illustrating the tight customer overlap despite Leica being a much larger integrated supplier.
• Merck KGaA (Millipore Sigma): Merck's Millipore Sigma life science business competes with Vector across antibodies, detection reagents, and bioconjugation tools. As one of the largest life science suppliers globally, Merck offers overlapping products in protein chemistry, IHC, and western blot workflows with greater commercial reach than Vector.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher Scientific is a broad incumbent offering competing antibody and detection reagent products through its Invitrogen and Thermo Scientific brands. Thermo Fisher's massive catalog, global direct salesforce, and bundled instrument-reagent offerings create significant competitive pressure on Vector across nearly every product category.
• Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer Life Sciences): Revvity is a broad incumbent in life science and diagnostics, offering reagents, detection kits, and automated platforms that overlap with Vector's IHC and protein detection products. Revvity's integrated instrument-reagent approach creates competitive pressure particularly in clinical and translational research applications.

Direct peers

• Abcam (Danaher): Abcam is a leading direct competitor in primary and secondary antibodies with a similarly large catalog of research-grade reagents used by academic and biopharma customers. Both companies compete in IHC, IF, and western blot applications, and Abcam's 2023 acquisition by Danaher intensifies competition for Vector's customer base.
• Santa Cruz Biotechnology: Santa Cruz Biotechnology is a direct competitor in research antibodies with broad catalog coverage spanning primary and secondary antibodies for IHC, IF, and western blotting. Both companies serve the academic research community with similar product categories and pricing structures.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Bio-Rad is a major direct competitor to Vector Laboratories in life science research reagents, particularly in protein detection, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry consumables. Both companies serve academic and biopharma customers with broad catalogs of antibodies, detection kits, and protein chemistry reagents.
• Cell Signaling Technology: Cell Signaling Technology is a direct peer in high-quality antibodies and reagent kits for signal transduction and protein detection research. Both companies focus on reproducibility and validation rigor, and compete for the same academic and biopharma researchers seeking validated IHC and western blot reagents.
• Rockland Immunochemicals: Rockland Immunochemicals is a direct peer in antibody production and customization, offering primary and secondary antibodies, ELISA kits, and custom antibody services to research and diagnostic customers. Both companies have private ownership structures and compete on customization capabilities and scientific support.

Emerging players

• GenScript: GenScript is an emerging player in custom antibody services and recombinant protein production, directly competing with Vector's Absolute Antibody subsidiary. Both companies offer antibody sequencing, engineering, and expression services to biopharma customers, with GenScript bringing significant scale advantages in Asia-Pacific markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/vectorlabsuk
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/vectorlabs
• Facebookfacebook.com/VectorLabs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vector-laboratories-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/vectorlabsinc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vector Laboratories