What Quality Biological does

Quality Biological, Inc. is a privately held life science reagents manufacturer founded in 1983 and headquartered at 7581 Lindbergh Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland. The company produces precision-engineered cell culture media, biological buffers, reagents, supplements, and ultra-pure water products (including USP Water for Injection, endotoxin-free, DEPC-treated, PCR-qualified, and molecular biology grades) for biopharmaceutical, government, and academic research customers. Manufacturing operates under an ISO 9001:2015 certified and GMP-compliant quality management system, with proprietary specialty offerings including QBSF-60 serum-free hematopoietic stem cell expansion medium, Glutamine XL stable L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine dipeptide, and ENZ-Free non-enzymatic cell dissociation solution. The portfolio also includes standard media such as DMEM, RPMI-1640, PBS/DPBS/HEPES buffers, antibiotics (ampicillin, kanamycin), cryopreservation media, fetal bovine serum, and bacterial growth media (LB, SOC, terrific broth).

The business generates revenue through three primary streams: (1) direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales of standard catalog products at unit pricing ranging from roughly $23 to $575 per bottle with case discounts, (2) custom cell culture media formulation and contract manufacturing services with packaging from 1mL vials up to bioprocessing bags, and (3) authorized distribution of third-party labware (Corning Labware globally; CELLTREAT Scientific Products for SMB and individual researchers). GTM is direct-to-customer via qualitybiological.com plus phone-based sales support, supplemented by email marketing, LinkedIn presence, and Maryland biotech ecosystem events. Pricing for bulk and custom work is quote-based.

Quality Biological serves three primary customer segments: life science companies (biotech and pharma R&D and manufacturing), federal/government research institutions (notably NIH and FDA-adjacent work in the Maryland corridor), and academic researchers. Named enterprise customers include Pfizer, Merck, AstraZeneca, Regeneron, Novavax, Qiagen, ABL Inc., Propagenix, and a Fortune 500 cell therapy company that has scaled bulk manufacturing with Quality Biological to thousands of liters, while NIH/NIAID is a multi-year reference account. The company operates with 11–50 employees, has not raised institutional venture capital, and received only a $47,253 Maryland Department of Commerce grant in February 2025.

Name

Quality Biological

Legal name

Quality Biological, Inc.

Website

https://qualitybiological.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Quality Biological manufactures cell culture media, buffers, reagents, and ultra-pure water under ISO 9001:2015 and GMP-compliant conditions for biotech, pharmaceutical, government, and academic research customers, distributing directly via e-commerce and as a Corning and CELLTREAT labware distributor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Life Science Reagents

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Raw Materials & Critical Reagents Supply (Media/Resins/Cytokines) (HLAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Raw Materials & Critical Reagents Supply Services (media, resins, single-use) (HLAAAKAI)

Keywords

• Cell culture media
• Biological buffers
• Molecular biology reagents
• Ultra-pure water
• Custom media formulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Gaithersburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Standard Cell Culture Products: Sale of pre-formulated cell culture media, buffers, reagents, and water products. Products include antibiotics, balanced salt solutions, sera, molecular biology reagents, and bacterial growth media. Revenue is generated through individual product purchases with per-unit pricing.
2. Custom Cell Culture Media Manufacturing: Custom cell culture media, buffer, and molecular biology reagent formulation services tailored to meet unique customer needs. Scientists work closely with customers to develop optimized formulations, manufactured under ISO 9001:2015 certified and GMP-compliant quality management system, with custom packaging from 1mL vials to bioprocessing bags.
3. Labware Distribution: Distribution of third-party labware products including Corning Labware and CELLTREAT Scientific Products through their e-commerce platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Quality Biological manufactures and sells precision-engineered cell culture media, biological buffers, reagents, supplements, and ultra-pure water products used in life science research and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The company also provides custom cell culture media formulation and contract manufacturing services, producing everything under ISO 9001:2015 certified and GMP-compliant conditions for biotech, pharmaceutical, government, and academic customers.

Product overview

Quality Biological is a life science reagents and consumables company offering a comprehensive portfolio of cell culture media, biological buffers, reagents, water products, and bacterial growth media. The core product lines include QBSF-60 Serum Free Medium for stem cell applications, standard and specialty cell culture media (DMEM, RPMI-1640), various buffer solutions (PBS, DPBS, HBSS), and high-purity water products across multiple grades. The company provides custom media formulation services and contract manufacturing capabilities, operating under ISO 9001:2015 certified and GMP-compliant quality management systems. As a distributor, Quality Biological also offers Corning Labware and CELLTREAT Scientific Products alongside its proprietary reagents including antibiotics, cryopreservation media, and fetal bovine serum.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• QBSF-60: Proprietary serum-free, xeno-free expansion medium that supports the expansion of CD34+ human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells

Products and services

• Cell Culture Media Precision-engineered cell culture media supporting bacterial, mammalian, and stem cell research, manufactured under strict ISO-certified conditions with lot-to-lot consistency.
• Biological Buffers High-performance, pH-stable buffers including HEPES, DPBS, PBS, TAE, and TBE for cell culture and molecular biology applications.
• Cell Culture Reagents and Supplements Ready-to-use supplements and reagents including antibiotics (ampicillin, kanamycin), trypsin solutions, cell dissociation solutions, and cryopreservation media.
• Ultra-Pure Water Products (All Grades) Ultra-pure water products across multiple grades including Water for Injection (WFI) Quality, Endotoxin-Free, DEPC Treated, PCR Qualified, and Molecular Biology Grade water.
• QBSF-60 Serum Free Medium Proprietary serum-free, xeno-free expansion medium supporting CD34+ human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell expansion, containing L-Glutamine and Phenol Red.
• DMEM with Glutamine XL Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium with stable L-Alanyl-Glutamine (Glutamine XL) for supporting growth of mammalian cells including primary fibroblasts, neurons, and HUVECs.
• RPMI-1640 Medium with Glutamine XL Growth medium with stable Glutamine XL for culturing human normal and neoplastic leukocytes, hybrid cells, and various carcinoma lines.
• Serum Free Cryo Medium (2X) Sterile 2X concentrated cell freezing medium containing DMSO for cryopreservation of cells grown under serum-free conditions.
• Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)

Quantifiable outcome

• Lot-to-lot consistency ensures reproducible outcomes in cell culture research
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CorningcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQuality Biological is an authorized Corning Labware distributor, selling and distributing the Corning range of products for Life Science applications including cell culture labware, equipment, filtration, liquid handling, glassware, and specialty products.
• CELLTREAT Scientific ProductsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorQuality Biological distributes CELLTREAT Scientific Products, which are affordable, high-quality lab essentials including pipettes, tubes, beakers, bottles, and cell culture products.
• MacroGenicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuality Biological participated in the 'Made in Maryland' event hosted at MacroGenics' Montgomery County facility, highlighting collaboration among local biotech companies in Maryland's growing biotech ecosystem.
• MilliporeSigma BioRelianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuality Biological participated alongside MilliporeSigma BioReliance in industry events showcasing Maryland's biotech ecosystem.
• Bora PharmaceuticalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuality Biological participated alongside Bora Pharmaceuticals in industry events showcasing Maryland's biotech ecosystem.
• CRBminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerQuality Biological participated alongside CRB (a life sciences engineering firm) in industry events showcasing Maryland's biotech ecosystem.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• CellGenix: CellGenix manufactures GMP-grade raw materials and cell culture media for cell and gene therapy manufacturing, a more specialized peer focused on the same regenerative medicine and cell therapy manufacturing segment that Quality Biological's QBSF-60 targets.
• Bio-Techne: Bio-Techne (R&D Systems) supplies specialty reagents, proteins, and cell culture media with a focus on stem cell and primary cell research, partially overlapping with Quality Biological's specialty media and reagent portfolio in research and translational markets.

Broad incumbents

• Sartorius: Sartorius provides cell culture media, bioreactors, and bioprocess solutions to biopharma manufacturers, competing with Quality Biological on both cell culture reagents and bioprocessing-related custom manufacturing for advanced therapy customers.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Through its Life Sciences Solutions segment (Gibco, Thermo Scientific), Thermo Fisher is the global leader in cell culture media, sera, and reagents — directly overlapping with Quality Biological's core product portfolio and serving many of the same pharma and academic customers.
• Lonza: Lonza is one of the world's largest contract manufacturers of cell and gene therapies and supplier of cell culture media and custom media services, directly comparable to Quality Biological's contract manufacturing and custom media offering at much larger scale.
• Corning Life Sciences: Corning is a major manufacturer of cell culture vessels, media, and sera, and is simultaneously a Quality Biological distribution partner. The two companies overlap in cell culture plasticware and complementary reagent workflows at the same biopharma accounts.
• Cytiva: Cytiva (Danaher) supplies cell culture media, buffers, single-use bioprocessing consumables, and bioprocess services — overlapping with Quality Biological's media, buffer, and bioprocessing bag offerings, particularly for cell therapy and biopharma manufacturing customers.
• Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma): MilliporeSigma is a leading supplier of cell culture media, buffers, and bioprocessing raw materials, and is specifically named in Quality Biological's own ecosystem alongside QB at Maryland industry events. It competes across the same reagent, buffer, and water-grade product lines.

Direct peers

• FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific: FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific specializes in cell culture media, sera, and cell therapy manufacturing solutions — a closely aligned specialty reagent and custom media manufacturer serving cell therapy and biopharma customers with GMP-grade media.
• STEMCELL Technologies: STEMCELL Technologies is a specialty developer of cell culture media, reagents, and tools for stem cell, immunology, and regenerative medicine research, directly competing with QBSF-60 in hematopoietic and progenitor cell expansion media.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/quality-biological-inc
• Xx.com/qualitybiologic

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Quality Biological