Abwiz Bio
Abwiz Bio is a San Diego-based biotech providing custom rabbit monoclonal antibody discovery, humanization, and affinity maturation services to biopharma, IVD, and academic customers using a proprietary phage display platform, alongside a catalog of 440+ research reagent antibodies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Abwiz Bio does
Abwiz Bio is a privately held San Diego-based biotechnology company founded in September 2012 that provides custom monoclonal antibody discovery and engineering services to biopharmaceutical, in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceutical, and academic research customers. The company differentiates through a proprietary rabbit-phage display platform built on three core technologies: the patented WizAmp™ single-primer library construction method (US 9,890,414), a proprietary Fab-phagemid vector that enables expression of the full rabbit immune repertoire including Ckappa1 clones, and the STEM™ multi-stage affinity maturation platform that has demonstrated 1,300x affinity improvements and 4 pM KD outcomes.
The business operates a hybrid revenue model combining fee-for-service custom antibody development (rabbit mAb discovery, antibody humanization, and affinity maturation sold under royalty-free terms) with a direct-to-customer catalog of more than 440 pre-made research reagents — including 340 phospho-specific antibodies, cell surface antibodies (GPCRs, ion channels), and SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and proteins priced individually on the company's e-commerce site. Custom services are quote-based and sold through a consultative B2B motion anchored by a 'Talk to a Scientist' engagement channel, while catalog products ship globally through both direct e-commerce and a distributor network.
The company is founder-led, with CJ Okumura (PhD, MBA) as CEO and Toshi Maruyama (MD, PhD) as CSO/COO, supported by a team of approximately six scientists. Abwiz Bio has remained small and self-funded — its only disclosed external capital is a $225,000 raise in 2016 — while expanding its platform and product line steadily over more than a decade of operation.
Abwiz Bio firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Abwiz Bio
- Legal name
- Abwiz Bio Inc.
- Website
- https://abwizbio.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Abwiz Bio is a San Diego-based biotech providing custom rabbit monoclonal antibody discovery, humanization, and affinity maturation services to biopharma, IVD, and academic customers using a proprietary phage display platform, alongside a catalog of 440+ research reagent antibodies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Abwiz Bio industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Antibody Development Services
- NAICS
- Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)
- SIC
- Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes) (HLAGAIAI), Bispecific & Multispecific Antibodies (HLAAAAAF), Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics (mAbs) (HLAAAAAA)
Keywords
Where Abwiz Bio is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Abwiz Bio business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Custom Antibody Development Services: Fee-for-service custom antibody development including rabbit monoclonal antibody discovery, antibody humanization, and affinity maturation services. Customers pay upfront for research services with royalty-free terms on resulting antibodies.
- Catalog Antibody Products: Sale of pre-made monoclonal antibodies from product catalog including phospho antibodies, cell surface antibodies, SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, and other research reagents. Products sold in various formats (unconjugated, biotin, FITC, PE, APC conjugates).
- Licensing and OEM: Company licenses products and technologies to customers, and supplies OEM products as part of business model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catalog antibodies with various conjugate formats |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom service contracts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Abwiz Bio product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Abwiz Bio provides end-to-end custom monoclonal antibody development services using proprietary phage display technology combined with rabbit immunization. The company delivers high-affinity, high-specificity rabbit monoclonal antibodies for difficult targets including GPCRs, ion channels, and small molecules, along with antibody humanization, affinity maturation, and cell-based panning services. They also sell a catalog of 440+ research antibodies and license their proprietary platforms and products to customers globally.
Product overview
Abwiz Bio is a biotech company offering end-to-end custom monoclonal antibody development services built on proprietary phage display technology. The core platform consists of Rabwiz™ for rabbit monoclonal antibody discovery, STEM™ for antibody affinity maturation and optimization, and WizAmp™ (US 9,890,414) for patented library construction. The company also maintains a catalog of over 440 products including phospho-specific antibodies (340 items), SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and proteins, cell surface antibodies (GPCRs, ion channels), and other research antibodies. Services span antibody discovery, humanization, and lead optimization for research, diagnostic, and therapeutic applications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RabWiz™: Proprietary platform for custom rabbit monoclonal antibody production combining rabbit immune response with phage display technology.
- STEM™
- WizAmp™
Products and services
- Rabwiz™ Custom Rabbit Monoclonal Antibody Development Fee-for-service custom rabbit monoclonal antibody discovery and development service that combines the high precision of rabbit immune response with phage display selection. Delivers high-affinity, high-specificity antibodies for difficult targets including GPCRs, ion channels, and small molecules, for biotech, pharma, and diagnostics customers.
- STEM™ Antibody Affinity Maturation Service Multi-stage antibody affinity maturation service combining computational CDR design with comprehensive benchtop phage display selection. Engineers enhanced antibody function including improved affinity, pH sensitivity, expression, and developability, with demonstrated 1,300× affinity improvements and 4 pM KD outcomes.
- Antibody Humanization and Optimization Service CDR grafting and framework optimization service that transforms non-human antibodies (mouse, rabbit, llama, alpaca) into humanized therapeutic candidates with reduced immunogenicity. 15/15 (100%) humanization success rate across programs.
- Cell-based Phage Display Panning (Native Antigen Panning) Cell-based phage display selection service using native antigen formats to obtain functional antibodies that recognize native cell-surface proteins. Combines peptide, recombinant protein, and cell-based antigen formats during panning to obtain clones with native functionality.
- SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Catalog Catalog of rabbit monoclonal antibodies and humanized neutralizing antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 proteins including nucleoprotein and spike protein variants, sold in multiple conjugate formats and sizes for research use.
- SARS-CoV-2 Protein Catalog Catalog of recombinant SARS-CoV-2 proteins including spike trimers from wild-type and variant strains (Omicron, Delta, Alpha, Beta) with various tags for research applications.
- Phospho-Specific Antibody Catalog Catalog of phospho-specific rabbit monoclonal antibodies for detection of phosphorylated proteins in applications including flow cytometry, Western blot, ELISA, and IHC, sold in unconjugated and conjugate formats.
- Cell Surface Antibody Catalog Catalog of antibodies targeting cell surface antigens including GPCRs such as CB1 and CB2, ion channels such as Kv1.3, and other membrane proteins for flow cytometry applications, sold in multiple conjugate formats.
- Other Research Antibodies Catalog Miscellaneous research antibodies including cleaved PARP, CTX-M, NOD1, p53, and isotype control antibodies for general research use.
- Platform and Product Licensing / OEM Licensing of proprietary platforms (including Rabwiz, STEM, and WizAmp) and OEM supply of Abwiz products to other companies for resale or integration into their product lines.
Quantifiable outcome
- 1,300× affinity improvement achieved (example: 5 nM KD starting affinity improved to 4 pM KD)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Abwiz Bio
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Abwiz Bio technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Abwiz Bio partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Academic Research InstitutionscoreAbwiz Bio welcomes collaboration with academic researchers for novel therapeutic mAb development or immunology studies. Company can jointly apply for NIH SBIR and STTR grants with academic partners. Open to developing antibodies in collaboration after evaluating target potential.
- ScienceExchangeminorAbwiz Bio services available through ScienceExchange platform, which provides verified vendor access for research services. Platform enables academic and commercial customers to order Abwiz services through established procurement channels.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Abwiz Bio competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AbCellera Biologics: AbCellera is a leading antibody discovery CRO that uses proprietary single-cell and display technologies to deliver therapeutic antibody leads to pharma partners. It directly competes with Abwiz in custom antibody discovery for biopharma customers, though at much greater scale and capital base.
- Adimab: Adimab operates a yeast-based antibody discovery platform serving pharma and biotech with fully human leads. It is a direct competitor in the antibody discovery CRO market, offering an alternative display technology approach to Abwiz's rabbit/phage-display platform.
- GenScript ProBio: GenScript's ProBio division offers end-to-end antibody discovery, engineering, and manufacturing services including phage display and humanization. It overlaps directly with Abwiz's Rabwiz discovery, humanization, and affinity maturation services, but at significantly larger scale and global reach.
- Creative Biolabs: Creative Biolabs is a CRO offering custom antibody services across hybridoma, phage display, and humanization workflows for therapeutic and diagnostic clients. It is a direct peer in the custom rabbit and humanized antibody development space with a similar fee-for-service model.
- Absolute Antibody: Absolute Antibody offers antibody engineering, humanization, and recombinant antibody services, including reformatted rabbit monoclonals. It overlaps with Abwiz's humanization service and recombinant IgG production, and competes for therapeutic developers seeking royalty-free antibody ownership.
- ProMab Biotechnologies: ProMab is a custom monoclonal antibody development CRO offering hybridoma, phage display, and humanization services to academic and biotech customers. It is a direct peer for custom rabbit and humanized mAb services, particularly for research-scale and preclinical projects.
Broad incumbents
- Cell Signaling Technology: Cell Signaling Technology is a leading producer of validated antibodies and reagents for signal transduction and disease research. Its broad catalog of highly validated antibodies overlaps with Abwiz's phospho-specific and cell-surface product lines, though CST focuses on rabbit monoclonal reagents rather than custom discovery services.
- BioLegend (PerkinElmer): BioLegend, now part of Revvity/PerkinElmer, is one of the largest catalog antibody reagent suppliers and was the prior employer of Abwiz CEO CJ Okumura. Its catalog overlaps with Abwiz's reagent business, but BioLegend is far broader and does not focus on custom rabbit mAb discovery.
- Distributed Bio (Charles River Laboratories): Distributed Bio, now part of Charles River Laboratories, offers antibody discovery and optimization using computational and library-based methods. Its Therapeutic Antibody Discovery and AbClonal services overlap with Abwiz's Rabwiz and STEM platforms within a much larger discovery services portfolio.
Emerging players
- Synaptic Systems: Synaptic Systems produces high-quality rabbit monoclonal antibodies for neuroscience and cell biology research. While more focused on a single research vertical, it competes with Abwiz's catalog rabbit mAb offerings for share of academic and biotech reagent budgets.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Abwiz Bio social profiles
Digital presenceAbwiz Bio financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Abwiz Bio leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Abwiz Bio funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Abwiz Bio 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 Abwiz Bio
What does Abwiz Bio do?
Abwiz Bio provides end-to-end custom monoclonal antibody development services using proprietary phage display technology combined with rabbit immunization. The company delivers high-affinity, high-specificity rabbit monoclonal antibodies for difficult targets including GPCRs, ion channels, and small molecules, along with antibody humanization, affinity maturation, and cell-based panning services. They also sell a catalog of 440+ research antibodies and license their proprietary platforms and products to customers globally.
Is Abwiz Bio a public or private company?
Abwiz Bio is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Abwiz Bio founded?
Abwiz Bio was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Abwiz Bio based?
Abwiz Bio is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Abwiz Bio make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Antibody Development Services are the primary driver. The others are catalog Antibody Products and licensing and OEM.
Who are Abwiz Bio's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AbCellera Biologics, Adimab, GenScript ProBio, Creative Biolabs, Absolute Antibody and ProMab Biotechnologies. Broad incumbents are Cell Signaling Technology, BioLegend (PerkinElmer) and Distributed Bio (Charles River Laboratories). Synaptic Systems is listed as an emerging player.
Does Abwiz Bio have an API?
No public API is recorded for Abwiz Bio.
What industry is Abwiz Bio in?
Abwiz Bio's product category is Custom Antibody Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAIAB, Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering), with a secondary code of HLAGAIAI, Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes). Its NAICS code is 325414 and its SIC code is 2836.