Akron Biotechnology

What Akron Biotechnology does

Akron Biotechnology, LLC is a Boca Raton, Florida-headquartered cGMP contract manufacturer and supplier of critical ancillary raw materials for the cell and gene therapy industry. Founded in 2006 by Dr. Claudia Zylberberg, the company produces recombinant cytokines (rHu IL-2, IL-7, IL-15, IL-21, G-CSF, EPO), virus-inactivated human plasma-derived products (Human AB Serum converted from Octaplas, Human Serum Albumin 25%, Human Fibronectin), and a line of cell culture media and supplements (ImmunoCell Growth Medium, CryoSolve, Heparin Sodium Salt). Its flagship Closed System Solutions (CSS) line packages these materials in single-use, weldable-tubing bags for closed-system manufacturing workflows. Akron holds multiple Type II Drug Master Files with the FDA and Health Canada, plus PMDA Eligibility Confirmation in Japan for Virus Inactivated Human Fibronectin, and is ISO 13485 certified.

The company's technical differentiation rests on a proprietary orthogonal protein purification approach that avoids affinity chromatography and histidine tags (eliminating nickel residue), shelf-stable liquid cytokine formulations with up to 24-month shelf life, and the CSS bag platform. The product range is sold under Akron Bio/Akron Biotech brands (DBAs), and Akron also offers custom development and manufacturing services spanning recombinant proteins, nucleases, custom media/buffers, and transfection/transduction reagents under cGMP compliance.

Revenue is generated through four streams: (1) catalog sales of cytokines and growth factors, (2) catalog sales of human plasma-derived products, (3) catalog sales of media and media supplements, and (4) custom development and manufacturing services. Pricing is quote-based for all products, with sales conducted through a B2B enterprise field sales motion targeting cell and gene therapy developers (CAR-T, TCR-T, NK, TIL programs) and cell therapy CDMOs. Customers include Charles River Laboratories, Multiply Labs, and the broader population of advanced therapy developers. Marketing is driven through industry conferences (PDA, ISSCR, ISCT, Advanced Therapies Europe), a website Knowledge Center, and an active newsroom. Arcline Investment Management acquired a majority interest in September 2019, and the company expanded US manufacturing capacity with the 2020 acquisition of a 60,000-square-foot biologics facility in Sarasota, FL, bringing total development and cGMP manufacturing space to more than 100,000 square feet.

Name

Akron Biotechnology

Legal name

Akron Biotechnology, LLC

Website

https://akronbiotech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Akron Biotechnology manufactures cGMP-compliant cytokines, plasma-derived products, media, and Closed System Solutions for cell and gene therapy developers. The Boca Raton-based firm also provides custom bioprocessing services to advanced therapy companies and CDMOs globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceutical Ancillary Materials

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (32541)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Cell Therapy CDMO (HLAGABAD), mRNA & Nucleic Acid Manufacturing Services (mRNA/saRNA/Plasmid DNA) (HLAGAGAC)

Keywords

• Cell therapy reagents
• Gene therapy materials
• Biopharmaceutical manufacturing
• Recombinant cytokines
• Ancillary materials

Headquarters

HQ city

Boca Raton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cytokines & Growth Factors: Sale of cGMP recombinant proteins including IL-2, IL-7, IL-15, IL-21, G-CSF, EPO, and other cytokines for cell and gene therapy manufacturing. Products sold in various formats including lyophilized vials, prefilled syringes, and closed system bags.
2. Human Plasma-Derived Products: Sale of virus-inactivated human plasma products including Human AB Serum, Human Serum Albumin 25%, and Human Fibronectin for cell therapy applications.
3. Media & Media Supplements: Sale of cGMP-compliant cell culture media including ImmunoCell® Growth Medium (ICGM), CryoSolve®, and Heparin Sodium Salt for advanced therapy manufacturing.
4. Custom Manufacturing Services: Custom development and manufacturing services for recombinant proteins, nucleases, media and buffers, and transfection/transduction reagents under cGMP compliance for specific client requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Akron Biotechnology (Akron Bio) manufactures cGMP-compliant ancillary materials, recombinant cytokines, plasma-derived products, and custom cell and gene therapy manufacturing services. The company supplies cytokines, sera, albumin, fibronectin, and growth media used by cell and gene therapy developers and CDMOs. It also offers closed-system solutions (CSS) and custom protein, media, and buffer manufacturing services.

Product overview

Akron Biotechnology operates as a critical raw materials supplier and manufacturer for the cell and gene therapy industry. The company's product portfolio centers on three core areas: (1) Cytokines and Growth Factors including recombinant human IL-2, IL-7, IL-15, and IL-21 (available in lyophilized, liquid, and prefilled syringe formats), G-CSF, and EPO; (2) Human Plasma-Derived Products including virus-inactivated human AB serum, human serum albumin 25% solution, and human fibronectin; and (3) Media and Media Supplements including ImmunoCell Growth Medium (ICGM), CryoSolve, and Heparin Sodium Salt. The Closed System Solutions (CSS) line integrates these products into single-use, weldable-tubing bags for closed processing workflows. Beyond products, Akron provides custom development and manufacturing services for recombinant proteins, media/buffers, and transfection/transduction reagents, all under cGMP compliance with FDA Type II Master Files. Akron serves advanced therapy developers from pre-clinical through commercialization with a focus on cytokines, plasma products, and custom manufacturing services as ancillary materials—not therapeutic products themselves.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Closed System Solutions (CSS)™: A product line of single-use, ready-to-use bags with weldable tubing providing consistency and sterility assurance for cell and gene therapy manufacturing workflows.

Products and services

• rHu IL-2 Prefilled Syringe

Quantifiable outcome

• 24-month shelf life for liquid cytokines and prefilled syringes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 minor and core.

• Qkine LimitedminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2026Strategic partnership announced to expand product offerings and market reach in the cell and gene therapy ancillary materials space.
• Terumo Blood and Cell TechnologiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2025Completed collaborative study on MSC (Mesenchymal Stem Cell) expansion using Quantum Flex system to evaluate compatibility and performance of Akron's materials in Terumo's cell therapy manufacturing platform.
• Charles River LaboratoriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2025Integration of Akron's Closed System Solutions (CSS) line of liquid cytokines produced under CGMP onto Charles River's Cell Therapy Flex Platform for Process Development. The integration enables closed system processing, streamlining operations, minimizing risk, and improving process robustness for CAR-T and TCR-T cell therapies.
• Multiply LabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 December 2023Non-exclusive partnership focused on automating and standardizing the use of cytokines in cell therapy manufacturing. Multiply Labs' cell therapy robotic cluster will incorporate Akron's cGMP-compliant liquid IL-2 into its manufacturing workflow, enabling precise formulation and dispensing. The partnership integrates Akron's existing cGMP-compliant cytokines with Multiply Labs' proprietary adapter system for compatibility with their robotic clusters.
• OctapharmacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 January 2021Exclusive global agreement with Octapharma to produce virally inactivated human AB serum derived from Octaplas® for the cell therapy market. Leverages Octaplas® as raw material for Akron's virus-inactivated human AB serum product.
• NIIMBL (National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 December 2018Joined NIIMBL workforce development grant led by Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station (TEES). Partnership focuses on training technicians on biotherapeutics manufacturing processes, with Akron enrolling manufacturing team members in the NCTM training program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Lonza Cell & Gene Technologies: Lonza is a global CDMO with substantial cell and gene therapy manufacturing services and also supplies process development materials and media. Overlap with Akron is in CGT CDMO services and ancillary raw materials, though Lonza is much broader in scope.
• Cytiva (Danaher): Cytiva supplies bioprocessing equipment, single-use solutions, and cell therapy manufacturing platforms alongside ancillary materials. It offers broader bioprocess scope but overlaps with Akron's CSS closed-system bag formats and media offerings used in cell therapy workflows.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Gibco/Life Sciences): Through Gibco and PeproTech, Thermo Fisher is the largest broad-line supplier of cell culture media, sera, and recombinant proteins for bioproduction including cell therapy. It is a broad incumbent rather than a CGT-only specialist but directly overlaps with Akron on cytokines, media, and closed-system ancillary materials.
• Charles River Laboratories (Cell Therapy CDMO): Charles River operates a Cell Therapy CDMO business and partnered with Akron to integrate Akron's CSS cytokines onto its Flex Platform. As a partner-and-overlap, Charles River sources from Akron while also offering its own process development and manufacturing services for cell therapy developers.

Direct peers

• Miltenyi Biotec: Miltenyi Biotec supplies cell processing instruments, reagents, and cGMP cytokines/media for cell therapy manufacturing. It competes directly with Akron on cytokines, media, and closed-system manufacturing solutions for advanced therapy developers.
• Bio-Techne (R&D Systems): Bio-Techne manufactures research- and GMP-grade recombinant cytokines, growth factors, and media used in cell therapy manufacturing. It overlaps with Akron's recombinant protein catalog and is a major incumbent in cytokines for immune-cell expansion.
• CellGenix: CellGenix manufactures cGMP-compliant cytokines, growth factors, and media for cell and gene therapy manufacturing. It is the most direct head-to-head competitor to Akron in the cGMP ancillary materials niche, serving the same CAR-T/TCR-T developers with overlapping IL-2, IL-7, IL-15, IL-21 cytokine catalogs.
• STEMCELL Technologies: STEMCELL Technologies supplies cell culture media, primary cells, and reagents for regenerative medicine and cell therapy R&D and manufacturing. It competes with Akron's media and supplements portfolio across T-cell and stem-cell expansion workflows.

Regional players

• Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics: Fujifilm Cellular Dynamics supplies induced pluripotent stem cells and cell therapy manufacturing services. While overlapping in CGT manufacturing, it is more focused on iPSC-derived cell products than on cGMP ancillary materials; geographical emphasis on Japan/global vs. Akron's US manufacturing base.

Others

• Octapharma: Octapharma supplies Octaplas, the virus-inactivated pooled plasma raw material that Akron uses as input for its Human AB Serum and other plasma-derived products. They are a critical upstream supplier-partner, not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/akronbiotech

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Akron Biotechnology