What Stellar Biotechnologies does

Stellar Biotechnologies is a small United States-based biotechnology company founded in 1999 and historically headquartered in Port Hueneme CBC Base, California. The company was built around a proprietary Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH) protein technology platform, used as a carrier and immune-stimulating adjuvant in conjugate vaccines and immunotherapy candidates, with stated therapeutic focus areas in dermatological and anorectal diseases. The firm was publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker SBOT but is currently delisted, and now operates with a reported headcount band of 11-50 employees.

Across its operating life, Stellar raised approximately $46.7 million across nine disclosed funding rounds between 2010 and 2021, with the most recent round in March 2021 raising approximately $10 million. The only round with named institutional investors was the September 2017 financing of approximately $7 million, led by Lumira Ventures with participation from Inveready and Pharmascience. Leadership currently comprises Frank Oakes as President & CEO, Kathi Niffenegger as CFO and Corporate Secretary, and Daniel E. Morse as a director — a reduced team for a publicly-traded biotech.

The current operating posture is materially weakened relative to historical norms. The firm's primary web domain (stellarklh.com) no longer hosts Stellar Biotechnologies content and instead resolves to unrelated Chinese vocational-education material, indicating the digital infrastructure is no longer being maintained by the issuer. No product launches, partnerships, M&A, or additional capital raises are documented post-March 2021, and the company has not sought to re-list. Taken together, these signals suggest Stellar is either in a state of operational dormancy, an orderly wind-down, or a skeleton-staffed legacy operation retaining residual licensing or supply arrangements — the data does not support characterization of an actively growing enterprise.

Name

Stellar Biotechnologies

Legal name

扬州市职业大学

Website

https://stellarklh.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1917

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stellar Biotechnologies is a delisted US biotech founded in 1999 that built a proprietary Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin (KLH) protein platform for immunotherapy and conjugate-vaccine applications, focused historically on dermatological and anorectal disease treatments; the firm now appears operationally dormant.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceuticals

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Dermatology Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Dermocosmetics & Medical-Grade Skincare (CRABAAAF)

Keywords

• Biopharmaceutical development
• Dermatological therapeutics
• Anorectal treatments
• Clinical-stage biotechnology
• Protein therapeutics

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Hueneme Cbc Base

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Core offering

Stellar Biotechnologies develops treatments for dermatological and anorectal diseases. The company operates as a clinical-stage biotechnology developer focused on therapeutic candidates targeting these specialty disease areas. Its work centers on the research and development of biopharmaceutical treatment candidates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 医学院 (Medical College): Medical department of Yangzhou Vocational University

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Cipher Pharmaceuticals: Specialty pharmaceutical company with a portfolio in dermatology and other niche therapeutic areas; comparable as a small-cap specialty-pharma operator with dermatology focus.
• Arcutis Biotherapeutics: Specialty dermatology biotech developing innovative topical treatments for inflammatory skin conditions; comparable as a focused, clinical-stage developer in dermatology.
• Aclaris Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on dermatology and immunology; comparable as a focused developer in inflammatory skin conditions.
• Sol-Gel Technologies: Specialty dermatology company developing topical branded generics and innovative therapies for skin diseases; comparable as a small-cap dermatology developer.
• Dermavant Sciences: Dermatology-focused biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for skin diseases; directly comparable in therapeutic focus and small-cap development model.
• Verrica Pharmaceuticals: Specialty pharma developing topical therapeutics for skin diseases including dermatologic oncology; comparable as a small-cap, dermatology-focused developer.

Broad incumbents

• Bausch Health: Large specialty pharma with a meaningful dermatology franchise (including anorectal treatments such as Rectiv); comparable as a broad incumbent with overlap in dermatology and anorectal indications.
• Galderma: Global dermatology-focused pharmaceutical company with broad prescription, aesthetic, and consumer skincare portfolios; comparable as a scaled dermatology player and likely acquirer of niche developers.
• Pfizer (Anacor): Large pharmaceutical company that acquired Anacor to gain dermatology assets (e.g., crisaborole); comparable as a dermatology platform acquirer and benchmark for specialty-pharma exit outcomes.
• Almirall: Global specialty pharmaceutical company focused on dermatology; comparable as a mid-sized dermatology incumbent with active licensing and M&A activity.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors3 records

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 Stellar Biotechnologies