What New York Stem Cell Foundation does

New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) biomedical research accelerator founded in 2005 and headquartered in New York City. Following its October 2025 acquisition by The Jackson Laboratory (JAX), NYSCF operates as part of the JAX-NYSCF Collaborative, integrating JAX's genetics and mouse model expertise with NYSCF's stem cell and automation capabilities. The organization maintains the NYSCF Global Stem Cell Array®, an automated robotic platform that combines AI, robotics, and high-throughput screening for industrialized induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) reprogramming, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, and differentiation into neuronal, cardiac, pancreatic, hepatic, retinal, and organoid models.

NYSCF monetizes its capabilities through a multi-stream model: (1) research service agreements and contract revenue from pharmaceutical companies such as Janssen/Johnson & Johnson and GSK for drug discovery collaborations, (2) product sales of cGMP iPSC lines and biospecimens from its 300+ disease repository, (3) extramural grants and philanthropy supporting research programs, and (4) educational programs including paid summer internships and the annual JAX-NYSCF Conference. Its primary customers are pharmaceutical and biotech companies seeking predictive human cellular models for drug development, academic research institutions conducting stem cell and neuroscience research, and government agencies including ARPA-H and NIH. The organization has invested over $450 million in stem cell science since 2005 and supports a global network of 200+ researchers across 100+ collaborating institutions.

The company is advancing an iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelium cell therapy for dry age-related macular degeneration toward Phase 1 clinical trials and, through the $30 million ARPA-H-funded CARDIOVERSE project, is developing AI-powered virtual heart models for cardiotoxicity drug safety prediction in partnership with The Jackson Laboratory and InSilicoTrials.

Name

New York Stem Cell Foundation

Legal name

New York Stem Cell Foundation

Website

https://nyscf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

NYSCF is a nonprofit stem cell research accelerator, now part of the JAX-NYSCF Collaborative, that uses its automated Global Stem Cell Array® and AI-powered drug discovery platform to serve pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, academic institutions, and government agencies developing treatments for major diseases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Stem Cell Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Health Research, Clinical Trials & Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) (HLAJAOAM), Transcriptomics & Gene Expression Profiling Services (HLAGANAE)

Keywords

• Stem cell research
• IPSC services
• Drug discovery
• Regenerative medicine
• Biomedical research

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Services and Contract Revenue: NYSCF generates revenue through research service agreements with pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and academic institutions. These include iPSC generation services, custom manufacturing, drug discovery partnerships, and technology access fees.
2. Product Sales: Sale of cGMP iPSC lines and matching research-grade iPSCs from their repository of thousands of cell lines spanning 300+ diseases and conditions
3. Extramural Grants and Philanthropy: As a nonprofit accelerator, NYSCF receives funding through private philanthropy, foundation grants, and government funding to support its research programs and mission

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NYSCF is a nonprofit biomedical research accelerator that provides automated iPSC-based products and services to pharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, academic institutions, and government agencies. Core offerings include the proprietary NYSCF Global Stem Cell Array® automated robotic platform, iPSC reprogramming, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing and differentiation services, an AI-powered drug discovery platform, a repository of iPSC lines spanning 300+ diseases, cGMP clinical-grade iPSC lines, and cell therapy programs in regenerative medicine.

Product overview

NYSCF operates as a nonprofit biomedical research accelerator offering an integrated suite of stem cell-based products and services. The core of their portfolio centers on the NYSCF Global Stem Cell Array®, an automated robotic platform for industrialized iPSC production, complemented by iPSC Services for reprogramming, genome editing, and differentiation. Their Drug Discovery Platform leverages AI and high-content screening for target identification and patient stratification, while their Cell Therapy Programs develop iPSC-derived therapeutic candidates. The cGMP iPSC Lines product provides off-the-shelf clinical-grade cells, and the Repository offers access to their biobank of 300+ disease cohorts. These offerings work together to bridge academic research and pharmaceutical development through automation and AI-powered analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NYSCF Global Stem Cell Array® Automated robotic platform for industrialized iPSC production that eliminates manual manipulation and technical variability, yielding highly reproducible panels of iPSCs and differentiated lines through massively parallel processing. Available to academic and commercial research partners.
• iPSC Services Comprehensive services including automated iPSC reprogramming, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, high-yield differentiation into neuronal, glial, pancreatic, cardiac, hepatic, retinal, cardiomyocyte, and immune cell types, and automated organoid generation (brain and pancreatic). Provided to academic and commercial researchers.
• Drug Discovery Platform AI-powered automated high-content screening platform in patient-derived cells for target identification, hit-to-lead optimization, and patient stratification using deep learning and unbiased automated screening. Combines high-content cell imaging with machine learning analysis.
• Cell Therapy Programs Regenerative medicine programs including an autologous iPSC-derived retinal pigment epithelium cell product on a biodegradable scaffold for dry age-related macular degeneration, advancing to Phase 1 clinical trial. Co-development and manufacturing partnerships offered for preclinical through early clinical stages.
• cGMP iPSC Lines Off-the-shelf clinical-grade cGMP iPSCs and matching research-grade iPSCs manufactured in NYSCF's ISO 13485-compliant GMP cleanroom, available for purchase. First product derived from a healthy male donor using CD34+ blood starting material and Sendai virus reprogramming.
• iPSC Repository / Stem Cell Search Biobank of thousands of iPSC lines from genetically diverse patients and healthy populations spanning 300+ diseases and conditions, available globally through the NYSCF Repository / Stem Cell Search online portal.
• Disease Modeling Services Collaborative disease modeling using optimized automated protocols for differentiating pluripotent stem cells into disease-relevant cell types and 3D organoid cultures for neural and pancreatic tissues, offered to research partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• iPSC repository covering 300+ diseases and conditions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• GSKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Five-year research collaboration between JAX-NYSCF and GSK to develop human cellular models for neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's. The collaboration leverages stem cell technology and data science to create more predictive models for drug discovery, aiming to accelerate development of therapies for neurodegenerative conditions.
• The Jackson Laboratory (JAX)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 October 2025JAX completed acquisition of NYSCF in October 2025, creating a unified nonprofit biomedical research organization. The combined entity integrates JAX's genetics and mouse models expertise with NYSCF's stem cell and automation technologies to enhance disease research and therapy development. The launch of the unified organization was celebrated at a ribbon-tying ceremony in Manhattan.
• Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Johnson & Johnson)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 January 2025Agreement to use NYSCF's AI-powered platform for drug discovery targeting neurodegenerative disease. Brings together NYSCF's robotic systems for stem cell research with J&J's expertise in drug discovery and data science to unlock novel disease insights and accelerate development of tailored treatments.
• Aligning Science Across Parkinson's (ASAP) initiative / The Michael J. Fox FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Multi-institutional team including NYSCF scientists received $9 million over 3 years to study how risk factors accumulate and interact to drive Parkinson's disease using stem cells. Team led by Dr. Lorenz Studer at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
• Johns Hopkins University School of MedicinemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration through Bloomberg Philanthropies' Precision Medicine Centers of Excellence to push precision medicine forward using stem cell research. Biological samples collected through JHU's PMCOEs are sent to NYSCF to create patient-specific stem cell lines for disease research.
• Simons FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for autism spectrum disorder research using iPSC lines generated through NYSCF's automated platform to study the disease at a population scale.
• NIH/NEI (National Eye Institute)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for age-related macular degeneration research through the AMD Integrative Biology Initiative, creating AMD iPSC lines available to the research community with corresponding clinical data through NEI Data Commons.
• InSilicoTrialsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in CARDIOVERSE initiative led by The Jackson Laboratory, funded by ARPA-H with up to $30 million, to develop virtual heart models for improved cardiac drug safety prediction.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Insitro: Applies machine learning to human iPSC-derived disease models for drug discovery and patient stratification, partnering with major pharma. Closely comparable to NYSCF's AI-powered drug discovery platform using iPSC and high-content imaging.
• Fate Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing iPSC-derived off-the-shelf NK and T-cell immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune disease. Comparable to NYSCF's cell therapy pipeline ambitions (e.g., AMD program) in applying iPSC platforms to cell-based therapeutics.
• Recursion Pharmaceuticals: AI-driven drug discovery company combining high-throughput biology and machine learning across multiple modalities including phenotypic and cellular screening. Comparable to NYSCF's automated high-content screening + AI analysis approach.
• Century Therapeutics: Develops iPSC-derived allogeneic cell therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases using gene editing and synthetic biology. Comparable in iPSC-based cell therapy development approach and translational ambitions.

Broad incumbents

• Allen Institute: Nonprofit research organization conducting large-scale science projects in brain, cell, and immune science with major philanthropic and government funding. Comparable to NYSCF's nonprofit research model, scientific community-building (e.g., Robertson Investigators), and high-throughput biological platform approach.
• Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard: Major nonprofit research organization conducting large-scale genomic, chemical biology, and disease research with broad pharma and government partnerships. Comparable as a nonprofit research accelerator with global collaboration networks and government grant flow.
• The Jackson Laboratory (JAX): Independent nonprofit biomedical research institution specializing in mouse genetics and disease modeling, now NYSCF's parent organization. Comparable as a leading nonprofit research institute with a global collaboration network, though focused on mammalian genetics rather than iPSC automation.

Direct peers

• bit.bio: Combines synthetic biology and stem cell reprogramming to industrialize iPSC-derived cell production at scale, including neurons, immune cells, and other disease-relevant lineages. Directly comparable in mission to NYSCF Global Stem Cell Array® and iPSC differentiation services.
• Coriell Institute for Medical Research: Nonprofit biomedical research institute operating one of the world's largest cell and DNA repositories (including iPSC lines) and providing research services to pharma and academia. Closely aligned with NYSCF's nonprofit research + biobank + services model.
• Cellular Dynamics International (Fujifilm CDI): A leading commercial supplier of iPSC-derived cells, differentiation services, and iPSC lines for research and drug discovery. Directly comparable to NYSCF's iPSC repository, services, and cGMP cell products, with a similar focus on disease modeling and pharma partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nyscf
• Xx.com/nyscf

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about New York Stem Cell Foundation