Meso Scale Diagnostics
Meso Scale Diagnostics is a Rockville, Maryland-based private life sciences tools company developing proprietary electrochemiluminescence-based multiplex immunoassay instruments, assays, and consumables for pharmaceutical, biotech, academic, and clinical research customers across 15+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersRockville, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Meso Scale Diagnostics does
Meso Scale Diagnostics (MSD), founded in 1995 and headquartered in Rockville, Maryland, is a privately-held developer and manufacturer of multiplex biomarker measurement assays and instruments. The company operates a vertically integrated platform centered on its proprietary electrochemiluminescence (ECL) detection technology combined with its MULTI-ARRAY architecture, which enables simultaneous measurement of multiple analytes from a single biological sample without compromising assay sensitivity. Its three proprietary instrument platforms (MESO SECTOR S 600MM, QuickPlex SQ 120MM, and QuickPlex Q 60MM) run five assay families (V-PLEX, U-PLEX, S-PLEX, R-PLEX, T-PLEX) covering thousands of biomarkers across applications including cytokines, neurodegeneration, cardiovascular disease, oncology, and infectious disease. Data analysis is supported by DISCOVERY WORKBENCH and Methodical Mind software, and the platform is anchored by specialized 96- and 384-well immunoassay plates and a complete reagent/buffer consumable portfolio.
The company's customer base spans pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic research institutions, clinical laboratories, government institutions, and contract research organizations across North America, 11 European countries, and Asia (Japan, China). MSD generates revenue through a razor-and-blade model combining upfront instrument sales with recurring consumables (assay kits, plates, reagents, buffers), complemented by a fee-for-services business spanning custom assay development, biomarker screening, S-PLEX high-sensitivity sample testing (including Tau pT217 and pT181 for Alzheimer's research), custom conjugation, and prototype printing. Distribution occurs through direct e-commerce, customer service teams handling phone/fax/email orders, and a global network of regional distributors, supported by wholly-owned operating entities Meso Scale UK Limited, Meso Scale Japan KK., and Meso Scale (Shanghai) Training Co., Ltd.
With over 900 employees worldwide and ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 certifications covering design, development, manufacture, distribution, and service, MSD secured its first FDA-cleared in vitro diagnostic assay in January 2018, marking a regulatory transition from research-use-only products toward regulated clinical diagnostics. The company has invested in high-sensitivity applications through its S-PLEX platform (offering up to 100x ELISA sensitivity for low-abundance neurological biomarkers such as neurofilament L, GFAP, and tau), and demonstrated public-health responsiveness through COVID-19 antibody test launches supporting vaccine clinical trials and SARS-CoV-2 variant surveillance in 2020-2021.
Meso Scale Diagnostics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Meso Scale Diagnostics
- Legal name
- Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC.
- Website
- https://mesoscale.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Meso Scale Diagnostics is a Rockville, Maryland-based private life sciences tools company developing proprietary electrochemiluminescence-based multiplex immunoassay instruments, assays, and consumables for pharmaceutical, biotech, academic, and clinical research customers across 15+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Meso Scale Diagnostics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Immunoassay Instruments and Reagents
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413), Medical Laboratories (621511), Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Biomarker Assay & Reagent Development (LDT/IVD assay design, antibodies/standards/controls) (HLAAAMAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Mass Spectrometry & Spectroscopy Instruments (HLAGAIAB), Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes) (HLAGAIAI), Specialty & Biomarker Laboratory Services (Immunoassays/Flow/Cytometry) (HLAGAEAB), IVD Reagents, Assay Kits & Consumables (Non-instrument) (HLAHAAAM)
Keywords
Where Meso Scale Diagnostics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rockville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Meso Scale Diagnostics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Instrument Sales: Sale of proprietary instruments including MESO SECTOR S 600MM, MESO QuickPlex SQ 120MM, and MESO QuickPlex Q 60MM for reading MSD assays.
- Assay Kits and Consumables: Sale of assay kits including V-PLEX, U-PLEX, S-PLEX, R-PLEX, and T-PLEX product lines. Recurring revenue from consumables required to run assays.
- Reagents and Plates: Sale of immunoassay plates, reagents, diluents, and buffers as consumable supplies for MSD instrument systems.
- Custom Services: Fee-for-service offerings including custom assay development, biomarker screening services, custom conjugation, and prototype printing.
- S-PLEX Services: Specialized high-sensitivity testing services using S-PLEX platform including Tau pT217 and pT181 sample testing services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard catalog products with quote-based pricing |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom V-PLEX panels configured to specific customer needs |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Meso Scale Diagnostics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Meso Scale Diagnostics develops, manufactures, and sells electrochemiluminescence-based multiplex immunoassay instruments (MESO SECTOR S 600MM, MESO QuickPlex SQ 120MM, MESO QuickPlex Q 60MM), proprietary assay kit lines (S-PLEX, V-PLEX, U-PLEX, R-PLEX, T-PLEX, COVID-19), specialized immunoassay plates, reagents and buffers, and analysis software (DISCOVERY WORKBENCH / Methodical Mind). The company also offers fee-for-service custom assay development, biomarker screening, S-PLEX contract testing, custom conjugation, and prototype printing for pharmaceutical, academic, clinical, and government research customers.
Product overview
Meso Scale Discovery (MSD) offers an integrated platform for biomarker measurement comprising proprietary electrochemiluminescence-based instruments, multiplex assay kits, and supporting services. The core instrument portfolio includes three multiplex immunoassay readers: MESO SECTOR S 600MM (high-throughput), MESO QuickPlex SQ 120MM, and MESO QuickPlex Q 60MM (newest compact model). These instruments run multiple assay platforms: S-PLEX (ultrasensitive assays offering up to 100x higher sensitivity than ELISA for neurological markers like neurofilament L, GFAP, and tau), V-PLEX (validated reproducible multiplex assays for cytokines, chemokines, and disease biomarkers), U-PLEX (customizable configurations from 300+ analytes), R-PLEX (flexible matched antibody sets), and T-PLEX formats. Data analysis is handled through DISCOVERY WORKBENCH and Methodical Mind software. Services include S-PLEX sample testing, custom assay development, biomarker screening, custom conjugation, prototype printing, and a CRO Partner Guide. The portfolio is supported by specialized consumables including immunoassay plates, ELISA conversion packs, and a comprehensive reagent portfolio. The company has received its first FDA clearance for an IVD assay, marking entry into clinical diagnostics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- S-PLEX: Ultrasensitive assay platform for high-sensitivity biomarker detection.
- V-PLEX
- U-PLEX
- R-PLEX
- T-PLEX
- MULTI-ARRAY
- Methodical Mind
Products and services
- MESO SECTOR S 600MM High-throughput multiplex immunoassay instrument that reads MSD's electrochemiluminescence-based assays for biomarker measurement in research settings.
- MESO QuickPlex SQ 120MM Multiplex immunoassay instrument delivering high sensitivity and wide dynamic range for biomarker detection in research applications.
- MESO QuickPlex Q 60MM Compact multiplex immunoassay instrument offering high-performance biomarker measurement for research settings with limited bench space.
- DISCOVERY WORKBENCH / Methodical Mind analysis software Data analysis software for MSD instruments, providing instrument control, plate reading, and assay result analysis (version 4.0).
- S-PLEX Assays Ultrasensitive immunoassay platform delivering up to 100x higher sensitivity than conventional ELISA, supporting detection of low-abundance biomarkers including neurofilament L, GFAP, and tau proteins.
- V-PLEX Assays Validated multiplex biomarker immunoassays providing reproducible results across cytokines, chemokines, neurodegeneration, and cardiovascular biomarkers, with a V-PLEX Plus variant for enhanced performance.
- U-PLEX Assays Customizable multiplex immunoassay platform enabling researchers to build personalized biomarker panels from an extensive library of analytes for flexible research applications.
- R-PLEX Assays Matched antibody sets providing flexibility for custom assay development with validated antibody pairs across various research applications.
- T-PLEX Assay Kits Multiplex assay kits supporting simultaneous measurement of multiple analytes from single research samples.
- COVID-19 Assay Kits Assay kits for detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, including variant-specific tests and assays used in vaccine clinical trials, covering Spike protein and nucleocapsid targets across multiple variants.
- S-PLEX Services Contract testing services using the S-PLEX ultrasensitive platform for biomarker analysis on customer samples, including Tau pT217 and pT181 sample testing.
- Assay Development Service Custom assay development service leveraging MSD's electrochemiluminescence technology platform to design biomarker detection assays for specific customer requirements.
- Biomarker Screening Services Comprehensive biomarker screening services for research applications using MSD's multiplex assay platforms to identify and quantify biomarkers in customer samples.
- Custom Conjugation Service Custom conjugation service for attaching customer-supplied antibodies or analytes to MSD's electrochemiluminescence platform for personalized assay configurations.
- Prototype Printing Service Rapid prototype printing service for assay development and validation on MSD plates prior to full-scale production.
- CRO Partner Guide Directory of approved contract research organizations that offer MSD-platform assays for outsourced biomarker research projects.
- MSD Training Program Educational training program covering instrument operation, assay protocols, and software usage for MSD customers.
- Immunoassay Plates Specialized electrochemiluminescence plates designed for MSD instruments, available in multiple formats including 96-well and 384-well configurations.
- ELISA Conversion Packs Conversion products that enable laboratories to migrate from traditional single-plex ELISA workflows to MSD's electrochemiluminescence-based multiplex assays.
- Reagents, Diluents and Buffers Complete portfolio of reagents, diluents, and buffers required for running MSD assays, including Read Buffers, Wash Buffers, and assay-specific formulations.
Quantifiable outcome
- Enables measurement of multiple biomarkers simultaneously from a single sample
Companies that use Meso Scale Diagnostics
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Meso Scale Diagnostics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Meso Scale Diagnostics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- CORE (Center for Orangutan Research)minorCollaboration advancing Meso Scale Discovery technology for tear film biomarker identification research.
- BioAgilytixminorFirst CRO to validate MSD's V-PLEX Human Cytokine 30-Plex Assay. BioAgilytix provides contract research services using MSD technology.
- Bristol-Myers SquibbcoreAgreement to develop diagnostic assays for Alzheimer's disease. This strategic partnership leveraged MSD's electrochemiluminescence technology platform for companion diagnostic development in neuroscience.
- Global DistributorscoreComprehensive global distribution network with regional distributors serving customers throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Meso Scale Diagnostics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- PerkinElmer: PerkinElmer provides a broad life sciences tools portfolio including immunoassays, reagents, and detection instruments that overlap with MSD's research and clinical biomarker workflow offerings.
- Roche Diagnostics: Roche Diagnostics operates Elecsys and other immunoassay platforms in clinical diagnostics and life science research, competing with MSD's IVD ambitions and broader biomarker measurement workflows.
- Abbott Laboratories: Abbott's ARCHITECT and Alinity immunoassay platforms compete with MSD in clinical diagnostics, and Abbott's broader diagnostics franchise rivals MSD's ambitions for IVD biomarker products.
- Danaher (Beckman Coulter Life Sciences): Danaher's Beckman Coulter and Cytiva franchises offer flow cytometry, immunoassay reagents, and life sciences research tools that partially overlap with MSD's multiplex biomarker detection portfolio.
- Siemens Healthineers: Siemens Healthineers' ADVIA Centaur and Atellica immunoassay systems compete with MSD in clinical diagnostics, while its broader life sciences portfolio overlaps with MSD's research-use offerings.
- Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer Life Sciences): Revvity provides multiplex immunoassay platforms (e.g., LEGENDplex-like reagents) and research reagents serving the same pharma and academic biomarker research customer base as MSD.
Direct peers
- Quanterix: Quanterix's Simoa single-molecule array platform competes head-to-head with MSD's S-PLEX in ultrasensitive biomarker detection, particularly in neurology (neurofilament L, tau, GFAP) and immuno-oncology applications.
- Olink (Thermo Fisher Scientific): Olink's Proximity Extension Assay (PEA) technology is an emerging multiplex proteomics platform competing with MSD's U-PLEX and V-PLEX for high-content biomarker discovery in pharma and academic research.
- Bio-Rad Laboratories: Bio-Rad's Bio-Plex multiplex immunoassay system directly competes with MSD's V-PLEX and QuickPlex readers for cytokine, chemokine, and biomarker profiling workflows in research and clinical labs.
- Luminex (DiaSorin): Luminex's xMAP bead-based multiplex immunoassay system is the closest historical competitor to MSD's V-PLEX platform, serving pharma, clinical research, and academic labs with similar multiplexing use cases.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Meso Scale Diagnostics social profiles
Digital presenceMeso Scale Diagnostics compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Meso Scale Diagnostics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Meso Scale Diagnostics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Meso Scale Diagnostics subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Meso Scale Diagnostics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Meso Scale Diagnostics 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 Meso Scale Diagnostics
What does Meso Scale Diagnostics do?
Meso Scale Diagnostics develops, manufactures, and sells electrochemiluminescence-based multiplex immunoassay instruments (MESO SECTOR S 600MM, MESO QuickPlex SQ 120MM, MESO QuickPlex Q 60MM), proprietary assay kit lines (S-PLEX, V-PLEX, U-PLEX, R-PLEX, T-PLEX, COVID-19), specialized immunoassay plates, reagents and buffers, and analysis software (DISCOVERY WORKBENCH / Methodical Mind). The company also offers fee-for-service custom assay development, biomarker screening, S-PLEX contract testing, custom conjugation, and prototype printing for pharmaceutical, academic, clinical, and government research customers.
Is Meso Scale Diagnostics a public or private company?
Meso Scale Diagnostics is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Meso Scale Diagnostics founded?
Meso Scale Diagnostics was founded in 1995. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Meso Scale Diagnostics based?
Meso Scale Diagnostics is headquartered in Rockville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Meso Scale Diagnostics make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Instrument Sales are the primary driver. The others are assay Kits and Consumables, reagents and Plates, custom Services and S-PLEX Services.
Who are Meso Scale Diagnostics's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are PerkinElmer, Roche Diagnostics, Abbott Laboratories, Danaher (Beckman Coulter Life Sciences), Siemens Healthineers and Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer Life Sciences). Direct peers are Quanterix, Olink (Thermo Fisher Scientific), Bio-Rad Laboratories and Luminex (DiaSorin).
Does Meso Scale Diagnostics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Meso Scale Diagnostics.
What industry is Meso Scale Diagnostics in?
Meso Scale Diagnostics's product category is Immunoassay Instruments and Reagents. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAMAL, Biomarker Assay & Reagent Development (LDT/IVD assay design, antibodies/standards/controls), with a secondary code of HLAGAIAB, Mass Spectrometry & Spectroscopy Instruments. Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.