What Advanced Cell Diagnostics does

Advanced Cell Diagnostics (ACD) is a molecular pathology company that develops cell- and tissue-based in situ hybridization assays for RNA and DNA detection in research and clinical applications. Founded in 2007 and headquartered in Hayward, California, ACD operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ: TECH) following a 2015 acquisition. Its flagship technology is RNAscope, a proprietary in situ hybridization platform that combines single-molecule RNA sensitivity with spatial tissue context, supported by a catalog of more than 40,000 target probes across 400+ species. The product family extends to BaseScope (short RNA and splice variant detection), miRNAscope (microRNA and oligonucleotide detection), and DNAscope (DNA aberration detection), with manual and automated formats for Leica Bond RX, Roche DISCOVERY ULTRA/XT, and Lunaphore COMET platforms.

The company's revenue model centers on recurring reagent and consumable sales (RNAscope probe kits, control slides, and accessories) complemented by Professional Assay Services (PAS), which delivers contract biomarker assay development, cell and gene therapy services, clinical assay development (including companion diagnostics), tissue bank services, and image analysis. ACD also sells made-to-order custom target probes under a quote-based pricing model with no public list pricing, distributing through direct online sales (acdbio.com and bio-techne.com), a global distributor network, and field sales targeting academic research institutions, biopharma companies, CROs, and clinical laboratories. The company holds registered trademarks for RNAscope, BaseScope, DNAscope, HybEZ, and EZ-Batch, and its assays are integrated with third-party image analysis platforms including HALO (Indica Labs), Aperio RNA ISH Algorithm (Leica), and QuPath. ACD has 101-250 employees and serves markets in North America and Asia Pacific including China.

Name

Advanced Cell Diagnostics

Legal name

Advanced Cell Diagnostics, Inc.

Website

https://acdbio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Advanced Cell Diagnostics (ACD) develops proprietary RNAscope in situ hybridization assays for RNA and DNA detection in tissue samples. A wholly-owned Bio-Techne subsidiary, it serves academic research, biopharma, and CRO customers with consumables, automated platforms, and Professional Assay Services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

In Situ Hybridization Reagents

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Medical Laboratories (621511)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomarker Assay & Reagent Development (LDT/IVD assay design, antibodies/standards/controls) (HLAAAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Biomarker Laboratory Services (Immunoassays/Flow/Cytometry) (HLAGAEAB), Bioanalytical & Biomarker CROs (PK/PD/Immunogenicity) (HLAGAAAD), Transcriptomics & Gene Expression Profiling Services (HLAGANAE)

Keywords

• RNA in situ hybridization
• Spatial genomics reagents
• Molecular pathology assays
• Tissue based diagnostics
• Gene expression probes

Headquarters

HQ city

Hayward

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Reagents and Consumables: Recurring revenue from RNAscope reagents, probe kits, control slides, and accessories. Consumable products represent the majority of revenue with 80% recurring revenue stream reported by parent Bio-Techne.
2. Custom Target Probes: Made-to-order probe development service available for new targets in approximately 2 weeks, available across more than 40,000 targets in over 400 species.
3. Professional Assay Services (PAS): Contract research services providing biomarker assay development, cell and gene therapy services, clinical assay development, tissue bank services, and image analysis.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Advanced Cell Diagnostics (ACD, ACDbio) develops and sells proprietary RNA and DNA in situ hybridization (ISH) assay kits, consumable probe reagents, and target probes under the RNAscope, BaseScope, miRNAscope, and DNAscope brands, sold to academic, biopharma, CRO, and clinical lab customers through direct online stores (acdbio.com and bio-techne.com) and a global distributor network. ACD also offers Professional Assay Services (PAS) for outsourced biomarker assay development, cell and gene therapy services, clinical/companion diagnostic assay development, tissue banking, and image analysis, and operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bio-Techne Corporation.

Product overview

Advanced Cell Diagnostics (ACD) offers the RNAscope technology platform for RNA and DNA in situ hybridization, comprising a family of assay products designed for research, drug development, and diagnostics applications. The core offering includes RNAscope™ assays (chromogenic and fluorescent formats for single to high-plex multiplex detection), BaseScope™ assays (for short RNA sequences like splice variants and point mutations), miRNAscope™ assays (for microRNA and oligonucleotide detection), and DNAscope™ assays (for DNA aberration detection). These assays are available in manual benchtop formats and automated formats for Leica Bond and Roche DISCOVERY platforms, enabling same-section spatial multiomics profiling. Target probes are available catalogued for over 40,000 targets across 400+ species, with made-to-order options. Software integrations with HALO, Aperio, and QuPath enable quantitative image analysis. The company also offers Professional Assay Services (PAS) for outsourced assay performance and companion diagnostics development. ACD operates as a Bio-Techne brand focused on spatial genomics and transcriptomics solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RNAscope: Proprietary RNA detection technology platform enabling RNA target expression analysis within intact cells and tissues with high sensitivity and specificity.
• BaseScope
• miRNAscope
• DNAscope

Products and services

• RNAscope Assays Flagship RNA in situ hybridization (ISH) assay platform providing sensitive and specific detection of RNA molecules within intact cells and tissues, available in manual and automated formats with chromogenic and fluorescent detection for research and biopharma use.
• RNAscope Multiplex Fluorescent Assays Manual and automated fluorescent multiplex assays enabling simultaneous detection of multiple RNA targets within a single tissue section, including Multiplex Fluorescent V2 and HiPlex v2 with up to 12 targets, used in spatial genomics research.
• RNAscope LS/LSx Automated Assays Ready-to-use automated RNAscope assays for Leica Bond RX/RXm platforms, offered in Brown, Red, and Duplex chromogenic formats plus Multiplex Fluorescent and Multiomic LS formats for high-throughput clinical and research use.
• RNAscope VS Automated Assays Automated RNAscope assays for Roche DISCOVERY ULTRA and DISCOVERY XT platforms, including VS Universal HRP, VS Universal AP, and VS Duplex assay formats for routine high-throughput tissue staining workflows.
• RNAscope Multiomic LS Assay Same-section spatial multiomics assay for Leica automated platforms enabling detection of up to 6 RNA or protein targets on a single tissue section, combining RNA ISH with protein detection.
• RNAscope RNA-Protein Co-Detection Assays Integrated assay and workflow products (including RNAscope HiPlex-IMC Co-Detection, Integrated Co-Detection, and Sequential RNA-Protein Detection) that allow simultaneous or sequential detection of RNA and protein on the same tissue section for multiomic profiling in situ.
• BaseScope Assays Short-target RNA detection assays based on RNAscope chemistry, optimized for detecting short RNA sequences such as splice variants, point mutations, and small RNAs as short as approximately 50 nucleotides, available in manual, LS, and VS automated formats.
• miRNAscope Assays Specialized assays for detection of microRNAs (miRNAs), ASOs (antisense oligonucleotides), and siRNAs within tissue samples with spatial and morphological context, available in HD manual and LS automated formats.
• DNAscope Assays Chromogenic DNA in situ hybridization assays for visualizing DNA aberrations in tissue, including gene amplifications, deletions, integrations, translocations, and copy number variations, with a Duplex variant for two targets simultaneously.
• Target Probes Catalog and made-to-order RNAscope, BaseScope, miRNAscope, and DNAscope target probes for over 40,000 targets across more than 400 species, with custom probes available for new targets in approximately 2 weeks.
• Control Slides and Control Probes Positive and negative control probes and slides compatible with RNAscope, BaseScope, and miRNAscope assays, used to validate assay performance and interpret experimental results.
• HybEZ II Hybridization System Hardware instrument system and accessories (including the HybEZ II Hybridization System) required to run RNAscope manual assays on the benchtop.
• Professional Assay Services (PAS) Contract research services including Multiomic Services, Biomarker Assay Development, Cell & Gene Therapy Services, Clinical Assay Development (CDx), Tissue Bank & Sample Procurement, and Image Analysis, with up to 12 protein or RNA targets and turnaround in weeks, sold to biopharma, biotech, CRO, and clinical customers.
• RNAscope Diagnostics Clinical diagnostic products, including CE-IVD marked probes for high-risk HPV detection in head and neck cancer, ASR (Analyte Specific Reagent) probes, and companion diagnostic development services for clinical pathology laboratories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Single RNA molecule detection sensitivity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Leica BiosystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationAutomation partner providing RNAscope assays for the Bond RX System. ACD offers a complete portfolio of ready-to-use reagent kits optimized for Leica automated staining platforms including RNAscope LS, BaseScope LS, and miRNAscope LS assays.
• Roche DiagnosticscoreTechnology or IntegrationAutomation partner for DISCOVERY ULTRA and DISCOVERY XT Automated Platforms from Roche Tissue Diagnostics. ACD provides VS Universal HRP and AP assays along with Duplex assay options for Roche automated systems.
• LunaphorecoreTechnology or IntegrationWorkflow partnership for COMET platform providing RNAscope HiPlex Pro for COMET assay. Enables high-plex spatial genomics on Lunaphore's automated multiplexed tissue imaging system.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Akoya Biosciences: Direct peer in spatial biology, offering the CODEX and Phenoptics multiplexed imaging platforms for tissue-based multi-analyte profiling. Targets overlapping translational and immuno-oncology research customers using RNAscope.
• 10x Genomics: Direct peer in spatial genomics and single-cell analysis. 10x's Visium HD and Xenium platforms compete for spatial transcriptomics budgets and overlap with ACD's RNA ISH applications in tissue-based research, particularly in oncology and neuroscience.
• Vizgen: Direct peer in spatial transcriptomics using MERFISH technology. Competes for neuroscience, oncology, and cell biology research budgets where RNAscope is also widely adopted for single-cell and subcellular gene expression mapping.
• NanoString Technologies: Direct peer in spatial transcriptomics and RNA expression profiling. NanoString's GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiling and CosMx SMI compete with RNAscope for spatial biology research budgets, and ACD itself partners with NanoString nCounter for downstream validation workflows.
• Resolve Biosciences: Direct peer in spatial omics with the Molecular Cartography platform, offering subcellular resolution gene expression profiling in tissue. Competes for the same translational and biopharma spatial transcriptomics budgets as RNAscope HiPlex.
• Molecular Instruments: Direct peer in RNA in situ hybridization, offering HCR RNA-CISH and HCR RNA-FISH kits. Explicitly positioned as a lower-cost, faster chromogenic ISH alternative to RNAscope, targeting overlapping academic and translational research customers.
• Lunaphore: Spatial biology peer offering the COMET multiplexed tissue imaging platform; now also a Bio-Techne sister company. Despite shared ownership, COMET competes for high-plex spatial biology workflow share and is a partner for RNAscope HiPlex Pro.

Broad incumbents

• Leica Biosystems: Broader incumbent in histopathology instrumentation (BOND RX) and IHC/ISH workflows. Leica is both a core ACD automation partner and a broader competitor in clinical pathology staining, making it a strategic channel and adjacent-market peer.
• Bio-Techne Corporation: Parent company and broad life-sciences reagents/tools incumbent (antibodies, proteins, proteomics). Bio-Techne shapes ACD's commercial strategy, provides cross-selling reach, and competes in adjacent reagent categories such as ExoDx and ProteinSimple.
• PerkinElmer (Revvity): Broader incumbent in life sciences reagents, lab instruments, and diagnostics, including spatial and imaging offerings. Competes with ACD indirectly through integrated workflow solutions spanning reagents, automation, and imaging.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ACDbio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advanced-cell-diagnostics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 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 Advanced Cell Diagnostics