What InVitria does

InVitria is a privately held US biotechnology company that develops and manufactures recombinant, animal-origin-free proteins used as cell culture supplements, media components, and injectable biologic excipients. The company was founded in 2006 in Junction City, Kansas, with corporate origins tracing to Applied Phytologics (1993) and Ventria Bioscience (2002), and operates an ISO 9001:2015-certified, cGMP-compliant bioprocessing facility in Junction City with additional commercial offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts (opened December 2023) and Rotterdam, Netherlands (opened October 2024).

The company's core technology is the proprietary ExpressTec platform, a rice grain-based expression system for recombinant proteins that has been in continuous commercial production since 1998. The product portfolio spans recombinant human serum albumin (Cellastim S, Exbumin, Optibumin 20, Optibumin 25), recombinant human transferrin (Optiferrin), recombinant human holo-lactoferrin (Lacromin), recombinant human lysozyme (Lysobac), recombinant human IL-2 (OptiLeukin 2), recombinant human LIF (OptiKine), insulin-transferrin supplements (ITS, ITSE, ITSE+A), and a chemically defined VERO media (OptiVERO). Exbumin is the only recombinant human serum albumin approved as an excipient in an FDA- and EMA-approved injectable biologic (Merck's ERVEBO Ebola vaccine).

InVitria sells through a hybrid model combining direct enterprise sales with distribution via Fisher Scientific, VWR, and the Labviva procurement platform. Pricing is unit-based, tiered by grade (RUO vs cGMP) and volume, with published unit prices ranging from approximately $48 to $14,800 and quote-based pricing for commercial-scale GMP supply. The company serves 1,000+ active customers across 40+ countries, with 300+ customer clinical programs supported in cell therapy, gene therapy, vaccine production, antibody production, and final formulation applications. It is led by founder and CEO Scott E. Deeter.

Name

InVitria

Legal name

InVitria, Inc.

Website

https://invitria.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

InVitria develops and manufactures recombinant, animal-origin-free proteins for cell culture, biomanufacturing, and injectable biologic formulation using its proprietary ExpressTec rice grain expression platform, serving 1,000+ customers across cell therapy, gene therapy, vaccine, and biopharmaceutical sectors globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bioprocessing Reagents

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Cell Processing & Ancillary Materials (media, cytokines, beads, vectors, disposables) (HLAAABAH)

Keywords

• Recombinant proteins
• Cell culture media
• Animal-origin-free reagents
• Biopharmaceutical manufacturing
• Bioprocessing supplements

Headquarters

HQ city

Junction City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recombinant Protein Product Sales: InVitria generates revenue through direct sales of recombinant, animal-origin-free proteins including recombinant human serum albumin (Cellastim S, Optibumin, Exbumin), recombinant human transferrin (Optiferrin), recombinant human lactoferrin (Lacromin), recombinant human lysozyme (Lysobac), insulin-transferrin supplements (ITS, ITSE, ITSE+A), OptiVERO complete media, and OptiLeukin 2 (recombinant IL-2). Products are sold at various scales from research to GMP commercial volumes with tiered pricing based on volume and grade.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

InVitria develops and manufactures recombinant, animal-origin-free proteins for cell culture, biomanufacturing, and final formulation using its proprietary ExpressTec rice grain-based expression platform. The portfolio includes recombinant human serum albumin (Cellastim S, Optibumin 20/25, Exbumin), recombinant human transferrin (Optiferrin), recombinant human holo-lactoferrin (Lacromin), recombinant human lysozyme (Lysobac), recombinant human IL-2 (OptiLeukin), LIF (OptiKine), insulin-transferrin supplements (ITS, ITSE, ITSE+A), and a chemically defined complete VERO medium (OptiVERO), supplied at research and cGMP commercial grades to biopharmaceutical manufacturers in cell and gene therapy, vaccine production, and antibody manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ExpressTec: Proprietary recombinant protein expression platform that uses rice grain as the production host for recombinant proteins, enabling elimination of animal and human-derived components, high expression levels, scalability, and consistent product quality across batches.
• Cellastim S
• Exbumin
• Optibumin
• Optiferrin
• OptiVERO
• OptiLeukin
• Lacromin
• Lysobac
• ITSE Animal-Free
• ITS Animal-Free

Products and services

• Cellastim S Recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) for cell culture and biomanufacturing, produced animal-origin-free and chemically defined, used in antibody production including CHO mAb processes and other biomanufacturing workflows.
• Exbumin Recombinant human serum albumin excipient, the only rHSA approved as an excipient in FDA- and EMA-approved injectable biologics (Merck's ERVEBO Ebola vaccine), used in final formulation of injectable biologics, viral vaccine stabilization, and cell therapy cryopreservation.
• Optibumin 20 Recombinant human serum albumin (20%) for cell culture, biomanufacturing, and downstream processing stabilization in viral vector and protein production workflows.
• Optibumin 25 Recombinant human serum albumin (25%) used in lentiviral vector downstream processing (up to 2x cumulative recovery of infectious lentiviral vector), reduced-DMSO MSC cryopreservation (1-2.5% DMSO), and other biomanufacturing applications.
• Optiferrin Recombinant human transferrin for managing iron in cell culture, used in serum-free and chemically defined cell culture media for antibody production and other biomanufacturing.
• Lacromin Recombinant human holo-lactoferrin for biomanufacturing and immune-related cell culture applications.
• ITS Animal-Free Blood-free cell culture media supplement (insulin, transferrin, selenium) for serum-free and chemically defined cell culture workflows.
• ITSE Animal-Free Blood-free cell culture media supplement (insulin, transferrin, selenium, ethanolamine) using recombinant transferrin for chemically defined cell culture.
• ITSE+A Blood-free cell culture media supplement (insulin, transferrin, selenium, ethanolamine, plus additional component) for chemically defined cell culture.
• Lysobac Recombinant human lysozyme for bioprocessing, diagnostics, and life sciences research.
• OptiLeukin 2 Recombinant human interleukin-2 produced animal-origin-free for immune cell culture, providing high purity and consistency for T-cell, NK, Treg, TIL, and gamma-delta T-cell expansion in cell therapy manufacturing.
• OptiKine LIF Recombinant Leukemia Inhibitory Factor for stem cell culture, including maintenance of pluripotency in iPSC and ES cell workflows.
• OptiVERO Pre-formulated, serum-free, chemically defined complete medium optimized for VERO cell expansion and viral vaccine production, supporting higher viable cell densities and improved virus production in flask and bioreactor formats.
• Custom Cell Culture Media Development Custom cell culture media formulation services using InVitria's recombinant protein component library, supporting customer-specific biomanufacturing and downstream workflow requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 2x cumulative recovery of infectious lentiviral vector across downstream processing using Optibumin 25
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInVitria joined the NSF Engineering Research Center for Cell Manufacturing Technologies (CMaT), a collaborative research initiative focused on advancing cell manufacturing technologies for therapeutic applications.
• CellevatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInVitria and Cellevate partnered on vaccine manufacturing to develop scalable, defined upstream solutions for vaccine manufacturing using InVitria's recombinant proteins and Cellevate's cell culture platforms.
• Fisher ScientificcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInVitria products available through Fisher Scientific for customers whose institutional procurement systems require ordering through established supplier channels.
• VWRcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInVitria products available through VWR for customers ordering research-scale products alongside other laboratory supplies through existing distributor accounts.
• LabvivacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLabviva procurement platform integration enables customers with Ariba, Coupa, Oracle, and Jaggaer systems to integrate InVitria supplier listings into their existing purchasing workflows.
• DiscGenicsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic collaboration for scaling allogeneic disc cell therapy biomanufacturing using InVitria recombinant protein components.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• Lonza: Global CDMO and bioprocessing supplier offering cell culture media, custom media development, and recombinant protein production services. Comparable to InVitria in cell/gene therapy manufacturing inputs and bioprocess solutions.
• Sartorius: Bioprocessing equipment and consumables supplier including cell culture media, recombinant albumin (via Albumedix acquisition), and bioprocess solutions. Direct competitor in recombinant albumin and broader bioprocessing inputs.
• Cytiva (Danaher): Broad bioprocessing supplier offering cell culture media, supplements, and process development services. Overlaps with InVitria across cell culture supplements, recombinant proteins, and cell therapy manufacturing consumables as part of a much wider portfolio.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Largest life sciences supplier with Gibco cell culture media, recombinant proteins, and bioproduction products. Competes broadly with InVitria across cell therapy, gene therapy, and vaccine production reagent categories.

Direct peers

• Grifols: Major plasma-derived human serum albumin and plasma fractionation supplier (Albutein/Albucel). Competes with InVitria's rHSA products by offering established plasma-derived alternatives for cell culture and final formulation excipient applications.
• CSL Behring: Plasma-derived albumin and plasma fractionation supplier (Alburx, Alburex). Competes with InVitria's recombinant albumin in pharmaceutical and cell culture applications where plasma-derived HSA is the incumbent.
• Octapharma: Plasma protein biopharmaceutical manufacturer producing AlbuRx/Albumin (Human) plasma-derived HSA. Directly competes with InVitria in the albumin excipient and cell culture supplement markets.
• Albumedix (Sartorius): Direct competitor in recombinant human serum albumin for biopharmaceutical applications; now part of Sartorius, offering Recombumin rHSA used as excipient in cell culture and formulation. Competes head-to-head with InVitria's Cellastim, Optibumin, and Exbumin.

Emerging players

• Repligen: Bioprocessing-focused supplier of proteins, chromatography, and process analytics including growth factors and recombinant products used in cell and gene therapy manufacturing. Overlaps with InVitria in bioprocess inputs for advanced therapy manufacturing.
• Bio-Techne: Life sciences supplier offering GMP-grade cytokines (including recombinant IL-2), recombinant proteins, and cell culture reagents. Comparable to InVitria's OptiLeukin and broader cytokine portfolio for immune cell culture applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/invitria
• Xx.com/invitria

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 InVitria