What System Biosciences does

System Biosciences (SBI), founded in 2004 and headquartered in Palo Alto, California (with a Newark, CA operations address), is a privately-held biotechnology tools company that develops and commercializes molecular and cell biology research reagents and services. Its portfolio spans seven core product categories - exosome research (isolation, engineering, detection, quantitation, and biomarker discovery tools including ExoQuick UltraPure and SmartSEC systems), CRISPR/Cas9 systems, lentivirus production (pPACKH1, pPACKF1, pPACK-ID packaging kits and the 293TN producer cell line), gene expression platforms (lentiviral vectors, PiggyBac transposon, Minicircle, EEV episomal vectors, SparQ cumate-inducible systems, AAV, mRNA synthesis, Cold Fusion cloning), imaging and reporter vectors, miRNA/lncRNA tools, and liquid biopsy - supported by a citation library of thousands of peer-reviewed publications.

The company monetizes through two channels: (1) catalog product sales priced individually (typically $500-$3,000 per SKU) distributed via its e-commerce storefront at systembio.com, direct sales, and a worldwide distributor network, with commercial-use licensing restrictions on key platforms such as PiggyBac, Minicircle, and EEV that create incremental license revenue; and (2) fee-for-service custom work (Syn2Clone constructs, lentivirus packaging, stable cell line generation, minicircle production, CRISPR cell line engineering, exosome services including Exo-NGS/proteomics/lipidomics, and RNA services) delivered on-site at the Palo Alto facility.

SBI's primary customer base is academic researchers (university labs in neuroscience, cancer, gene therapy, stem cell, and exosome biology), supplemented by biotech and pharmaceutical companies that procure both catalog reagents and custom services for gene therapy, cell therapy, and drug discovery programs. The company employs 11-50 people and operates without disclosed institutional funding beyond a 2004 Kenson Ventures seed, funding ongoing operations and product development from internal cash flow. Its founder-led structure (Kenneth Fong and Tim Avila) and 20-year operating history position it as an established but sub-scale specialist in a fragmented life-science tools market.

Name

System Biosciences

Legal name

System Biosciences, LLC

Website

https://systembio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

System Biosciences is a privately-held biotech tools company that develops and sells molecular and cell biology research reagents - including exosome isolation kits, CRISPR/Cas9 systems, lentiviral packaging, and gene expression platforms - alongside fee-for-service custom work, serving academic researchers and biotech/pharma customers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Life Science Research Reagents

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Molecular Biology & Genomics Instruments (PCR/qPCR, Sequencing, Microarrays) (HLAGAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Proteomics & Mass Spectrometry Services (HLAGANAB), Viral Vector Manufacturing Services (AAV, lentiviral, adenoviral) (HLAAAKAD)

Keywords

• Molecular biology reagents
• Exosome research products
• CRISPR gene editing
• Lentiviral packaging kits
• Gene expression vectors

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Product Sales: SBI generates revenue primarily through the sale of molecular biology research reagents and kits including lentiviral packaging kits, CRISPR tools, exosome isolation kits, gene expression vectors, imaging reporters, and related consumables. Products are sold directly via the company website (e-commerce) and through a worldwide distributor network.
2. Custom Research Services: SBI offers fee-for-service custom molecular biology services including Syn2Clone custom construct construction, lentivirus packaging, stable cell line generation, minicircle production services, CRISPR/Cas9 cell line engineering, exosome services (Exo-NGS, proteomics, lipidomics/metabolomics), and RNA services (mRNA synthesis, miRNA/lncRNA profiling). Services are priced per project and delivered from the Palo Alto, CA facility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

System Biosciences (SBI) develops, manufactures, and sells molecular and cell biology research tools—including exosome isolation kits, CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing systems, lentiviral packaging kits, gene expression vectors (minicircles, EEV, PiggyBac), imaging/reporters, miRNA/lncRNA tools, and liquid biopsy reagents—through its e-commerce catalog and worldwide distributor network. The company also provides fee-for-service custom research services (lentivirus packaging, stable cell line generation, minicircle production, CRISPR cell engineering, exosome services, RNA services, Syn2Clone constructs) executed at its Palo Alto, California facility.

Product overview

System Biosciences (SBI) offers a comprehensive portfolio of molecular and cell biology products and services organized into seven core product categories: Exosome Research (isolation, engineering, detection, and quantitation kits including ExoQuick® UltraPure and SmartSEC™ systems), CRISPR/Cas9 Systems (genome editing tools including AAVS1 SparQ™ and EZ-Genotyping), Lentivirus Production (LentiSuite kits, pPACKH1/F1 packaging systems, 293TN cell line), Gene Expression Systems (lentiviral vectors, AAV, PiggyBac Transposon, Minicircle Technology, EEV episomal vectors, Cumate-inducible SparQ systems, PhiC31 integrase, and mRNAExpress synthesis), Imaging & Reporter Vectors (pGreenFire signaling reporters, bioluminescent imaging, stem cell reporters), miRNA & lncRNA Research Tools (precursor vectors, miRZIP knockdown, qPCR profiling), and Liquid Biopsy (cfMAX cfDNA isolation). Additionally, SBI provides fee-for-service offerings including Exosome Services, CRISPR/Cas9 Services, Syn2Clone Custom Constructs, Lentivirus Packaging, Stable Cell Lines, Minicircle Services, and RNA Services. The portfolio enables research spanning biomarker discovery, gene therapy development, gene editing validation, stem cell tracking, and T cell immunology studies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exosome Research Product Suite Complete suite of exosome and extracellular vesicle (EV) products covering isolation, detection, quantitation, labeling, engineering, and biomarker discovery, including ExoQuick UltraPure, SmartSEC kits, ExoELISA-ULTRA, and purified exosome reference materials. Used by academic and industry researchers for biomarker discovery, EV biology, and therapeutic development.
• CRISPR/Cas9 Systems Complete CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tools including Cas9 and gRNA delivery vectors, multiplex gRNA cloning, HR targeting vectors, AAVS1 safe harbor targeting, EZ-Genotyping kit, and the CLOuD9 gene expression regulation system. For molecular biology researchers performing gene editing studies.
• Lentivirus Production Products High-titer lentivirus production products including pPACKH1 HIV-based and pPACKF1 FIV-based packaging kits, pPACK-ID integrase-defective packaging, LentiSuite/LentiStarter kits, virus concentration/titering kits, the 293TN producer cell line, and pre-packaged control viruses for gene delivery research.
• Gene Expression Systems Viral and non-viral gene expression platforms including lentiviral vectors, AAV vectors, PiggyBac transposon, Minicircle technology, EEV episomal vectors, SparQ cumate-inducible systems, PhiC31 integrase, mRNAExpress synthesis kits, and Cold Fusion cloning. For researchers requiring sustained or inducible gene expression.
• Imaging and Reporter Vectors Ready-to-use reporter constructs and vectors for bioluminescent imaging (luciferase), fluorescent labeling, signaling pathway analysis (pGreenFire reporters), stem cell monitoring, and Cyto-Tracers for cellular tracking studies.
• miRNA and lncRNA Research Tools Tools for miRNA and long non-coding RNA research including Lenti-miR precursor vectors, Lenti-miR libraries, miRZIP knockdown vectors, and qPCR profiling arrays for noncoding RNA studies.
• Liquid Biopsy Research Products

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 32-fold gene expression induction with SparQ cumate-inducible systems
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature11 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cambridge BiosciencesregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCambridge Biosciences serves as a regional distributor for SBI products in the UK and Ireland. Academic researchers in these regions can purchase SBI products including minicircle vectors through Cambridge Biosciences.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Takara Bio: Takara Bio is a Japan-based molecular biology tools and services company with overlapping lentiviral packaging (Lenti-X), gene expression, CRISPR, and cell engineering offerings. It competes most directly with SBI in lentiviral production kits and custom services for academic and pharma researchers.
• GenScript: GenScript provides gene synthesis, CRISPR reagents, viral vector services, and protein/peptide tools. Its viral packaging and gene expression offerings overlap heavily with SBI's lentivirus packaging, Syn2Clone, and CRISPR/Cas9 service lines.
• VectorBuilder: VectorBuilder is a custom vector design and viral packaging service provider (lentivirus, AAV, adenovirus) serving academic and biotech customers. Its custom-cloning and lentivirus-packaging services directly overlap with SBI's Syn2Clone and lentivirus packaging offerings.
• Mirus Bio: Mirus Bio specializes in transfection reagents (TransIT) and gene delivery tools used in molecular biology and bioprocessing workflows. It is a direct peer in gene delivery reagents, competing with SBI's viral packaging, AAV, and non-viral delivery systems.
• Cell Biolabs: Cell Biolabs is a San Diego-based life science research tools company offering kits for viral transduction, cell-based assays, exosome research, and gene expression. It is closely comparable to SBI across exosome isolation kits, lentiviral tools, and cell-line reagents.
• Addgene: Addgene is a nonprofit plasmid repository distributing viral vectors, CRISPR constructs, and recombinant antibodies to academic researchers worldwide. It represents an alternative channel for the same lentiviral and CRISPR plasmids that SBI commercializes, making it a competing route for the same end customer.

Broad incumbents

• Bio-Techne: Bio-Techne (R&D Systems, Tocris, ProteinSimple) is a large public life-science tools company with broad reagent, antibody, and cell/gene therapy reagent portfolios. It is a broad incumbent competing with SBI across exosome/EV research tools, gene expression reagents, and stem cell research products.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher is the largest life-science tools and services conglomerate, offering lentiviral packaging, CRISPR reagents, gene expression systems, and custom services through its Life Sciences and Pharma Services segments. It competes with SBI across nearly every product category, although as part of a much wider portfolio.
• Lonza: Lonza is a leading CDMO with cell and gene therapy manufacturing services including viral vector production. While focused on GMP/clinical-stage manufacturing, Lonza's viral vector services overlap with SBI's custom lentivirus packaging for translational and early-clinical customers.

Emerging players

• Miltenyi Biotec: Miltenyi Biotec offers cell and gene therapy tools, including lentiviral vectors, exosome/EV isolation reagents, and cell engineering services. It overlaps with SBI in EV research and gene delivery reagents, with growing emphasis on cell therapy workflow tools.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 System Biosciences