Demeetra AgBio

What Demeetra AgBio does

Demeetra AgBio is a privately held biotechnology company headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, that develops and licenses gene editing technologies for biopharmaceutical cell line development, industrial biotechnology, and agricultural applications. The company's core technology is Cas-CLOVER, a dimeric nuclease combining deactivated Cas9 with Clo051 nuclease domains that delivers high-precision editing with sub-1% off-target indel rates, larger deletion capability (8-50+ bp) versus CRISPR/Cas9, and knock-in efficiency up to 20 kb. Cas-CLOVER powers the proprietary CleanCut CHO platform family, including CleanCut GS CHO (double glutamine synthetase knockout for stringent selection and 5+ g/L titers) and CleanCut GS ADCC+ (FUT8 knockout enabling 85-89% afucosylation and 2.0-4.8x ADCC potency improvement). Supporting technologies include the Harbor-IN transposase for license-free stable cell line development and the Super piggyBac transposase acquired via the 2026 Hera BioLabs acquisition.

Demeetra monetizes through three primary streams: technology licensing for Cas-CLOVER, Super piggyBac, and the CleanCut CHO platforms; full-service cell line development coordinated with NorthX Biologics for GMP manufacturing; and platform access products including CleanCut GS ADCC+ sold via one-time GMP implementation fees with unlimited product use and no per-program royalties. The go-to-market is enterprise sales-led with scheduled expert calls, supported by peer-reviewed publications, webinars, and thought leadership content. Customer segments span large biopharmaceutical companies (Sanofi, Takeda, Elanco, Eisai), clinical-stage biotech (Poseida), vaccines (VBI Vaccines), CDMOs (AGC Biologics), and research institutions (Indiana University, IITA). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, structured as multi-year contracts.

The company operates with a lean team of 1-10 employees and has no disclosed venture funding. The June 2025 (reportedly completed January 2026) acquisition of Hera BioLabs consolidated exclusive Super piggyBac licensing rights and added in vitro R&D capability, while the NorthX Biologics partnership (announced February 2026) created an integrated gene-to-GMP service offering. Strategic priorities appear centered on expanding enterprise licensing, scaling the CleanCut CHO platform into clinical manufacturing, and extending the platform into adjacent verticals including cell therapy research, animal health, and agriculture.

Name

Demeetra AgBio

Legal name

Demeetra AgBio, Inc.

Website

https://demeetra.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Demeetra AgBio is a privately held Lexington, KY-based gene editing company that licenses its Cas-CLOVER technology, CleanCut CHO cell line platforms, and transposase systems to biopharma companies, CDMOs, and research institutions for biologics manufacturing and discovery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biologics Cell Line Development Technology

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

CMC & Pharmaceutical Development (Formulation/Process/Analytical Development) (HLAIALAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

GMP Scale-Up, Tech Transfer & Process Validation (PPQ) (HLAGAHAL)

Keywords

• Gene editing technologies
• Cell line development
• Biopharmaceutical manufacturing
• Transposase licensing
• CHO cell engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: Demeetra licenses its gene editing technologies (Cas-CLOVER, CleanCut CHO platforms, Super piggyBac) to biopharma companies, CDMOs, and research institutions. Licensing provides commercial rights for using the technology in product development and manufacturing.
2. Cell Line Development Services: Integrated CLD services generating stable, high-titer cell lines using CleanCut CHO platforms. Services include cell line development and coordination with GMP manufacturing through NorthX Biologics partnership.
3. Platform Access Products: CleanCut GS ADCC+ available through one-time GMP implementation fee for unlimited product use, with no per-program royalties or milestone-based access restrictions. Cell lines and reagents sold directly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Demeetra AgBio develops, licenses, and supplies precision gene editing technologies—led by its proprietary Cas-CLOVER dimeric nuclease system—and production-ready CHO cell line platforms (CleanCut GS CHO, CleanCut GS ADCC+) built on those tools. The company sells licenses and platform access to biopharmaceutical companies, CDMOs, and research institutions, and provides integrated cell line development services coordinated with GMP manufacturing through its NorthX Biologics partnership.

Product overview

Demeetra AgBio offers an integrated platform of gene editing technologies and CHO cell line development products for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The core offering centers on Cas-CLOVER, a high-fidelity dimeric gene editing system, which powers the CleanCut CHO platform family (including CleanCut GS CHO and CleanCut GS ADCC+ variants) for production-ready cell lines. Supporting technologies include Harbor-IN transposase for stable integration and Super piggyBac for high-capacity gene insertion. The platform is complemented by integrated cell line development services with coordinated GMP manufacturing partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CleanCut CHO Platform: Suspension CHO-K1 cells precisely engineered with Cas-CLOVER, optimized for high-performance bioprocessing and stable expression.
• Cas-CLOVER
• Harbor-IN Transposase
• Super piggyBac
• CleanCut GS CHO
• CleanCut GS ADCC+

Products and services

• Cas-CLOVER

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 14.4-fold increase in monoclonal antibody titers using Cas-CLOVER gene editing
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NorthX BiologicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2026Strategic partnership integrating Demeetra's CleanCut CHO cell line platforms with NorthX Biologics' GMP manufacturing capabilities to offer end-to-end solutions for biotech companies developing biologics. Collaboration aims to eliminate technical setbacks, remove need for cell line rebuilds, and reduce regulatory risks during transition from early-stage development to clinical material production. Both companies target early-stage biotech companies seeking to accelerate IND-enabling and Phase I milestones.
• Hera BioLabscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025Demeetra completed acquisition of Hera BioLabs on June 1, securing expanded rights to hyperactive Super piggyBac transposase platform. Transaction positions Demeetra as definitive commercial source for licensing across drug discovery, research tools, and commercial applications. Hera's in vitro services incorporated into Demeetra's R&D to accelerate CleanCut CHO Platform development; in vivo services wound down.
• NorthX BiologicscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint webinar collaboration featuring Magnus Gustafsson (CCO of NorthX Biologics) and Jack Crawford (CEO of Demeetra) discussing key early decisions in biologics development and CLD-to-GMP pathway optimization.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Lonza Group: Lonza is a global CDMO leader offering mammalian cell line development, GMP manufacturing, and integrated biologics services, directly competing with Demeetra/NorthX in the CLD-to-GMP offering space.
• Bio-Techne: Bio-Techne provides reagents, proteins, and cell/gene therapy workflow tools used by biopharma developers, an adjacent supplier with overlapping customer base in cell line engineering and biologics manufacturing.
• Revvity (formerly Horizon Discovery): Revvity's gene editing tools and cell line engineering offerings (via Horizon Discovery) compete in the broader research and cell engineering market with broader portfolio reach and greater resources.

Emerging players

• Caribou Biosciences: Caribou is a clinical-stage gene editing company developing CRISPR-based allogeneic cell therapies, with overlapping gene editing technology focus but different end-market (cell therapy vs CHO bioprocessing).
• Twist Bioscience: Twist provides synthetic biology tools and antibody discovery platforms used by biopharma developers, with overlapping customer base in biologics R&D and complementary offerings in synthetic genes and libraries.
• MaxCyte: MaxCyte provides electroporation-based cell engineering technology widely used in cell therapy and bioprocessing, an adjacent gene editing/cell engineering platform competing for similar biotech customers.
• Cellectis: Cellectis develops gene-edited allogeneic CAR-T therapies using its TALEN platform, offering an alternative gene editing architecture analogous to Cas-CLOVER's positioning versus CRISPR.

Direct peers

• ATUM (formerly DNA2.0): ATUM provides gene synthesis, protein engineering, and CHO cell line development tools and services, directly competing with Demeetra in the CLD platform space for biologics developers.
• GenScript ProBio: GenScript ProBio offers end-to-end cell line development, plasmid/mRNA services, and GMP biologics manufacturing for biopharma, directly overlapping with Demeetra's CLD-to-GMP positioning.
• AGC Biologics: AGC Biologics is both a named Demeetra customer and a competing CDMO providing mammalian cell line development and GMP manufacturing services for biologics developers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DemeetraAgbio
• Facebookfacebook.com/demeetraagbio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/demeetra-agbio-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Demeetra AgBio