What Spex does

Spex is a U.S.-based specialty reference materials brand operating under ZeptoMetrix (itself within Antylia Scientific), founded in 1954 and headquartered in Metuchen, New Jersey, with 101-250 employees. It supplies organic and inorganic certified reference materials (CRMs), reagents, microbiology products, and ISO 17043-accredited proficiency testing (PT) programs to laboratories in Environmental Testing, Diagnostic/Clinical, Pharmaceutical, Cannabis & Hemp, and Food & Agriculture end-markets. Its diagnostic quality control line, marketed under the NATtrol sub-brand, includes whole-organism non-infectious controls with ambient-temperature stability up to 30°C, seroconversion panels sourced from over 160 unique donors, and proprietary Phage Like Particles (PLPs) technology, with controls engineered for compatibility across more than 18 major molecular and immunoassay platforms (BioFire FilmArray/SPOTFIRE, Roche cobas Liat/ePlex, Cepheid GeneXpert, Hologic Panther Fusion, Abbott ID NOW, QIAGEN QIAstat-Dx, Visby Medical, etc.).

The product portfolio spans analytical reference materials (PFAS CRMs aligned to EPA methods 533, 537.1, 1633, and NPDWR; CHIRON MicrPrefs microplastics standards in soda tablet and neat powder formats; cannabis/hemp CRMs; pharmaceutical standards for USP 51 and USP 61/62; food and agriculture reference materials), molecular and serology diagnostic QCs, immunoassay solutions, microorganisms, oncology cfDNA controls, and customized standard development services. Revenue mechanics rely on direct e-commerce via a login-gated company storefront and a global distributor network serving enterprise buyers under multi-year contracts; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Named reference customers include Campbell Company (Food & Agriculture PT), Medical University of South Carolina (NATtrol respiratory QC), and Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune (NATtrol BCID QC), illustrating the breadth of institutional adoption across commercial, academic, and government channels.

Operationally, the business is anchored by regulated compliance expertise (ISO 17043 PT accreditation, EPA method alignment, USP compendial support) and proprietary biological material IP rather than software or AI. The 2025 product cadence — molecular control swabs for Group A Strep and women's health/STI testing (March), PFAS CRM mixes (September), and the 2026 Proficiency Testing catalog (November) — indicates active expansion of the product surface into regulated environmental contaminants and decentralized molecular testing workflows.

Name

Spex

Legal name

Spex

Website

https://spex.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Spex supplies certified reference materials, NATtrol diagnostic quality controls, and ISO 17043-accredited proficiency testing programs across environmental, clinical diagnostics, pharmaceutical, cannabis, and food testing markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Analytical Reference Materials

NAICS

In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Feed & Nutraceutical Analytical Testing (HLAGADAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Safety Certification Bodies (ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, BRCGS, SQF) (AFALAAAC), Supplier Quality Assurance & Vendor Approval Programs (AFALALAB)

Keywords

• Certified reference materials
• Quality control products
• Proficiency testing services
• Analytical reagents
• Diagnostic controls

Headquarters

HQ city

Metuchen

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Spex (an Antylia Scientific company, parent: ZeptoMetrix) manufactures and supplies organic and inorganic certified reference materials, analytical reagents, and diagnostic quality controls for environmental, pharmaceutical, food and agriculture, cannabis and hemp, and clinical diagnostic testing laboratories. The portfolio also includes ISO 17043-accredited proficiency testing programs, assay development services for IVD manufacturers, and custom reference material development.

Product overview

ZeptoMetrix offers a comprehensive portfolio of quality controls, assay development services, analytical reference materials, and proficiency testing solutions. The core Analytical Reference Materials product line includes certified reference materials (CRMs), reagents, and microbiology products for Environmental, Cannabis & Hemp, Food & Agriculture, and Pharmaceutical testing markets. The Diagnostic Quality Controls division provides NATtrol branded molecular and antigen quality controls, immunoassay solutions, serology panels, and microorganism products for clinical diagnostics. Proficiency Testing services (ISO 17043-accredited) support Environmental, Food Science, and Cannabis/Hemp industries. Assay Development Services offer end-to-end IVD diagnostic development partnerships. The company's proprietary Phage Like Particles (PLPs) technology underpins certain diagnostic offerings. Featured product lines include PFAS reference materials for EPA methods 533/537.1/1633/NPDWR, microplastics testing standards (CHIRON Microprefs), cannabis/hemp testing materials, pharmaceutical reference materials, and oncology products (cfDNA controls, DNA-depleted plasma). The portfolio also includes the Diagnostics Decoded podcast series. Products integrate with major diagnostic platforms including BioFire FilmArray, Roche cobas, Cepheid GeneXpert, Hologic Panther Fusion, Abbott ID NOW, and other molecular diagnostic systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Analytical Reference Materials Certified reference materials, reagents, and microbiology products used by analytical testing laboratories across Environmental, Cannabis & Hemp, Food & Agriculture, and Pharmaceutical markets for routine QC and method compliance.
• Diagnostic Quality Controls Quality control products for molecular and antigen diagnostic testing, including NATtrol branded controls, verification panels, and serology solutions used by hospital and clinical laboratories.
• NATtrol Molecular Quality Controls Ready-to-use whole-organism, non-infectious molecular quality controls in swab and panel formats for respiratory, STI/women's health, gastrointestinal, healthcare-associated infection, blood culture identification, and critical infectious disease testing on major diagnostic platforms.
• Proficiency Testing (PT) Services ISO 17043-accredited proficiency testing programs for Environmental, Food Science, and Cannabis/Hemp industries, including PT Express for flexible testing schedules.
• Assay Development Services End-to-end partnership for IVD diagnostic assay development, including high-quality controls, immunoassay solutions, and customized assay support for diagnostic manufacturers.
• PFAS Certified Reference Materials Ultra-pure certified reference materials for PFAS testing aligned with EPA methods 533, 537.1, 1633, and NPDWR, designed to reduce isomer interference and improve accuracy for environmental testing laboratories.
• Microplastics Testing Standards (CHIRON MicroPrefs) Microplastics reference materials available in novel soda tablet and neat powder formats for environmental testing laboratories performing microplastics analysis.
• Analytical Reagents Analytical reagents including acids and bases, buffers, carbon black, solutions, solvents, salts and solids, and mobile phase modifiers used in laboratory workflows.
• Custom Standards Service Custom reference material development services for laboratories with specialized testing requirements not met by standard catalog products.
• Serology Products Seroconversion panels, longitudinal panels, and verification/validation panels for serological testing, including specimens from over 160 unique donors for HIV, HBV, HCV, and Zika.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration18 records

Feature5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ZeptoMetrix: Listed as the parent operating company in the source data and operates the NATtrol diagnostic QC product line, serology panels, microbiology controls, and assay development services that overlap directly with Spex's diagnostic offerings. Functions as the closest same-entity peer.
• Restek Corporation: Specialty manufacturer of chromatography columns, reference standards, and consumables for environmental, food safety, forensic, and pharmaceutical analysis. Directly comparable to Spex on certified reference materials and PFAS/microplastics standards for environmental testing labs.
• LGC Standards: One of the largest global producers of reference materials and proficiency testing schemes, with ISO 17043 PT programs covering food, environmental, and clinical sectors. Directly comparable to Spex across both CRM and ISO 17043-accredited proficiency testing offerings.
• Inorganic Ventures: Specialty manufacturer of inorganic certified reference materials for ICP, ICP-MS, and ion chromatography, serving environmental, food safety, and pharmaceutical labs. Directly comparable to Spex's inorganic standards and custom CRM offerings.
• AccuStandard: Manufacturer of certified reference standards for environmental, food, cannabis, petrochemical, and forensic applications, including custom standard formulation. Directly comparable to Spex on environmental, food/agriculture, and cannabis reference materials.
• Microbiologics: Leading supplier of biological reference materials including lyophilized microorganism controls, QC slides, and molecular controls for clinical and food microbiology labs. Comparable to Spex's NATtrol microorganism, QC Knowns, and clinical microbiology product lines.
• Cerilliant (Sigma-Aldrich/Merck): Specialty brand within MilliporeSigma producing certified reference standards for clinical, forensic, environmental, and cannabis testing, including cannabinoids, terpenes, and PFAS mixes. Directly comparable to Spex's cannabis/hemp and pharmaceutical certified reference materials.

Broad incumbents

• Antylia Scientific: Named parent in Spex's short description and a larger portfolio of scientific laboratory brands spanning peristaltic pumps, temperature control, and analytical supplies. Comparable as the corporate umbrella housing Spex and adjacent specialty consumables brands serving similar regulated lab customers.
• MilliporeSigma (Sigma-Aldrich): The dominant global supplier of certified reference materials, analytical reagents, and laboratory chemicals, including the Cerilliant brand of certified reference standards. Overlaps directly with Spex's organic and inorganic CRM, environmental, and pharmaceutical reference materials portfolios.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Major diagnostics and life science company offering quality controls, reference materials, and proficiency testing programs through its Clinical Diagnostics division, including the Unity Real Time and Liquichek lines. Comparable as a multi-platform QC and PT provider serving clinical labs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SpexScience
• Facebookfacebook.com/spexcertiprep
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spexscience

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Spex