What Imanis Life Sciences does

Imanis Life Sciences is a privately held biotechnology company founded in 2012 in Rochester, Minnesota, by three Mayo Clinic professors — Drs. Stephen Russell, Kah-Whye Peng, and Michael O'Connor — who built Mayo's virus and gene therapy program and originated the NIS reporter gene imaging technology. The company operates as a hybrid research tools and contract research organization (CRO), serving academic researchers, biopharmaceutical companies, and other CROs working on cell therapy, gene therapy, oncolytic virotherapy, regenerative medicine, and vaccine development. Its mission is to enable widespread adoption of non-invasive imaging technologies in preclinical therapeutic research.

The company's product portfolio centers on a lentiviral vector platform built around two proprietary technology franchises. The Cellective Targeting System uses programmable G-fusogen adapters and the G-Link CD3 protein to retarget VSV-G pseudotyped lentiviral vectors to specific cell receptors (notably CD3+ T cells), enabling precision cell engineering for cell therapy developers. A second franchise comprises reporter gene tools — firefly luciferase, fluorescent proteins (eGFP, iRFP), nuclear reporters (NIS, hNET, hSSTR2, HSVTK, hDRD2), and tyrosinase — delivered as ready-to-use lentiviral vectors and as over 20 validated stable tumor and tumor-antigen cell lines (4T1, A20, A375, B16F10, BCMA, CD19, CD20, EGFR, and others) used for in vivo biodistribution and immune-oncology imaging studies.

Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) catalog product sales of cell lines, lentiviral vectors, AAVs, and targeting reagents priced from $245 to $6,875 per unit; (2) custom product generation services for cell lines, lentiviral vectors, and AAVs; and (3) contract research and assay development/validation services spanning biodistribution, immunogenicity, pharmacokinetics, neutralizing antibody assays, Luminex cytokine profiling, immunophenotyping, and ELISPOT. Sales are conducted directly via a Shopify e-commerce website, email purchase orders, and phone, with global dry-ice shipping and a Material Transfer Agreement-based licensing model that restricts use to internal research. Named customers include Mayo Clinic, Northwestern University, Biogen, and Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo, with marquee use cases supporting publications in journals including Science Translational Medicine.

Name

Imanis Life Sciences

Legal name

Imanis Life Sciences

Website

https://imanislife.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Imanis Life Sciences is a Rochester, MN-based biotechnology company and CRO that provides lentiviral vector platforms, reporter gene cell lines, and contract research services to academic and biopharmaceutical developers of cell therapies, gene therapies, oncolytic virotherapies, and vaccines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biotechnology Research Products & Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Lentiviral Vector Gene Therapy Developers (HLAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Therapeutic-Area CROs (e.g., oncology/rare disease) (HLAGAAAL)

Keywords

• Lentiviral vectors
• Reporter gene cell lines
• Oncolytic virotherapy research
• Cell engineering services
• Preclinical contract research

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Research Products: Sale of catalog products including stable cell lines, lentiviral vectors, AAVs, and targeting reagents. Products are sold for internal research use only under Material Transfer Agreement.
2. Custom Products: Custom generation of cell lines, lentiviral vectors, and AAVs to customer specifications. Generated by experienced scientists with same quality control as catalog products.
3. Contract Research Services: Scientific contract research for development of oncolytic viruses, gene and cell therapies, regenerative medicines, and vaccines. Includes discovery projects, therapy development, and pre-clinical studies.
4. Assay Development & Validation: Custom assay development and validation services including biodistribution, immunogenicity, pharmacokinetics, biomarker assays, and immunoassay services from discovery through clinical phases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Imanis Life Sciences manufactures and sells catalog and custom lentiviral vectors, reporter gene cell lines, and targeting reagents for preclinical oncology, gene therapy, and cell therapy research. The company also operates as a contract research organization (CRO), offering assay development and validation services alongside custom and contract research programs for oncolytic virotherapy, gene and cell therapies, regenerative medicines, and vaccines.

Product overview

Imanis Life Sciences offers a unified portfolio of products and services for preclinical oncology and immune-oncology research. The core product line centers on the Cellective Targeting System and G-Link CD3, which are lentiviral vector-based platforms for precision cell transduction and T cell targeting. Supporting these are two main product categories: (1) Reporter Gene Lentiviral Vectors encoding optical reporters (Firefly Luciferase, Fluorescent Proteins, iRFP, Tyrosinase) and nuclear reporters (NIS, Nuclear Reporters), and (2) Reporter Gene Cell Lines encompassing over 20 tumor model cell lines including 4T1, A20, A375, A549, B16F10, C1498, CT26.WT, HCT116, HT1080, K562, LL/2, Nalm6, PC3, Raji, RPMI-8226, U266B1, as well as Tumor Antigen Cell Lines (BCMA, CD19, CD20, EGFR) for immunotherapy research. These cell lines and vectors are complemented by three service offerings: Custom Products (custom cell lines, lentiviral vectors, and AAVs), Assay Development & Validation (biodistribution, immunogenicity, pharmacokinetics, biomarker assays), and Contract Research (for oncolytic viruses, gene/cell therapies, regenerative medicines, and vaccines). The portfolio enables researchers to track cell and virus biodistribution in vivo through various imaging modalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cellective: Advanced lentiviral vector (LV) delivery platform enabling user-defined cell transduction for precision targeting of cells including CD3+ T cells.
• G-Link CD3

Products and services

• Reporter Gene Cell Lines Stable tumor cell lines constitutively expressing reporter genes (firefly luciferase, eGFP, iRFP, NIS) for in vitro and in vivo imaging applications, including human xenograft models and mouse syngeneic models. Sold to academic and industry researchers for oncology and immune-oncology research.
• Reporter Gene Lentiviral Vectors Self-inactivating second-generation VSV-G pseudotyped lentiviral vectors encoding optical, fluorescent, near-infrared, and nuclear reporter genes for transduction across diverse cell types including primary cells. Sold to researchers for cell engineering and imaging studies.
• Cellective Targeting System Proprietary lentiviral vector delivery platform with programmable G-fusogen technology and targeting adapters for precision transduction of specific cell types such as CD3+ T cells. Sold as kits (Small, Medium, Large) to cell therapy researchers.
• G-Link CD3 Adapter Protein Adapter protein that binds to wild-type VSV-G on lentiviral vector surface and includes a trimerizing linker for high-avidity attachment to CD3 receptors on T cells. Sold to researchers developing CAR-T and T cell therapies.
• Custom Products Bespoke generation of cell lines, lentiviral vectors, and AAVs to customer specifications, with same quality control as catalog products. Service is targeted at researchers needing tailored reagents not available off-the-shelf.
• Assay Development & Validation Bioanalytical testing services including molecular-based biodistribution assays, ligand-binding assays, cell-based neutralizing antibody assays, Luminex cytokine profiling, immunophenotyping, and ELISPOT T cell assays. Performed in accordance with FDA guidance for preclinical and clinical-stage programs.
• Contract Research Scientific contract research for development of oncolytic viruses, gene and cell therapies, regenerative medicines, and vaccines, including discovery projects, therapy development, and preclinical studies. Provided to biopharmaceutical and academic researchers.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• VectorBuilder: A leading provider of custom lentiviral vectors, AAVs, and viral vector design services for gene and cell therapy research. Direct overlap with Imanis's lentiviral vector and custom vector service lines.
• BPS Bioscience: Specializes in recombinant cell lines, viral vectors, and assay services for cell therapy, gene therapy, and immuno-oncology research—directly overlapping with Imanis's reporter cell lines, vectors, and assay development offerings.
• Cell Biolabs: Supplies viral vectors, lentiviral particles, cell-based assays, and reporter cell lines for life science research—comparable product mix across lentiviral tools and assay reagents.
• Kerafast: Research reagent marketplace partnering with academic labs to distribute specialized cell lines, antibodies, and viral tools—a comparable niche model for distributing unique research reagents developed in academic settings.
• Mirus Bio: Develops transfection reagents and lentiviral vector packaging products for cell and gene therapy research—overlapping with Imanis's VSV-G pseudotyped lentiviral vector and viral delivery offerings.

Broad incumbents

• GenScript: Large life science services and products provider offering gene synthesis, lentiviral vectors, custom cell lines, and preclinical CRO services—a broader incumbent operating across all of Imanis's service categories.
• Charles River Laboratories: Global CRO and life science tools provider with cell and gene therapy services and acquired lentiviral vector capabilities (via Vigene)—a much larger incumbent competing for similar biotech and academic customers.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Dominant life science tools company offering lentiviral production services, cell lines, and reporter gene assays—competes with Imanis across catalog reagents and custom services as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Revvity (formerly PerkinElmer Life Sciences): Provides in vivo imaging reagents and bioluminescent/fluorescent reporter tools used alongside Imanis products in preclinical oncology research—comparable in the imaging-reporter niche as a broader tools provider.

Emerging players

• Codex Bio: Emerging gene therapy services and platform company focused on next-generation delivery and manufacturing—adjacent emerging competitor in the cell/gene therapy tools and services space.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ImanisLife
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0WwT82YefON07HcheN-9Fg
• Facebookfacebook.com/1614997840422
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imanis-life-sciences-llc
• Instagraminstagram.com/imanis_life_sciences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

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 Imanis Life Sciences