What Clean Cells does

Clean Cells is a France-headquartered biopharmaceutical CMO/CRO founded in 2000, specializing in cGMP-compliant manufacturing of cell and virus banks and quality control testing for biologics including vaccines, therapeutic proteins, gene therapies, and cell therapies. The company operates from a 5,300 m2 facility in Montaigu-Vendée (near Nantes) with 9 GMP production suites and BSL2/BSL3 laboratory capabilities, and supports clients in North America through subsidiaries KaryoLogic (acquired April 2025) and Stem Genomics (acquired June 2026). Its service portfolio covers the full product lifecycle from cell banking, virus seed stock production, and clonal selection through biosafety testing, product characterization, lot release testing, and secure long-term storage, with 250+ validated assays across potency, identity, purity, and biosafety dimensions.

The company serves 230+ biopharmaceutical customers worldwide, performing 7,000+ analyses annually, and holds a granted patent on a non-radioactive luminescent potency assay for cytolytic activity (extended to Europe and Canada). Clean Cells generates revenue through professional services contracts on a quote-based, B2B basis, with an enterprise field sales motion supported by participation in major industry conferences (BIO-Europe, ESACT, ESGCT, CPHI) and educational webinars. The business is part of the Clean Biologics group backed by healthcare-focused private equity firm ArchiMed (majority shareholder since October 2018), alongside sister company Naobios (viral vaccine CDMO acquired March 2019). Following the 2023 facility expansion and recent US-focused acquisitions, Clean Cells is positioned as one of the largest European providers of biopharmaceutical QC services and cell bank production, with 127-133 employees as of the most recent reporting.

Name

Clean Cells

Legal name

Clean Cells

Website

https://clean-cells.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Clean Cells is a French CMO/CRO providing cGMP-compliant cell and virus bank manufacturing and biopharmaceutical quality control testing for vaccines, proteins, gene therapies, and cell therapies, serving 230+ global biopharma customers from its 5,300 m2 Montaigu-Vendée facility and US subsidiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceutical Quality Control Services

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Analytical Development & QC Testing (Release/Stability/Potency) (HLAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Gene Therapy Analytical Testing & QC (potency, vg/ddPCR, infectivity, RCL/RCA) (HLAAACAK), Cell Therapy Quality, Analytics & Release Testing (potency, sterility, comparability) (HLAAABAK), Cell Therapy Manufacturing Services (GMP, autologous/allogeneic) (HLAAAKAC), GMP Manufacturing Support Services (QA/QMS, validation, documentation) (HLAAAKAH), Environmental Monitoring & Cleanroom Testing (GMP) (HLAGADAL)

Keywords

• Biologics testing services
• Cell bank manufacturing
• Virus bank manufacturing
• Biosafety testing services
• Pharmaceutical quality control

Headquarters

HQ city

Boufféré

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Quality Control and Biosafety Testing Services: The company provides biological safety tests and quality control testing for biopharmaceutical products to assist in regulatory compliance. Services include biosafety testing, product characterization, raw material testing, cell bank testing, virus bank testing, and lot release testing.
2. Cell and Virus Bank Manufacturing: Production of cell banks and GMP-grade BSL2/BSL3 virus seed stock for use as starting materials in biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Services include clonal selection, cell banking, and virus banking.
3. Biologics Storage Services: Secure storage services for cell banks and virus banks with options for shared or dedicated containers, continuous temperature monitoring, and backup systems.
4. Analytical Development: Development and validation of bespoke analysis tools for biopharmaceutical products, including custom assay development.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Clean Cells is a CMO/CRO providing GMP-compliant cell and virus bank manufacturing together with comprehensive quality control testing services for biopharmaceutical products. Its offering covers biosafety testing, product characterization, cell and virus bank testing, lot release testing, raw material testing, analytical development, and secure long-term storage, supporting vaccine, therapeutic protein, gene therapy, cell therapy, and ATMP developers from R&D through market release in compliance with worldwide regulatory agencies.

Product overview

Clean Cells operates as a comprehensive CMO/CRO providing integrated services for the biologics and biopharmaceutical industry. The core offering combines biologics biomanufacturing (cell banking, virus banking, clonal selection) with extensive biologics testing services (biosafety testing, product characterization, cell/virus bank testing, lot release testing, raw material testing). Additional services include analytical development, long-term storage solutions for cell and virus banks, phage therapy CDMO services, and viral safety testing for gene therapy products. The portfolio is complemented by the 2026 acquisition of Stem Genomics' iCS-digital PSC technology for stem cell genomic stability testing. Clean Cells serves global customers from facilities in France with US operations through subsidiaries KaryoLogic and Stem Genomics, offering a one-stop-shop solution from R&D through market release under GMP compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Biologics Biomanufacturing Services Comprehensive manufacturing services for cell banks, virus banks, and clonal selection, including production of GMP or non-GMP Master and Working cell banks, virus seed stock manufacturing under BSL2/BSL3 conditions, and end of production cells generation for biopharmaceutical developers.
• Biosafety Testing Comprehensive biosafety testing services including microbiology testing (sterility, mycoplasma, endotoxin), viral safety testing, and adventitious agent detection to ensure biological product safety and regulatory compliance for biopharmaceutical developers.
• Product Characterization Full characterization services for biologics including impurity testing, potency testing (ADCC/CDC/cell-based assays including the patented cytolytic activity assay), and biologics identity testing, supporting regulatory compliance from R&D through market release.
• Cell Bank Testing Comprehensive testing services for cell banks including sterility, mycoplasma, mycobacteria, adventitious agent detection (in-vivo, in-vitro), specific pathogen testing, retrovirus detection (electron microscopy, infectivity assays, qPERT), identity testing, and genetic stability assessment.
• Virus Bank Testing Complete virus bank characterization services in GMP conditions ensuring safety, potency, and reliability, including comprehensive viral detection by qPCR covering more than 250 viruses.
• Lot Release Testing Quality control testing services for lot release of biological products, ensuring product safety, identity, purity, and potency meet regulatory requirements before commercial distribution.
• Raw Material Testing Testing services for raw materials used in biopharmaceutical manufacturing, ensuring quality and safety of starting materials and reagents.
• Cell Bank Storage Long-term secure storage services for cell banks at ultra-low temperatures (below -145°C) using liquid or vapor-phase nitrogen tanks or ultra-low temperature freezers, with dedicated or shared container options and continuous temperature monitoring.
• Virus Bank Storage Secure long-term storage for virus banks at temperatures as low as -80°C, including shared container storage with dedicated boxes or shelves, continuous temperature monitoring, externalized alarm systems, and backup freezer for added security.
• Analytical Development Custom assay development and validation services for biopharmaceutical products in GMP and non-GMP settings, including implementation of innovative techniques such as digital PCR (dPCR) for quantification of nucleic acids.
• Phage Therapy CDMO Services Contract development and manufacturing services for therapeutic bacteriophages, including process development, GMP manufacturing, and purification services for phage therapy products.
• Viral Safety Testing for Gene Therapy Comprehensive GMP biosafety testing services for gene therapy products including recombinant lentiviral vectors (rLv), with detection of replication-competent lentiviral particles (RCL), and potency and safety characterization for ATMPs.
• Stem Genomics iCS-digital PSC Genomic Stability Testing Next-generation genomic stability quality controls for human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) using the iCS-digital PSC technology platform, addressing genomic integrity requirements for advanced cell therapy developers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5,300 m2 facility quadruples analysis and production capacity
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Stem GenomicscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2026Acquired in June 2026 to strengthen cell therapy quality control and expand US presence. Provider of next-generation quality controls for stem cell therapy including iCS-digital PSC technology platform. Works with 150+ clients worldwide including academic institutions, biotech companies, and core facilities. Operations in Montpellier, France and Durham, North Carolina.
• KaryoLogic Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Acquired to accelerate expansion in US biologics market. US subsidiary of Clean Cells located in Durham, North Carolina, providing services to North American clients.
• OSE Immunotherapeutics SAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in HybridADCC project, a €2.4M funded initiative developing standardised ADCC assay for testing mouse monoclonal antibodies using hybrid human/mouse technology.
• INSERM UMR1232/CNRSERL6001minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in HybridADCC collaborative project focused on developing standardised ADCC assay methodology for therapeutic antibody characterization.
• MicroPiCell platformminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic platform partner in HybridADCC project providing expertise in cell technology for antibody development.
• France BioleadminorOthersFounding member of France Biolead association supporting the production of biological medicines alongside major actors such as Sanofi, Servier, INSERM, CEA.
• Atlanpole BiotherapiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiocluster partner supporting innovative projects in biotherapy and regenerative medicine in Western France.
• NaobioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister company within Clean Biologics group providing GMP virus-based process development and manufacturing services for biologics up to Phase III. Companies work together to offer integrated solutions from cell banking through to IMP/IND manufacturing.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Eurofins Scientific: Global leader in bioanalytical testing services with deep pharmaceutical and biopharma testing offerings. Overlaps directly with Clean Cells' biosafety, viral safety, and cell bank testing services, but operates at vastly greater scale and across many other verticals.
• SGS: Swiss-based global testing, inspection, and certification company with a life sciences division offering biosafety and cell banking services. Competes on the testing side of Clean Cells' portfolio while serving many other industries at much larger scale.
• Lonza: World's largest CDMO with integrated cell and gene therapy manufacturing and analytical services. Overlaps on cell/virus banking, biosafety testing, and GMP release for biologics and ATMPs, while offering much broader development and commercial manufacturing capabilities.
• BioReliance (MilliporeSigma): MilliporeSigma's biopharma testing services arm offering biosafety, viral clearance, and cell line characterization. Direct overlap with Clean Cells' testing portfolio, backed by Merck KGaA's global reach and broader bioprocessing consumables franchise.
• Catalent: Global CDMO with strong cell and gene therapy capabilities, including viral vector manufacturing and analytical services. Competes for ATMP customers and offers bundled development-to-commercial solutions that can displace specialist QC providers.
• Charles River Laboratories: Major global CRO/CDMO with dedicated Biologics Testing Solutions covering biosafety, lot release, and cell banking services. Competes for the same biopharma quality control wallet with broader discovery and manufacturing services.

Emerging players

• VGXI: US-based CDMO focused on plasmid DNA manufacturing and related services for gene therapy and DNA vaccines. Adjacent peer in the cell and gene therapy supply chain with comparable GMP expertise but narrower scope than Clean Cells.

Direct peers

• Yposkesi: French CDMO specializing in GMP manufacturing of viral vectors and cell therapies for gene and cell therapy developers. Adjacent peer that competes for ATMP customers' analytical and starting-material work, though it is more manufacturing-focused than testing-focused.
• Naobios: Sister company within the Clean Biologics group, providing GMP virus-based process development and manufacturing for biologics up to Phase III. Shares the same ownership and often co-sells integrated cell-banking-through-IMP solutions, making it the closest operational peer.
• Texcell: French-headquartered specialist in virus and biosafety testing services for cell and gene therapy products. Directly competes with Clean Cells on viral safety testing, adventitious agent detection, and GMP lot release for ATMP developers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xlinkedin.com/company/clean-cells
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Clean-Cells/746626488744938
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clean-cells/?originalSubdomain=fr

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Clean Cells