What NanoTag Biotechnologies does

NanoTag Biotechnologies GmbH is a privately held German biotechnology company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Göttingen, Germany (Commercial Register HRB 204645; Managing Director Dr. Hansjörg Götzke). The company specializes in single-domain antibodies (sdAbs, also called nanobodies) derived from camelid heavy-chain-only antibodies, and operates a proprietary platform spanning discovery, engineering, conjugation, and recombinant production. Core technology assets include the patented ALFA-tag system (a 13-amino-acid epitope tag recognized by three complementary sdAbs across pM–nM affinity), the FluoTag-Q/X2/X4 site-specific conjugation platform with defined fluorophore stoichiometry, Selector Resins for affinity purification, Smart Secondaries replacing conventional secondary antibodies, the Celline B-lymphocyte discovery method, FX fixation cassettes, and recombinant heavy-chain antibodies (rHcAbs) fused to IgG Fc domains.

The commercial portfolio comprises off-the-shelf catalog products — including FluoTag fluorescent sdAb conjugates, Smart Secondaries, Selector Resins (GFP, RFP, TagFP, ALFA variants), unconjugated sdAbs, and rHcAbs — sold primarily through a Shopify-powered direct e-commerce webshop with EUR/USD dual-region pricing, supplemented by a Scientist.com marketplace listing. A second revenue stream consists of CRO services for custom sdAb discovery, protein production, and modification, contracted on a project basis. A third stream is technology licensing, exemplified by the EUR 1 million option exercise fee received from BioNTech in May 2024 under a 2022 Research Collaboration and License Agreement covering the ALFA system for oncology and infectious disease applications, with potential development, regulatory, commercial milestones and royalties. Products serve academic and biotech life science R&D users in super-resolution microscopy (STED, dSTORM, DNA-PAINT, MINFLUX, Expansion Microscopy), immunofluorescence, affinity purification, biosensors, cryo-EM, and crystallography.

Name

NanoTag Biotechnologies

Legal name

NanoTag Biotechnologies GmbH

Website

https://nano-tag.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NanoTag Biotechnologies is a privately held Göttingen-based biotech (founded 2015) that discovers, engineers, and commercializes camelid single-domain antibodies (sdAbs/nanobodies) as off-the-shelf fluorescent reagents, affinity resins, and secondary antibodies for academic and biotech researchers, with additional custom CRO services and therapeutic licensing deals such as the 2024 BioNTech ALFA agreement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biotechnology Reagents

NAICS

In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Antibody Discovery & Engineering Platforms (display tech, bispecifics, Fc engineering) (HLAAAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nanobodies & Alternative Antibody Scaffolds (HLAAAAAG), Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes) (HLAGAIAI)

Keywords

• Single-domain antibodies
• Nanobody reagents
• Antibody discovery services
• Super-resolution microscopy
• Affinity purification resins

Headquarters

HQ city

Göttingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

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. Off-the-shelf sdAb Product Sales: NanoTag sells a broad catalog of validated sdAb products through its e-commerce webshop, including FluoTags (fluorescent conjugates), Smart Secondaries, Selector Resins, unconjugated sdAbs, and related reagents. Products are available in multiple conjugation formats (fluorophores, biotin, HRP, DBCO, etc.) with per-product pricing ranging from approximately €130 to €420+ per unit.
2. Custom CRO Services: Tailored sdAb discovery services, custom protein production, advanced sdAb modifications, and functional validations for specific project needs. Services are highly customized and contracted on a project basis.
3. Technology Licensing (ALFA System): Under the May 2024 BioNTech agreement, NanoTag received a EUR 1 million option exercise fee and is eligible for potential additional development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments plus royalty payments on products advanced under the licensing agreement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NanoTag Biotechnologies manufactures and sells single-domain antibody (sdAb / nanobody) based research reagents — including fluorescent FluoTag® conjugates, Smart Secondaries® species-specific secondary nanobodies, and Selector affinity resins — produced recombinantly in microbial and mammalian expression systems. The company also licenses its proprietary ALFA-tag system and provides custom contract research services for sdAb discovery and recombinant protein production. Customers are academic, biotech, and pharmaceutical researchers using these reagents for super-resolution microscopy, immunofluorescence, and affinity purification.

Product overview

NanoTag Biotechnologies is a biotechnology company specializing in single-domain antibodies (sdAbs), also known as nanobodies, derived from camelids. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of reagent products and contract research services. Core reagent products include FluoTag® fluorescent sdAb conjugates (FluoTag-Q with 1 fluorophore, FluoTag-X2 with 2 fluorophores, and FluoTag-X4 with 4 fluorophores) for super-resolution microscopy, Smart Secondaries® species-specific secondary nanobodies, Selector Resins (GFP, RFP, TagFP, and ALFA Selectors) for affinity purification, the ALFA System tag technology, and recombinant heavy-chain antibodies (rHcAbs). The company also provides CRO services for custom sdAb discovery and protein production. Key technology platforms include FX Technology for improved post-fixation, Celline for B lymphocyte-based sdAb discovery, OneStep Immunofluorescence, and Multiplexing technology for species-independent multi-target staining.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FluoTags: Trademark for camelid single-domain antibodies conjugated to chemical fluorophores, available as FluoTag-Q, FluoTag-X2, and FluoTag-X4 variants with defined fluorophore conjugation.
• Smart Secondaries
• Selector Resins
• ALFA System
• Celline
• FX Technology

Products and services

• FluoTag®-Q single-domain antibody conjugates Fluorescently labeled sdAbs carrying exactly one fluorophore per protein molecule, positioned within 1.5 nm of the antigen-binding surface. Designed for epitope counting and highly linear quantitative fluorescence analyses in research imaging.
• FluoTag®-X2 single-domain antibody conjugates sdAbs carrying two fluorophores per protein molecule, providing up to 2-fold brighter signal than FluoTag-Q while maintaining small size for optimal tissue penetration in immunofluorescence and super-resolution microscopy.
• FluoTag®-X4 single-domain antibody conjugates Blend of two different sdAbs each carrying two fluorophores, delivering up to 4 fluorophores per target for high-signal super-resolution microscopy, including specific catalog items anti-GFP and anti-Halo.
• Smart Secondaries® secondary nanobodies Single-domain antibodies recognizing conventional immunoglobulins with species and isotype specificity, replacing conventional polyclonal secondary antibodies. Monovalent binding prevents cluster formation, enabling OneStep Immunofluorescence and species-independent multiplexing.
• Selector Resins affinity purification resins Affinity resins based on controlled covalent oriented immobilization of sdAbs on 4% cross-linked agarose or magnetic agarose beads, including GFP Selector, RFP Selector, TagFP Selector, and ALFA Selector (ST, PE, CE) variants. Eliminate Ig heavy/light chain contamination in pull-down eluates even under denaturing conditions.
• ALFA System target labeling technology (licensed to BioNTech) Patented 13-amino-acid epitope tag (SRLEEELRRRLTE) recognized by three complementary sdAbs spanning pM to nM affinity. Licensed exclusively to BioNTech for therapeutic applications; available to researchers as imaging, immobilization, and affinity purification reagents.
• Recombinant Heavy-chain Antibodies (rHcAbs) Single-domain antibodies genetically fused to immunoglobulin Fc domains (Mouse or Rabbit IgG Fc), creating divalent recombinant antibodies that combine nanobody-level specificity with conventional Fc-based detection flexibility and signal amplification.
• Bi-specific sdAb Fusions (Diabodies) Custom-designed fusions of two sdAbs targeting the same or different molecules, used as adaptor entities bringing two target molecules in tight contact or to increase apparent binding affinity via two-site binding. Delivered with cloning and expression services in prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems using ready-to-use vector systems.
• FX Technology sdAbs (Fixation Cassettes) sdAbs equipped with short amino acid cassettes carrying multiple primary amines that improve post-fixation properties for STORM, DNA-PAINT, and expansion microscopy applications, providing ProteinaseK-resistant anchor points.
• sdAb Discovery Services (CRO) Custom-tailored contract research service for discovery of single-domain antibodies against specific protein targets, including screening, selection, engineering, and functional validation using the proprietary Celline B-lymphocyte selection platform.
• Protein Production Services (CRO) Recombinant protein production service using bacterial, yeast, and mammalian cell culture systems, including GMP-compatible scalable production for advanced sdAb modifications and functional validations.

Quantifiable outcome

• ALFA Selector ST achieves Kd = 26 pM affinity for ALFA-tagged proteins, enabling high-capacity pull-down with negligible background
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BioNTech SEflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 22 May 2024BioNTech has exercised an exclusive option under a 2022 Research Collaboration and License Agreement to evaluate NanoTag's ALFA tagging system in oncology and infectious diseases, in both preclinical and clinical settings. NanoTag received a EUR 1 million option exercise fee. The agreement provides for potential additional development, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, plus royalty payments on products advanced by BioNTech. The ALFA system enables specific labeling of target proteins using a rationally designed peptide tag bound by NanoTag's sdAbs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ChromoTek (Proteintech Group): Most direct competitor in the sdAb/nanobody reagent space, offering GFP-Trap, RFP-Trap, and similar camelid-derived affinity reagents. Now backed by Proteintech Group, providing much larger distribution and catalog than NanoTag. Highly comparable product category, customer base, and application focus.
• Synaptic Systems: German-based antibody reagent company specializing in neuroscience research products, including recombinant antibodies and secondary reagents. Comparable in scale and customer base (academic/biomedical research), with overlapping product categories in secondary detection.

Broad incumbents

• Jackson ImmunoResearch: Established specialty manufacturer of secondary antibodies and immunoreagents for research. Competes with NanoTag's Smart Secondaries line via conventional polyclonal secondary antibodies, though lacks sdAb/single-domain scaffold advantages.
• Abcam: Global leader in research antibodies and life science reagents, recently acquired by Danaher. Offers an extensive antibody catalog with growing recombinant and nanobody offerings, competing with NanoTag across most research reagent categories with far broader portfolio and distribution.
• Cell Signaling Technology: Major US-based antibody reagent company focused on signaling pathway and neuroscience research. Competes with NanoTag's neuroscience rHcAb product line and broader secondary detection reagents, with significantly larger catalog and commercial footprint.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Life Science Reagents): Global life science giant with broad antibody, reagent, and instrument portfolio including Invitrogen and Thermo Scientific brands. Competes with NanoTag through its primary/secondary antibody catalog, affinity purification products, and custom CRO services, with vastly greater resources.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Diversified life science research and clinical diagnostics company with antibody products, protein purification resins, and imaging reagents. Overlaps with NanoTag's Selector Resin product line (affinity purification) and research antibody catalog.
• Proteintech Group: Major antibody manufacturer with extensive catalog of polyclonal, monoclonal, and recombinant antibodies. Parent of ChromoTek (NanoTag's closest direct competitor), making it a particularly relevant broader incumbent competing across multiple NanoTag product categories.

Emerging players

• Argenx: Clinical-stage immunology company developing nanobody-based therapeutics (efgartigimod/VYVGART franchise approved for myasthenia gravis and ITP). Comparable in nanobody/sdAb technology foundation but focused on therapeutic applications rather than research reagents — emerging competitive overlap if NanoTag advances ALFA into therapeutics.

Others

• Hybrigenics Services: French CRO offering custom antibody and sdAb discovery services using yeast two-hybrid and phage display platforms. Comparable CRO business model to NanoTag's custom sdAb discovery services, though with different underlying discovery technologies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/_nanotag_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 NanoTag Biotechnologies