Q-Sera
Q-Sera is an Australian biotech that licenses RAPClot recombinant ecarin technology to medical device manufacturers for use in rapid-serum blood collection tubes, with Terumo Corporation as its anchor licensee in Japan and active partner outreach for other geographies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersMelbourne, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Q-Sera does
Q-Sera Pty Ltd is an Australian venture-backed biotechnology company founded in 2012 and headquartered in Melbourne that develops proprietary blood collection tubes based on RAPClot, a recombinantly manufactured prothrombin activator (recombinant ecarin) originally derived from Australian Taipan snake venom. The company's core technology combines RAPClot with a patented protective formulation to produce serum in under five minutes, including from anticoagulated blood samples (effective against heparin up to 6U/ml, warfarin, and direct oral anticoagulants), addressing a long-standing inefficiency in standard silica-based clot activator tubes that take 15-30 minutes and often fail on anticoagulated patients. The technology is patent-protected through 2035 across 13 major jurisdictions.
Q-Sera's commercial model is asset-light licensing: it supplies RAPClot recombinant ecarin manufactured at commercial scale under GMP by partner Bora Biologics (formerly JHL Biotech) to medical device licensees who incorporate it into their own blood collection tube brands. Terumo Corporation is the anchor licensee, holding exclusive Japan rights and launching the product as VenoJect II RAPClot in January 2026. Q-Sera is actively soliciting additional licensing partners for blood collection tube and diagnostic markets outside Japan. Revenue streams consist of licensing/royalty income and recombinant ecarin supply to partners, with no direct-to-end-user sales.
The company's customer base is currently a single enterprise licensee (Terumo) with hospital and pathology laboratory end-users reached indirectly through partner distribution. Scientific leadership draws on University of Queensland researchers whose PhD work underpinned the primary patent, supplemented by a CEO with CSL coagulation commercial development experience. Key capital providers include Brandon BioCatalyst/MRCF, Uniseed, CSIRO, and Australian Government commercialization programs.
Q-Sera firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Q-Sera
- Legal name
- Q-Sera Pty Ltd
- Website
- https://q-sera.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Q-Sera is an Australian biotech that licenses RAPClot recombinant ecarin technology to medical device manufacturers for use in rapid-serum blood collection tubes, with Terumo Corporation as its anchor licensee in Japan and active partner outreach for other geographies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Q-Sera industry classification
Industry- Product category
- In Vitro Diagnostics — Blood Collection Tubes
- NAICS
- In-Vitro Diagnostic Substance Manufacturing (325413)
- SIC
- In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Recombinant Protein Therapeutics (enzymes, hormones, growth factors) (HLAAAAAB)
Keywords
Where Q-Sera is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melbourne
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Q-Sera business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Licensing Revenue: Q-Sera generates revenue through exclusive licensing agreements with medical device companies. Terumo Corporation holds exclusive rights to manufacture and market VenoJect II RAPClot tubes in Japan. The company is pursuing similar licensing arrangements for other geographic markets and diagnostic sectors.
- Recombinant Ecarin Supply: Supply of RAPClot recombinant ecarin to license partners for use in blood collection tubes and diagnostic/medical device applications. Manufacturing is done through Bora Biologics using GMP processes.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Q-Sera product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Q-Sera develops and manufactures RAPClot recombinant ecarin, a prothrombin activator protein originally derived from Australian Taipan snake venom and produced recombinantly via GMP biopharmaceutical processes. The protein is supplied to medical device license partners and formulated into RAPClot Rapid Serum blood collection tubes that clot most samples in under 5 minutes and effectively clot anticoagulated blood (heparin up to 6U/ml, warfarin, DOACs). Q-Sera operates a B2B licensing model, with Terumo Corporation holding exclusive Japan rights and launching VenoJect II RAPClot tubes in January 2026.
Product overview
Q-Sera is a biotech company commercializing RAPClot technology, a novel blood collection tube system. The core product is RAPClot Rapid Serum Tubes containing recombinant ecarin (RAPClot), a prothrombin activator originally derived from snake venom (Australian Taipan). These tubes represent a new standard biochemistry tube that rapidly produces high-quality serum in under 5 minutes, even from anticoagulated blood samples. The technology is protected by global patents through 2035. Q-Sera manufactures RAPClot recombinant ecarin at commercial scale through its manufacturing partner Bora Biologics. The product is distributed in Japan through Terumo Corporation's Venoject II RAPClot brand.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RAPClot: RAPClot is the company's recombinant ecarin technology used in blood collection tubes for rapid serum production. It is manufactured recombinantly using standard biopharmaceutical processes.
- VenoJect II RAPClot
Products and services
- RAPClot Rapid Serum Tubes Proprietary blood collection tubes containing recombinant ecarin (RAPClot) and a patented protective formulation that rapidly produce high-quality serum in under 5 minutes. The tubes efficiently clot blood samples, including samples from anticoagulated patients on warfarin, heparin (up to 6U/ml), and direct oral anticoagulants. Formulated for room temperature stability and compatibility with Gamma and E-Beam sterilization. Sold to healthcare facilities through licensed medical device manufacturers.
- RAPClot Recombinant Ecarin High-purity recombinant ecarin protein manufactured using standard biopharmaceutical production and purification processes from a GMP master Cell Bank. High yielding and low cost; supply is unlimited and can be manufactured at any required quality level. Supplied to license partners for incorporation into blood collection tubes and other diagnostic/medical device applications.
- VenoJect II RAPClot Terumo Corporation's branded version of RAPClot rapid serum tubes marketed in Japan as part of the Venoject II tube range. Evacuated blood collection tubes incorporating Q-Sera's patent-protected RAPClot recombinant ecarin, formulated to clot up to 6U/ml heparin. Represents the first real innovation in the Japanese blood collection tube market in decades.
Quantifiable outcome
- Clotting time reduced to under 5 minutes for majority of samples
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Q-Sera
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Q-Sera technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Q-Sera partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Terumo CorporationcoreTerumo Corporation holds exclusive rights to use Q-Sera's technology to manufacture and market VenoJect II RAPClot evacuated blood collection tubes in Japan. In January 2026, Terumo successfully launched these next-generation tubes in the Japanese market. Terumo is a global medical innovation company founded in Tokyo in 1921, providing solutions in therapeutic procedures, hospital operations, and life sciences in over 160 countries.
- Bora Biologics Co., LtdcoreBora Biologics (formerly JHL Biotech) collaborated with Q-Sera to produce high-yielding recombinant ecarin for commercial scale production of RAPClot Rapid Serum tubes. Bora Biologics has successfully scaled-up RAPClot manufacturing to commercial scale using standard biopharmaceutical processes with a GMP master cell bank. This enables RAPClot to be manufactured at any quality level required for diagnostic and medical device use.
- University of Queensland / UniQuestcoreQ-Sera's technology is based on intellectual property from The University of Queensland (UQ) Centre for Clinical Research. UniQuest, UQ's commercialization company, identified and developed the technology and licensed it to Q-Sera. The technology involves using prothrombin activators originally identified from snake venom to accelerate blood clotting in improved blood collection tubes.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Q-Sera competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Q-Sera social profiles
Digital presenceQ-Sera financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Q-Sera leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Q-Sera funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Q-Sera M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Q-Sera
What does Q-Sera do?
Q-Sera develops and manufactures RAPClot recombinant ecarin, a prothrombin activator protein originally derived from Australian Taipan snake venom and produced recombinantly via GMP biopharmaceutical processes. The protein is supplied to medical device license partners and formulated into RAPClot Rapid Serum blood collection tubes that clot most samples in under 5 minutes and effectively clot anticoagulated blood (heparin up to 6U/ml, warfarin, DOACs). Q-Sera operates a B2B licensing model, with Terumo Corporation holding exclusive Japan rights and launching VenoJect II RAPClot tubes in January 2026.
Is Q-Sera a public or private company?
Q-Sera is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Q-Sera founded?
Q-Sera was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Q-Sera based?
Q-Sera is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Q-Sera make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Licensing Revenue is the primary driver. The others are recombinant Ecarin Supply.
Does Q-Sera have an API?
No public API is recorded for Q-Sera.
What industry is Q-Sera in?
Q-Sera's product category is In Vitro Diagnostics — Blood Collection Tubes. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAAAB, Recombinant Protein Therapeutics (enzymes, hormones, growth factors). Its NAICS code is 325413 and its SIC code is 2835.