What Med Associates does

Med Associates Inc. is a privately held US manufacturer and software developer founded in 1971 that designs, fabricates, and sells specialized laboratory systems for behavioral psychology, pharmacology, and neuroscience research. Its product portfolio spans behavioral testing packages (operant conditioning chambers, mazes, fear conditioning rigs, self-administration apparatus, startle and shuttle boxes), locomotor activity equipment (activity wheels, rota-rods, running wheels), physiology instruments (cystometry, gastrointestinal motility monitoring, UroVoid metabolic cages, olfactometers), and a proprietary Med-PC software platform that serves as the central control and data acquisition layer across all hardware. The company claims the leading position in its niche based on over five decades of continuous operation and a citation library tracked through Google Scholar and Bioz.

The business operates a direct, consultation-based sales model: all products are priced via quote rather than published rates, the company offers custom fabrication, and a 1-business-day consultation response SLA supports enterprise and academic buyers. End customers are primarily academic research institutions (universities and independent laboratories) and pharmaceutical companies conducting pre-clinical CNS and addiction research, with neuroscience research facilities as a secondary vertical. Sub-brands include Med-PC, VeriFEED, UroVoid, OmniCtrl, MedTouch, GIMM, SmartCtrl, and SuperPort, and the company operates a wholly-owned subsidiary, MedNR, that distributes research and reference materials for behavioral pharmacology.

Med Associates is founder/owner-operated with no disclosed institutional investment, M&A activity, or public listing. It sells globally with no geographic restrictions stated. The company has no AI/ML capability disclosed and no mobile applications; competitive differentiation rests on proprietary Med-PC software, integrated hardware-software modularity, custom fabrication, and the cumulative installed base and protocol library built over more than 50 years.

Name

Med Associates

Legal name

Med Associates Inc.

Website

https://med-associates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Med Associates is a privately held US manufacturer founded in 1971 that builds and sells specialized hardware and proprietary Med-PC software for behavioral psychology, pharmacology, and neuroscience research, serving academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies worldwide through a quote-based direct sales model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfax

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Behavioral Research Equipment Sales: Sale of specialized laboratory equipment including activity wheels, mazes, operant conditioning chambers, physiological measurement devices, and accessories. Products are sold as complete packages with hardware and associated software.
2. Proprietary Software Licenses: Med-PC software platform sales and licensing for experiment control and data collection. Software integrates with hardware products and may include freeware versions alongside commercial licenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Med Associates designs, manufactures, and sells specialized laboratory equipment and integrated software for behavioral psychology, pharmacology, and neuroscience research. The product range includes operant conditioning chambers, mazes, activity wheels, fear conditioning systems, nose poke apparatus, self-administration setups, shuttle boxes, syringe pumps, physiology instruments (UroVoid, Cystometry, GIMM), and the proprietary Med-PC software platform that controls experiments and collects data. Offerings are bundled as configurable test packages for mouse, rat, and pigeon research, sold via a direct quote-based sales motion.

Product overview

Med Associates is a manufacturer and supplier of specialized research equipment for behavioral psychology, pharmacology, and neuroscience. The product portfolio consists of modular behavioral testing systems centered around the Med-PC software platform for data acquisition and experimental control. Key product categories include: VeriFEED Pellet Dispensers and related food/water delivery accessories for reward-based studies; maze systems (Barnes Maze, Radial Maze, T-Maze, Y-Maze, Elevated Plus Maze, Water Maze, Zero Maze) for spatial learning and memory research; locomotor activity equipment (Activity Wheels, Rota-Rod, Running Wheels) for motor function assessment; anxiety/depression models (Forced Swim Test, Tail Suspension, Open Field, Shuttle Boxes); addiction research systems (Self-Administration, Conditioned Place Preference, ICSS); cognitive testing platforms (Nose Poke, Fear Conditioning, Startle); and physiology equipment (UroVoid Metabolic Cages, Cystometry, GIMM Gastrointestinal Motility Monitor, Olfactometers); plus MedTouch touch screen visual response systems for automated cognitive testing. Products are designed to integrate with the Med-PC software ecosystem and can be configured as test packages tailored for specific research applications in rats, mice, and pigeons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Med-PC: Proprietary software platform for research control and data collection in behavioral pharmacology experiments
• VeriFEED
• UroVoid
• OmniCtrl
• MedTouch
• GIMM
• SmartCtrl
• SuperPort

Products and services

• VeriFEED Pellet Dispenser Pellet dispenser for behavioral research delivering 20mg or 45mg pellets with confirmed delivery via infrared photo-beam detection and integrated hopper monitoring, operating via Med-PC interface.
• Behavioral Test Packages for Rat Comprehensive integrated behavioral testing packages configured specifically for rat models, combining operant conditioning chambers, interfaces, and Med-PC software.
• Behavioral Test Packages for Mouse Comprehensive integrated behavioral testing packages configured specifically for mouse models, combining nose poke, conditioning, and Med-PC software components.
• Rat UroVoid Metabolic Cage System Metabolic cage system for continuous monitoring of urination patterns and voiding frequency in rats, available in modular configurations.
• NIR Video Fear Conditioning (VFC) System Near-infrared video fear conditioning system available in optogenetics-compatible and general-use variants for studying learning and memory in rodents.
• Drug Self-Administration Test Packages Self-administration apparatus for studying intravenous and oral drug reinforcement and addiction-like behaviors in rodents; includes specialized variants for social self-administration and tethered animals.
• MedTouch Visual Response Screen System Integrated touch screen visual response platform with aperture plates, image discrimination protocol, and image file manager utility for automated cognitive testing with operant conditioning chambers.
• Syringe Pumps (Med Control and TTL Control) Programmable syringe pumps for precise automated drug delivery, available in Med-Control and TTL-control variants for integration with external timing and control systems.
• Cystometry Lab Station Cystometry system for measuring bladder function and urinary patterns in research animals.
• Gastrointestinal Motility Monitor (GIMM) Package Gastrointestinal motility monitoring system for measuring GI transit and gut function.
• Dilution Olfactometer Two-channel olfactometer for measuring olfactory detection thresholds in research animals.
• Pre-Pulse Inhibition Starter Package Acoustic startle response system for measuring sensorimotor gating and pre-pulse inhibition.
• USV Detection Package Ultrasonic vocalization detection system for monitoring social and emotional communication in rodents.
• Activity Wheel and Wireless Running Wheel Systems Activity wheels for mice and rats with modular chamber, home cage, low-profile wireless, and vertical wireless configurations for continuous locomotor monitoring.
• Forced Swim Test Package Forced swim apparatus with NIR backlit chamber for depression research measuring immobility in rodents.
• Tail Suspension Package Tail suspension apparatus for depression research measuring immobility in mice.
• Conditioned Place Preference (CPP) Packages Two- and three-compartment conditioned place preference systems for measuring drug reward and environmental associations.
• ICSS Package Dual programmable intra-cranial self-stimulation system for studying brain stimulation reward and motivational states.
• Shuttle Box Test Packages Standard, extra-large, and tethered-animal shuttle box configurations for active avoidance, escape learning, and startle-based studies.
• Maze Equipment Packages (Barnes, Radial, T, Y, Elevated Plus, Water, Zero) Modular maze packages for spatial learning, memory, and anxiety research, including Barnes Maze, Radial Arm Maze, T-Maze, Y-Maze, Elevated Plus Maze, Water (Morris) Maze, and Zero Maze variants.
• Nose Poke Wall Packages (Five and Nine Hole) Five-hole (rat) and nine-hole (mouse) nose poke apparatus for cognitive and attention testing.
• Rota-Rod and RotoRat Systems Rotating rod apparatus for measuring motor coordination and balance in rodents, available in mouse and rat configurations with automated performance tracking.
• Med-PC Software Platform Proprietary software platform for controlling behavioral research experiments, collecting data, and interfacing with Med Associates hardware. Sold as commercial licenses with freeware versions available; includes protocols, utilities, and integration with OmniCtrl, SmartCtrl, and SuperPort interfaces.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Coulbourn Instruments: Direct peer historically known for operant conditioning chambers, activity monitors, and behavioral research interfaces; now part of Harvard Bioscience but operating in the same product category. Closely comparable to Med Associates' chamber-based behavioral testing portfolio.
• Ugo Basile: Direct peer manufacturing behavioral research apparatus including rotarod, fear conditioning, startle response, and analgesia equipment. Sells into the same academic and preclinical pharma research customer base as Med Associates.
• TSE Systems: Direct peer producing modular behavioral phenotyping systems (e.g., IntelliCage, Phenomaster) for rodents, with integrated software for automated data collection. Comparable integrated hardware-plus-software approach serving academic and pharma CNS research customers.
• Columbus Instruments: Direct peer producing metabolic and behavioral measurement systems for rodent research, including CLAMS metabolic cages and locomotor activity monitors. Overlaps with Med Associates' physiology (UroVoid, GIMM) and locomotor product lines.
• Lafayette Instrument: Direct peer manufacturing operant conditioning chambers, mazes, activity monitors, and physiological instruments for behavioral neuroscience research. Closely overlaps with Med Associates' product categories and customer segments.
• Stoelting Co. Direct peer manufacturing behavioral, physiological, and neurobiological research instruments including stereotaxic frames, startle systems, and conditioning chambers. Targets the same neuroscience and pharmacology research labs as Med Associates.
• Noldus Information Technology: Direct peer providing behavioral research software (EthoVision, Observer) and integrated hardware for animal behavior tracking and analysis. Highly comparable to Med Associates' integrated software (Med-PC) plus instrument approach and overlapping academic/pharma customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Harvard Apparatus / Harvard Bioscience: Broad incumbent life science tools platform whose portfolio includes Harvard Apparatus (surgical/preclinical equipment) and acquired behavioral brands (e.g., Coulbourn). Comparable through overlapping preclinical research instrument categories and pharma/academic customer base, but operates across a much wider portfolio.

Emerging players

• Maze Engineers: Emerging player offering behavioral testing apparatus and open-source tools for neuroscience research. Partial overlap with Med Associates' maze and behavioral testing categories, with a more software-/open-source-leaning approach.
• Biobserve: Emerging player providing video-based behavioral observation and analysis systems for animal research. Comparable through its focus on automated behavioral measurement and software-driven data collection for the same research customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/med-associates-inc-
• Xx.com/medassociates
• Facebookfacebook.com/MedAssociates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 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 Med Associates