What Epithelix does

Epithelix Sàrl, founded in March 2006 in Plan-les-Ouates (Geneva, Switzerland) by three University of Geneva scientists — Dr. Samuel Constant, Dr. Song Huang and Dr. Ludovic Wiszniewski — develops and commercializes in vitro 3D reconstituted human respiratory epithelium tissues cultured at the air-liquid interface (ALI) as alternatives to animal experimentation. The company's core platform consists of three primary tissue models: MucilAir™ (upper respiratory tract, available in nasal, tracheal and bronchial variants), SmallAir™ (lower respiratory tract / bronchiolar region) and AlveolAir™ (alveolar epithelium), each maintained in a proprietary differentiated and functional state for more than one year — a performance capability the company positions as unique versus other respiratory models. The product range is broadened by advanced co-culture versions (with primary human fibroblasts or alveolar macrophages), pathological-tissue variants (Smoker, Allergic Rhinitis, Asthma, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis), cryopreserved primary cells (hAEC, hSAEC, fibroblasts, pneumocytes, alveolar macrophages) and a suite of serum-free, chemically defined culture media.

Revenue is generated through two complementary streams: (1) catalog product sales of tissues, cryopreserved cells, media and companion reagents on a one-time-purchase basis, and (2) contract research (CRO) services covering viral and bacterial infection assays, nasal spray evaluation, inhalation toxicity, anti-inflammatory and cystic fibrosis efficacy testing, absorption/permeation, metaplasia, mucolytic activity, nasal dryness, wound healing, electrophysiology, and mucociliary clearance analysis, supported by exposure systems (Vitrocell Cloud, Vitrocell VC1, NanoPress) and the proprietary Cilia-X CBF analysis software. Pricing is quote-based via direct email requests, with free test samples offered to new accounts. The go-to-market combines direct sales from Swiss and French facilities with regional channel partners in the US (Institute of In Vitro Sciences), Japan (Iwaki & Co., since January 2010), South Korea (BN Korea) and India (Krishgen BioSystems); customer segments span pharmaceutical, chemical/consumer products (including cosmetics and inhalation product testing), academic research, government/regulatory bodies, and medical-device developers, with named users including Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Public Health England, the Slovak Academy of Sciences and the University of Freiburg. The company is self-financed (no disclosed external equity), maintains a wholly-owned French subsidiary and a wholly-owned cancer-research spin-off (OncoTheis), and reports a headcount of 20+ full-time staff across both sites.

Name

Epithelix

Legal name

Epithelix Sàrl

Website

https://epithelix.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Epithelix Sàrl develops and commercializes proprietary in vitro 3D reconstituted human respiratory epithelium tissues (MucilAir™, SmallAir™, AlveolAir™) and related contract research services, serving pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetics, medical-device, academic and government customers seeking alternatives to animal respiratory testing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

In Vitro Respiratory Tissue Models

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Organoids & Organ-on-Chip (regenerative models) (HLAAAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Respiratory & Allergy Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAH), Asthma & Allergy-Related Pulmonary Care (HLAKANAD)

Keywords

• In vitro respiratory tissues
• 3D airway epithelium models
• Preclinical inhalation toxicology
• Alternatives to animal testing
• Human respiratory tissue models

Headquarters

HQ city

Plan-les-ouates

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tissue and Cell Products: Sale of in vitro reconstituted human respiratory tissues (MucilAir, SmallAir, AlveolAir) and cryopreserved primary cells (hAEC, hSAEC, fibroblasts, alveolar pneumocytes, alveolar macrophages) along with specialized culture media.
2. Contract Research Services (CRO): In vitro testing services including viral infections, bacterial infections, nasal spray evaluation, inhalation toxicity, anti-inflammatory, cystic fibrosis, absorption-permeation, metaplasia, mucolytic activity, nasal dryness, wound healing assays, electrophysiology, and mucociliary clearance analysis.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Epithelix develops and sells in vitro 3D reconstituted human respiratory epithelium tissues (MucilAir™, SmallAir™, AlveolAir™) cultured at air-liquid interface, along with co-culture models, cryopreserved primary airway cells, tissue-specific serum-free culture media, the proprietary Cilia-X analysis software, and a suite of contract research testing services for respiratory drug development, inhalation toxicology, infectious disease research, and disease modeling.

Product overview

Epithelix provides a comprehensive portfolio of in vitro respiratory solutions centered on reconstituted human 3D airway tissues and associated testing services. The core product line includes three primary 3D tissue models: MucilAir™ (upper respiratory epithelium available in nasal, tracheal, and bronchial versions), SmallAir™ (lower bronchiolar epithelium), and AlveolAir™ (alveolar epithelium). These are complemented by advanced co-culture models incorporating fibroblasts or macrophages, and an extensive catalog of cryopreserved primary cells (hAEC, hSAEC, pneumocytes, alveolar macrophages, fibroblasts). Supporting the tissue products are purpose-designed serum-free culture media for each tissue type. As a CRO, Epithelix offers extensive testing services including viral/bacterial infection assays, inhalation toxicity, drug absorption studies, anti-inflammatory evaluation, and specialized endpoints such as electrophysiology and mucociliary clearance analysis. The company also provides proprietary analysis software (Cilia-X) and exposure devices for aerosol testing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MucilAir™: In vitro 3D human respiratory epithelium model from nasal, tracheal, or bronchial origin. The only human respiratory epithelium model able to remain fully differentiated and functional for more than one year.
• SmallAir™
• AlveolAir™
• MucilAir™ Pool
• SmallAir™ Pool
• Cilia-X
• LIVe

Products and services

• MucilAir™ In vitro 3D reconstituted human upper respiratory epithelium comprising basal, goblet, and ciliated cells, available in nasal, tracheal, and bronchial regions, for pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetics, and academic respiratory research.
• SmallAir™ In vitro 3D reconstituted human bronchiolar epithelium model targeting the small airways for research on asthma, COPD, and bronchiolar disease.
• AlveolAir™ In vitro 3D reconstituted human alveolar epithelium model for studying deep-lung biology, drug delivery, and alveolar pathology.
• MA / SA -HF Advanced Co-culture Models MucilAir or SmallAir tissue co-cultured with primary human pulmonary fibroblasts for studies requiring stromal-epithelial interactions.
• MA / SA / AA -Macrophages Co-culture Models Epithelial tissues combined with primary human alveolar macrophages for modelling innate immune and inflammatory responses in the respiratory tract.
• hAEC Upper Airway Epithelial Cells Cryopreserved low-passage primary human upper airway epithelial cells supplied for 2D or ALI culture use in respiratory research.
• hSAEC Small Airway Epithelial Cells Cryopreserved low-passage primary human small airway epithelial cells for use in disease modeling and toxicology research.
• Pulmonary Fibroblasts (HF) Cryopreserved low-passage primary human pulmonary fibroblasts for co-culture and stromal interaction studies.
• Alveolar Pneumocytes Cryopreserved low-passage primary human alveolar pneumocytes (Type I and Type II) for alveolar biology and inhalation studies.
• Alveolar Macrophages Cryopreserved primary human resident alveolar macrophages (more than 1 million viable cells per vial) for co-culture, innate immunity, and infection studies.
• Cells and Tissues Extracts Prepared extracts (mucus, total RNA, protein lysate) from MucilAir tissues for downstream biochemical and omics analyses.
• Tissue-specific Serum-free Culture Media (MucilAir / SmallAir / AlveolAir / hAEC-hSAEC / Macrophage / Pneumocyte) Serum-free chemically defined culture media tailored to each Epithelix tissue and primary cell type, available in formats such as 125 mL and 500 mL bottles.
• Cilia-X CBF Analysis Software Proprietary cross-platform web application for batch cilia beating frequency analysis, supporting image series, video files, and Nikon ND2 files with automated reporting.
• In Vitro Contract Research Testing Services (CRO) Fee-for-service in vitro testing on Epithelix airway tissues including viral and bacterial infection assays, inhalation toxicity, anti-inflammatory studies, cystic fibrosis assays, absorption/permeation, metaplasia, mucolytic activity, nasal dryness, wound healing, electrophysiology, mucociliary clearance, and endpoint measurements for pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetics, and academic clients.
• Inhalation Exposure Devices Static and dynamic exposure devices including NanoPress (solid tablets), Vitrocell Cloud (nebulized liquids), and Vitrocell VC1 (gas or smoke) for testing airborne substances on Epithelix tissues, supplied and integrated for client studies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tissues can remain fully differentiated and functional for more than one year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, minor and regional.

• Vitrocell SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationVitrocell Systems offers culture and exposure systems for in vitro studies on gases or complex mixtures. The VITROCELL modules adapted to MucilAir and SmallAir provide new possibilities for characterizing effects of airborne substances such as gas, nanoparticles, and complex mixtures.
• PanviprepmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe PANVIPREP consortium incorporates 14 European partners working to contribute to antiviral pandemic preparedness by piloting and progressing antiviral drug development targeting RNA virus families with high epidemic or pandemic potential.
• NosevacmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNOSEVAC consortium aims to cultivate and evaluate inventive nasal vaccine platforms to prevent earliest stage of infection and inhibit upper respiratory tract colonisation and transmission. Funding from EU, UK, and Swiss governments.
• MACRAMÉmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMACRAMÉ Project aligned with EU ambitions for safety and sustainability of chemicals, focusing on nanomaterials and Advanced Materials. Development of novel methodologies for inhalable carbon-based materials including graphene-related materials and carbon nanotubes.
• FAIRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAIR is an EU Horizon 2020 project that aims at evaluating the activation of the innate immune system in the airways. Provides an alternative adjunct strategy to standard of care antibiotics for treating pneumonia caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
• OrganovircoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganoVIR is a Horizon 2020 Marie Sklowdowska-Curie Actions Innovative Training Network (MSCA-ITN) that trains 15 Early Stage Researchers to lead innovation in organoids for virology. Epithelix is a partner in the consortium.
• OnconanoscreenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOnconanoscreen is an Interreg project linking Swiss and French research groups. Mission is to develop an in vitro platform to screen nanotherapies against lung cancer.
• OncoTheiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOncoTheis is a biotech company dedicated to developing innovative bioengineered tissues and organoids for cancer research. Produces integrated 3D in vitro models combining healthy and compromised tissues.
• VirnextcoreTechnology or IntegrationVirNext is a spin-off of Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 created within the VirPath laboratory. Epithelix partners with VirNext to provide in vitro testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection using BSL-3 facility.
• Iwaki & Co., LTDcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJapanese distributor for Epithelix products. Distribution agreement signed January 2010. Located in Tokyo, Japan.
• Institute of In Vitro Sciences (IIVS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS distributor for Epithelix products. Located in Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
• BN KorearegionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSouth Korean distributor for Epithelix products. Located in Seoul, South Korea.
• Krishgen BioSystemsregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndian distributor for Epithelix products. Located in Mumbai, India.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MatTek Life Sciences: MatTek produces reconstructed human 3D tissue models (EpiDerm, EpiOcular, EpiAirway) using primary epithelial cells cultured at air-liquid interface, directly overlapping Epithelix's MucilAir airway tissue products and serving similar cosmetic, chemical, and pharmaceutical safety testing customers.
• Emulate Inc. Emulate develops organ-on-chip platforms with multiple tissue types including airway and lung chips, directly competing for the same in vitro respiratory drug development and toxicology budgets that Epithelix addresses.
• CN Bio: CN Bio offers organ-on-chip and MPS systems including lung models for drug development and toxicology, competing with Epithelix in respiratory in vitro testing for pharma and consumer products customers.

Emerging players

• Mimetas: Mimetas develops OrganoPlate organ-on-chip technology covering multiple tissues including airway models, representing an emerging alternative to Epithelix's 3D reconstituted tissue approach for respiratory research.
• TissUse: TissUse builds multi-organ-chip (MOC) and HUMIMIC systems for substance testing and disease modeling, including respiratory applications, providing an integrated platform that overlaps with Epithelix's MPS positioning.
• InSphero: InSphero produces 3D microtissue and organoid models for drug discovery and toxicology, with similar in vitro alternative testing focus and pharma/CRO customer base as Epithelix, though broader across organ types.
• CellnTec: CellnTec supplies primary epithelial cells and 3D air-liquid interface culture technologies, overlapping with Epithelix's hAEC/hSAEC cell product lines and airway tissue culture workflows.

Broad incumbents

• Lonza Group: Lonza is a major contract manufacturer of cell and gene therapies and primary cells used in respiratory research; its scale and broad portfolio in biologics manufacturing position it as a broad incumbent competitor to specialty tissue providers like Epithelix.
• Philip Morris International (in vitro biology R&D): PMI's reduced-risk product R&D relies on in vitro human airway models for aerosol and inhalation toxicology assessment, making it both a sophisticated buyer and a potential internal competitor to commercial tissue suppliers like Epithelix.

Others

• Vitrocell Systems: Vitrocell manufactures exposure systems for in vitro inhalation toxicology (Cloud, VC1) that are adapted for use with Epithelix's tissues; while not a direct tissue competitor, it is a close technology partner and ecosystem enabler in the same customer workflow.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epithelix

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

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 Epithelix