What ACGT does

ACGT, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned DNA sequencing and molecular biology services company headquartered in Wheeling, Illinois. Founded in 1993 by Heron Yu, Ph.D. and now operated by the Cook family, ACGT operates three US laboratories (Wheeling, IL; Germantown, MD opened in 2012 to serve NIH researchers; and a new San Francisco Bay Area site) and delivers services at four regulatory tiers: standard research-grade, GLP-compliant (since 2005), cGMP-compliant (since 2019), and CLIA/CAP clinical-grade. The company also holds DEA licensure for Schedule I controlled substances and List I chemicals, enabling regulated-material sequencing.

The core technical stack spans Sanger capillary electrophoresis, Illumina NextSeq short-read NGS, and Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing, with supporting offerings in SNP genotyping, copy number analysis, fragment length analysis, and bioinformatics (Map to Reference, de novo assembly, custom analysis). Documented performance metrics include 750+ base Sanger reads, Q30+ accuracy with 500X+ average NGS coverage depth, next-day turnaround availability, and a free repeats policy for failed reactions. Quality infrastructure includes independent QAU personnel, chain of custody, CAPA systems, 10-year electronic records archiving, 24/7 video monitoring, and data redundancy with offsite backup.

Commercially, ACGT generates revenue primarily through per-reaction usage-based pricing starting at $12, supplemented by recurring institutional partnership programs that bundle volume pricing, dedicated account managers, expedited delivery, free shipping via a physical dropbox network, onsite training, and customized API integrations. The go-to-market combines self-serve online ordering (order.acgtinc.com), enterprise field sales for university core facilities and research institutions, a Refer-a-Friend program, Scientist.com marketplace listing, and event/tradeshow presence (including WACD). Customers are distributed across academic laboratories, biotech firms, government research (notably NIH), public health agencies, and clinical/LDT organizations, with no disclosed external equity investors.

Name

ACGT

Legal name

ACGT, Inc.

Website

https://acgtinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ACGT is a privately held, family-owned US DNA sequencing and molecular biology services company founded in 1993, serving academic, biotech, government, and clinical customers across research, GLP, cGMP, and CLIA regulatory tiers from three US laboratory locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

DNA Sequencing Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Genomics & Molecular Diagnostics (Trial Support) (HLAGAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Genetic & Genomic Testing (germline, somatic, carrier, pharmacogenomics) (HLAAALAD), Molecular Cytogenetics & Genomic Variation Services (Karyotyping/FISH/aCGH/CNV) (HLAGANAJ)

Keywords

• DNA sequencing services
• Sanger sequencing services
• Next generation sequencing
• Molecular biology services
• Plasmid sequencing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wheeling

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Sanger DNA Sequencing Services: Capillary electrophoresis-based DNA sequencing providing over 750 bases of high-quality sequence with fastest turnaround times. Multiple service tiers including Single Pass Primer Extension (SPPE), Direct Colony Sequencing, High Throughput Sanger, and Full Sequence Analysis (FSA). Revenue generated per-reaction with volume discounts for high-throughput orders.
2. Whole Plasmid Sequencing: Complete plasmid or amplicon sequencing using Oxford Nanopore long-read technology. Provides full-length sequence confirmation in a single run, priced starting at $12 per reaction.
3. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Services: Short-read (Illumina) and long-read (Oxford Nanopore) NGS services including plasmid/amplicon sequencing, bacterial/yeast WGS, 16S/ITS metagenomics, and custom library preparation. Turnaround times of 1-2 weeks for plasmids/PCR products, 4-6 weeks for WGS/WES.
4. Molecular Biology Services: SNP genotyping, copy number analysis, fragment length analysis, and custom molecular biology projects. Services include regulatory and clinical grade testing for FDA/EPA compliance contexts.
5. Institutional Partnership Programs: Exclusive partnership arrangements with research institutions and core facilities providing volume pricing, dedicated account management, expedited delivery, onsite training, free shipping, and customized API/software integrations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ACGT provides contract DNA sequencing and molecular biology services to life science researchers and institutions. The portfolio spans Sanger (capillary electrophoresis) sequencing, Oxford Nanopore long-read whole plasmid sequencing, Illumina-based Next Generation Sequencing (plasmid/amplicon, WGS, 16S/ITS metagenomics), SNP genotyping, copy number and fragment length analysis, bioinformatics, and custom projects deliverable at research, GLP/cGMP, and CLIA/CAP clinical regulatory grades.

Product overview

ACGT is a DNA sequencing and molecular biology services company founded in 1993. Their portfolio is organized as a service-based offering centered on multiple sequencing platforms: Sanger Sequencing (traditional capillary electrophoresis with options for single pass, direct colony, and full sequence analysis), Whole Plasmid Sequencing (Oxford Nanopore long-read technology), and Next Generation Sequencing (Illumina-based short read and Nanopore long-read platforms). Supporting services include SNP Genotyping, Copy Number Analysis, Fragment Length Analysis, Bioinformatics (variant analysis, de novo assembly, custom analysis), and Custom Project Services for regulatory/clinical grade work. The company offers services at multiple regulatory levels: Standard Research, GLP (Good Laboratory Practices), cGMP (current Good Manufacturing Practices), and Clinical (CLIA). Their service tiers differentiate by quality requirements and documentation depth, with newer offerings including molecular diagnostics launched in 2014 and cGMP services in 2019.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sanger Sequencing Capillary electrophoresis DNA sequencing service providing 750+ base pairs (typically 1000+ bps) of high-quality sequence data with fast turnaround times, including Single Pass Primer Extension, Direct Colony Sequencing, Full Sequence Analysis, gDNA Target Sequencing, and Load and Go formats. For life science researchers, core labs, and institutional customers needing targeted or confirmatory sequencing.
• Whole Plasmid Sequencing Complete plasmid or amplicon sequencing in a single run using Oxford Nanopore long-read technology, enabling full-length sequence confirmation with no assembly required. Starting price of $12 per reaction. For researchers needing full-plasmid verification and de novo characterization.
• Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) High-throughput sequencing services including plasmid/amplicon sequencing, bacterial/yeast WGS, 16S/ITS metagenomics, and pre-made library options using Illumina platforms. Turnaround 1-2 weeks for plasmids/PCR products, 4-6 weeks for WGS/WES. For life science and biotech researchers needing higher-throughput or higher-resolution sequencing than Sanger.
• High Throughput NGS Full-length sequencing of clonal circular plasmid DNA or PCR products above 0.5kb and whole bacterial genomes using the Illumina NextSeq platform, with Q30+ quality (>99.9% accuracy) and greater than 500X average depth coverage over the entire episome sequence. For researchers requiring higher-confidence NGS data on plasmids, amplicons, and bacterial genomes.
• SNP Genotyping Accurate genotyping using NGS, Sanger sequencing, TaqMan genotyping, and custom-designed assays. Supports personalized medicine, evolutionary studies, and agricultural or model-organism research. For researchers requiring targeted single-nucleotide polymorphism analysis.
• Copy Number Analysis Service for detecting and quantifying copy number variations in DNA samples using molecular assays. For researchers and clinical investigators characterizing gene dosage and structural variation.
• Fragment Length Analysis Service for analyzing fragment lengths in DNA samples, commonly used for genotyping and mutation detection (e.g., microsatellite, indel analysis). For researchers running fragment-based genetic assays.
• Bioinformatics Data analysis services including variant calling, annotation, interpretation, Map to Reference, de novo assembly, and custom analysis for comparative genomic, transcriptomic, methylation, small RNA, and cancer NGS data. For researchers needing downstream analysis on sequencing outputs they cannot perform internally.
• Custom Project Services Tailored sequencing and molecular biology projects for specific research needs, including regulatory (GLP/cGMP) and clinical-grade sequencing with method development and validation. Study proposals detail methods, materials, equipment, timetable, expected costs, and deliverables. For biotech, biopharma, and academic customers with non-standard or regulated sequencing needs.
• 16S/ITS Metagenomics Microbiome profiling service using 16S rRNA gene sequencing for bacterial identification and ITS sequencing for fungal analysis. For researchers characterizing microbial community composition in environmental, clinical, or agricultural samples.
• Bacterial/Yeast Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) Complete genome sequencing service for bacterial and yeast organisms using NGS, enabling comprehensive genetic analysis including variant detection, strain typing, and comparative genomics. For microbiology researchers, public health labs, and biotech R&D.
• GLP Compliant Sequencing Regulatory-grade sequencing service fully compliant with Good Laboratory Practices under 40 CFR Part 160 (EPA) or 21 CFR Part 58 (FDA). Includes chain of custody, in-process auditing, compliance statements, and 10-year electronic records archiving. For biotech, biopharma, and contract research customers needing regulated studies for FDA/EPA submissions.
• cGMP Compliant Sequencing Regulatory-grade sequencing service compliant with current Good Manufacturing Practices under 21 CFR Parts 210 and 211 for test article DNA sequence identity confirmation, with method development and GLP-level validation for each test article type. For biopharma and biotech customers running cGMP studies for FDA submissions.
• Molecular Diagnostic and Clinical Testing Services CLIA- and CAP-accredited clinical-grade sequencing services and Laboratory Developed Tests (LDTs) delivered from a CLIA-certified laboratory. For clinical organizations and LDT developers needing compliant clinical sequencing and components of clinical testing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Next-day turnaround time available
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Laragen (now Curia): Laragen (acquired by Curia) is a California-based Sanger and NGS sequencing services provider serving academic and biotech researchers. Direct competition in the same institutional partnership model, especially on the West Coast.
• MCLAB (Molecular Cloning Laboratories): MCLAB provides Sanger sequencing, gene synthesis, and molecular biology services to academic researchers. Competes head-to-head with ACGT in self-serve, low-priced Sanger sequencing for individual researchers.
• CD Genomics: CD Genomics is a specialty sequencing services provider offering NGS (WGS, WES, RNA-seq, metagenomics), Sanger, and bioinformatics. Comparable mid-size contract sequencing competitor focused on research and clinical customers.
• Azenta Life Sciences (formerly GENEWIZ): Azenta acquired GENEWIZ, the largest US Sanger and NGS contract sequencing services provider, offering institutional researchers the same core services as ACGT (Sanger, NGS, plasmid sequencing, gene synthesis). Closest direct competitor in the contract genomics services market.
• Sequencing Genie (SeqGen): SeqGen offers Sanger, full plasmid sequencing, and NGS services to academic and biotech customers with a self-serve online ordering model comparable to ACGT's product-led offering.

Broad incumbents

• Real Time Genomics (a brand of LGC Genomics): LGC Genomics offers Sanger and NGS services to academic and clinical customers, including CLIA-compliant testing. Comparable in regulatory-grade offerings to ACGT's clinical sequencing portfolio.
• Eurofins Genomics: Eurofins Genomics is a broad incumbent offering Sanger sequencing, NGS, oligonucleotides, and gene synthesis globally. Overlaps with ACGT across the full sequencing services stack but with substantially larger scale and international footprint.
• GenScript: GenScript provides gene synthesis, Sanger sequencing, NGS, and bioinformatics services to academic and industrial researchers. Same horizontal contract research services model with broader life sciences portfolio than ACGT.
• BGI Americas: BGI offers high-throughput sequencing (WGS, RNA-seq, single-cell, metagenomics) globally with extensive capacity. Overlaps with ACGT in NGS service offerings but at vastly larger scale and international reach.

Emerging players

• Plasmidsaurus: Plasmidsaurus specializes in long-read whole plasmid sequencing using Oxford Nanopore, starting at competitive low prices. Direct overlap with ACGT's whole plasmid sequencing line; an emerging low-cost challenger in ACGT's West Coast territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/acgtinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acgt-inc-
• Instagraminstagram.com/acgt.dna.sequencing
• Xx.com/ACGTFoundation

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ACGT