What Scarab Genomics LLC. does

Scarab Genomics LLC, founded in 2002 in Madison, Wisconsin by Professor Frederick Blattner, commercializes engineered reduced-genome E. coli host strains under the Clean Genome® brand, derived from the MDS42 strain published in Science 312:1044-6. Its core platform removes approximately 20% of the E. coli genome, including all mobile genetic elements, insertion sequences, bacteriophages, and nonessential genes, delivering enhanced genetic stability and enabling long continuous fermentation runs. The C-Flow™ continuous fermentation system (US Patent 10,604,736) allows kilogram-scale biopharmaceutical production in 10-liter fermenters, and complementary IP (US Patent 11,174,284) covers improved CRM197 purification for conjugate vaccine manufacturing.

The company sells a catalog of Clean Genome® variants (base, ΔrecA, LowMut, LowMut ΔrecA Blue, LowMut T7, plus specialty strains for dsRNA, low endotoxin, methylation-deficient, protease-deleted, and toxin-antitoxin-deleted applications), vaccine carrier proteins (CRM197 and Protein D), the pSX2 expression vector, and an Insertion Sequence Detection Kit. Pricing on the self-serve e-commerce store ranges from $225 to $3,350 per unit. Scarab serves academic researchers under a limited license, biopharmaceutical manufacturers and CDMOs under negotiated commercial licenses, and has granted Bionova Scientific an exclusive license for plasmid DNA production (February 2026), with World Fusion distributing in Japan from December 2025. Revenue is generated through product sales, academic and commercial licensing royalties, and exclusive technology licensing arrangements.

Name

Scarab Genomics LLC.

Legal name

Scarab Genomics LLC

Website

https://scarabgenomics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Scarab Genomics LLC develops and commercializes engineered reduced-genome Clean Genome® E. coli strains, vaccine carrier proteins, and C-Flow™ continuous fermentation technology for biopharmaceutical manufacturers, CDMOs, vaccine developers, and academic researchers producing recombinant proteins and nucleic acids.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bioprocessing and Synthetic Biology Reagents

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

mRNA & Nucleic Acid Manufacturing Services (mRNA/saRNA/Plasmid DNA) (HLAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Plasmid DNA & mRNA Manufacturing Services (HLAAAKAE), Vaccine Technology Platforms (mRNA, viral vector, protein subunit, inactivated/live-attenuated, VLP, DNA) (HLAAAEAD), Recombinant Protein Therapeutics (enzymes, hormones, growth factors) (HLAAAAAB), Gene Therapy CMC/Process Development Platforms (capsid engineering, producer cell lines, plasmids, upstream/downstream) (HLAAACAN)

Keywords

• Engineered E. coli strains
• Vaccine carrier proteins
• Continuous fermentation
• Recombinant protein expression
• Plasmid DNA production

Headquarters

HQ city

Madison

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct sales of Clean Genome E. coli competent cells, vaccine carrier proteins (CRM197, Protein D), expression vectors, and detection kits through e-commerce platform. Products available in various sizes with pricing from $225 to $3,350.
2. Academic Licensing: Limited Use License Agreement for academic research use of Clean Genome strains; requires signed agreement prior to shipping.
3. Commercial Licensing: Commercial licenses negotiated for production use of Clean Genome E. coli and C-Flow fermentation technology; includes access to technical experts for strain and expression optimization.
4. Exclusive Technology Licensing: Partnership with Bionova Scientific granting exclusive rights for Clean Genome strains in specific applications (plasmid DNA production), with licensing fees and potential milestone payments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Scarab Genomics LLC develops and commercializes Clean Genome® engineered reduced-genome E. coli strains for high-efficiency production of recombinant proteins and nucleic acids, including biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The company also sells vaccine carrier proteins (CRM197 and Protein D), the pSX2 expression vector, an Insertion Sequence Detection Kit, and licenses its C-Flow™ continuous fermentation technology for commercial-scale biopharmaceutical production.

Product overview

Scarab Genomics LLC offers a platform of Clean Genome® engineered E. coli strains for high-efficiency production of recombinant proteins and nucleic acids. The core product line includes Clean Genome® base strain and specialized variants (ΔrecA, LowMut, LowMut ΔrecA, LowMut ΔrecA Blue, LowMut T7), all derived from the MDS42 reduced-genome strain. Supporting products include vaccine carrier proteins CRM197 and Protein D for conjugate vaccine research, the pSX2 expression vector, and the Insertion Sequence Detection Kit for quality control. The C-Flow™ continuous fermentation system enables scalable biopharmaceutical production with small-footprint equipment. Products are available for research use via limited license and for commercial use through licensing agreements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Clean Genome: Engineered E. coli strains with reduced genomes for enhanced genetic stability and improved metabolic efficiency in protein and nucleic acid production.
• C-Flow
• ScarabXpress

Quantifiable outcome

• Continuous fermentation runs up to 65 days with consistent production levels
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bionova ScientificcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 February 2026Partnership enables Bionova to leverage Clean Genome platform eliminating mobile genetic elements and minimizing genomic instability to achieve higher plasmid yields and improved lot-to-lot consistency for advanced biologics manufacturing.
• Bionova ScientificcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 3 February 2026Exclusive licensing partnership granting Bionova Scientific rights to use Scarab's proprietary Clean Genome engineered E. coli strains for plasmid DNA production. The partnership enables Bionova to support client programs across mRNA, viral vectors, and emerging genetic medicine platforms with scalable, regulatory-aligned manufacturing solutions. Bionova operates protein operations in Fremont, California and plasmid DNA facility in Houston, Texas.
• World FusioncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 December 2025World Fusion serves as the authorized distributor of Scarab Genomics technologies in the Japanese market. Through this collaboration, researchers and biomanufacturing organizations in Japan gain expanded access to the Clean Genome E. coli platform supported by regional expertise and local engagement. World Fusion brings deep experience supporting life science organizations in Japan with technical requirements alignment.
• Thomson Instrument Company, INFORS HT, Bionova ScientificminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 6 May 2025Joint webinar collaboration for Scale Smarter event demonstrating plasmid DNA production optimization using Clean Genome strains, smart bioprocessing tools, and engineered E. coli strains. Scarab participated alongside Bionova Scientific, INFORS HT, and Thomson Instrument Company.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lucigen (Biosearch Technologies): Supplies engineered E. coli strains and cloning tools for protein and nucleic acid production, including CloneDirect and overexpression hosts. Directly comparable as a specialty E. coli host platform serving the same molecular biology and bioproduction customers.
• New England Biolabs: Major supplier of E. coli competent cells (NEB 5-alpha, BL21 derivatives) and protein expression reagents. Overlaps with Scarab's Clean Genome® strain catalog in serving academic and industrial protein expression researchers.
• Zymo Research: Provides molecular biology tools including competent cells, plasmid purification, and nucleic acid processing kits. Comparable as a tools-focused private company serving similar biotech research and bioproduction workflows.
• Fina Biosolutions: Specializes in CRM197 carrier protein production and conjugation technologies for conjugate vaccines. Directly competes with Scarab's CRM197 protein offering in the vaccine carrier protein market.

Broad incumbents

• TriLink BioTechnologies: CDMO specializing in mRNA synthesis, plasmid DNA production, and nucleic acid manufacturing. Comparable as a larger incumbent in the pDNA/mRNA manufacturing value chain that Bionova (Scarab's licensee) serves.
• Aldevron (Danaher): Leading CDMO for plasmid DNA, mRNA, and protein biologics, now part of Danaher. Represents a much larger incumbent in the same pDNA/mRNA manufacturing value chain targeted by Clean Genome® applications.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Supplies BL21(DE3) and other E. coli expression strains through its Life Sciences portfolio, alongside broader protein and bioprocessing offerings. The dominant incumbent whose standard platforms Clean Genome® must displace or complement.
• Sartorius: Major bioprocessing equipment and consumables supplier, including continuous fermentation platforms. Relevant incumbent whose continuous-manufacturing infrastructure could compete with or complement C-Flow technology.

Emerging players

• PlasmidFactory: Specialty manufacturer of plasmid DNA and viral vectors for research, gene therapy, and cell therapy applications. Comparable emerging specialist in the pDNA value chain that Clean Genome® enables.
• Biosearch Technologies (LGC Group): Supplies nucleic acid synthesis, oligos, and custom molecular biology tools including E. coli-based reagents. Comparable emerging tools provider in synthetic biology and nucleic acid production markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scarabgenomics
• Facebookfacebook.com/scarab-genomics-llc-154755491228012
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scarab-genomics

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

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Scarab Genomics LLC.