Sussex Research Laboratories Inc.

What Sussex Research Laboratories Inc. does

Sussex Research Laboratories Inc. is a privately held Canadian biotechnology company founded in 1996 as a spin-off of the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada, headquartered in Ottawa within the NRC Industry Partnership Facility. The company specializes in glycodesign and the synthesis of complex carbohydrates, operating as a hybrid catalog product company and CRO/CDMO serving pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, academic and research institutions, vaccine developers, cosmetics companies, and bioanalytical laboratories across more than 1,000 clients worldwide.

Its core technology spans synthetic carbohydrate chemistry, chemoenzymatic synthesis, glycoconjugation chemistry, and glycopeptide manufacturing, anchored by a catalog built over 25 years that the company describes as the world's largest selection of well-defined glycoamino acid building blocks produced in-house. Product lines include ligand glycans (GalNAc, mannose, sialosides), glycans equipped with conjugation linkers (biotin, azide, DBCO, maleimide, thiol), glycopeptides, glycan probes, neo-glycoprotein conjugates, lipopolysaccharides, and pharmaceutical reference standards (stable isotopes, glucuronides, vitamins). The proprietary Liquid Glycan Array (LiGA) platform, developed with 48Hour Discovery and launched in 2026, uses DNA-barcoded bacteriophage scaffolds to profile protein-glycan interactions in high throughput.

The business generates revenue through four streams: catalog product sales (e-commerce and purchase order with Net 30 terms), custom synthesis and CRO services (quote-based bespoke projects), CDMO support connecting clients with GMP manufacturing partners, and licensing royalties from Glycolastin™ lipidated glycopeptide cosmetic active technology. Distribution is global via the company's own e-commerce storefront, direct sales to enterprise customers, FedEx International Priority shipping with cold-chain capability, and a non-exclusive Japan distribution agreement with Wako Pure Chemical Industries established in 2010. The company achieved ISO 9001:2015 certification in April 2026 and operates a U.S. subsidiary in San Diego, California.

Name

Sussex Research Laboratories Inc.

Legal name

Sussex Research Laboratories Inc.

Website

https://sussex-research.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sussex Research Laboratories Inc. is a privately held Canadian biotech specializing in glycodesign and complex carbohydrate synthesis, operating as a catalog product supplier and CRO/CDMO serving pharmaceutical, biotech, academic, vaccine, cosmetic, and bioanalytical customers across more than 1,000 global clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carbohydrate Synthesis & Glycoscience Reagents

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Medicinal Chemicals & Botanical Products (2833)

akta.pro primary industry

mRNA/LNP & Nucleic Acid Therapeutics CDMO (HLAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Formulation & Preclinical CMC Support (Nonclinical) (HLAGAFAL), CMC & Pharmaceutical Development (Formulation/Process/Analytical Development) (HLAIALAD)

Keywords

• Carbohydrate synthesis
• Glycan reagents
• Custom glycopeptide synthesis
• Glycoconjugate manufacturing
• Glycoscience research products

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

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, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Catalog Product Sales: Sale of standardized carbohydrate-based reagents including glycans, glycoamino acids, glycopeptides, glycan probes, lipopolysaccharides, neo-glycoprotein conjugates, and pharmaceutical standards (stable isotopes, glucuronides, vitamins). Customers order via e-commerce storefront or purchase order.
2. Custom Synthesis CRO Services: Bespoke contract research and custom synthesis services for carbohydrate-based molecules tailored to specific client research programs. Covers early-stage discovery chemistry, ligand validation, lead optimization, scale-up, and tech transfer.
3. CDMO Manufacturing Support: Pre-clinical and GMP manufacturing support services connecting clients with trusted network partners for large-scale production, including support for oligonucleotide and vaccine development programs.
4. Licensed Technology (Glycolastin™): Licensed lipidated glycopeptide technology (Glycolastin™) for cosmetic applications, originally developed and patented by the company.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sussex Research Laboratories Inc. is a carbohydrate-focused Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and reagent supplier that designs, synthesizes, and sells complex carbohydrates including glycans, glycoamino acid building blocks, glycopeptides, glycoconjugates, glycan probes, lipopolysaccharides, neo-glycoprotein conjugates, and pharmaceutical reference standards. The company provides both a catalog of standardized carbohydrate reagents and bespoke custom synthesis services spanning early-stage discovery chemistry through preclinical and GMP manufacturing support for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic customers. Its proprietary Liquid Glycan Array (LiGA) platform enables high-throughput multiplexed profiling of protein–glycan interactions for targeted drug delivery and vaccine development.

Product overview

Sussex Research Laboratories Inc. is a global leader in carbohydrate synthesis operating as both a product company and CRO/CDMO service provider. The company's product portfolio centers on glycoscience reagents including the Liquid Glycan Array (LiGA) platform for high-throughput glycan-protein interaction profiling, extensive Ligand Glycans (monosaccharides, disaccharides, trisaccharides, oligosaccharides), Glycoamino Acids and Glycopeptides for research, Glycan Probes (enzyme inhibitors, fluorescent probes, nucleotide sugars), Neo-glycoprotein Conjugates (BSA, KLH conjugates), Lipopolysaccharides from gram-negative bacteria, and Pharmaceutical Standards (stable isotopes, glucuronides, vitamins). The company's Custom Synthesis Services complement the product portfolio by providing tailored solutions for glycans, glycopeptides, targeting ligands, and antibody development, with capabilities spanning preclinical R&D through GMP manufacturing support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LiGA (Liquid Glycan Array): A High-Throughput Discovery Platform for Glycan-Based Targeting. A multiplexed screening platform using DNA-barcoded bacteriophage scaffold for profiling protein-glycan interactions on cell surfaces.
• Glycolastin™

Products and services

• Liquid Glycan Array (LiGA) A high-throughput discovery platform presenting multivalent display of glycans on DNA-barcoded bacteriophage scaffolds for rapid profiling of protein–glycan interactions in complex biological environments; applicable for targeted drug delivery, vaccine development, and glycobiology research.
• Ligand Glycans Diverse range of carbohydrate ligands categorized by monosaccharides (Galα1, Galβ1, GalNAcα1, GalNAcβ1, Glcα1, Glcβ1, GlcNAcβ1, GlcAβ1, Manα1, Mannose-6-phosphate, Rhaα1, Sialic Acid), disaccharides, trisaccharides, and oligosaccharides for glycobiology research.
• Glycoamino Acids Glycosylated amino acid building blocks for glycopeptide synthesis, categorized by amino acid (Asparagine, Serine, Lysine, Tyrosine, Threonine, Valine) and monosaccharide composition, including Fmoc protected versions for solid-phase synthesis; described as the world's largest selection of well-defined glycoamino acid building blocks produced in-house.
• Glycan Ligands for Targeting Targeted glycan ligands including GalNAc, galactose, mannose, mannose-6-phosphate, and sialosides for exploiting carbohydrate-binding protein receptors including ASGPR, Siglecs, Mannose Receptor, Galectins, and Influenza HAs in drug delivery applications.
• Glycans for Conjugation & Immobilization Glycans equipped with functionalized linkers including biotinylated glycans, amine-functionalized, carboxylic acid, click chemistry substrates (azides, DBCO, alkynes), maleimide, oxazolines, and thiol groups for conjugation to platforms and biomolecules.
• Common Glycan Structures Extensive portfolio of common glycan structures including Alpha-Gal, LacNAc (Poly-LacNAc), Blood Groups (ABO, Lewis), N-linked Glycans, O-linked Glycans, Sialosides, and Glycosaminoglycans for glycobiology research.
• Glycopeptides & Peptides Precisely defined glycosylated peptides including O-linked and N-linked glycopeptides, lipopeptides, glycolipopeptides, macrocyclic peptides, glycated peptides, and custom peptide synthesis services from microgram to gram scale.
• Glycan Probes Glycan-based molecular tools including enzyme inhibitors, glycosidase substrates, fluorescent probes (FITC), polyacrylamide probes, and nucleotide sugars for investigating glycan-binding proteins and carbohydrate-active enzymes.
• Lipopolysaccharides Outer membrane components from gram-negative bacteria including products from Shigella flexneri, Salmonella species, Francisella tularensis, and Flavobacterium species for research and diagnostic applications.
• Neo-glycoprotein Conjugates Synthetic glycoconjugates with natural and non-natural glycans conjugated to carrier proteins (BSA, KLH, OVA, CRM) using amine-reactive, thiol-reactive, and click-chemistry methods for vaccine development and diagnostics.
• Pharmaceutical Standards High-quality reference standards including stable isotope-labelled compounds (deuterated, 13C, 15N), glucuronide metabolites, and vitamin standards for bioanalytical assessments and drug metabolism research.
• Custom Synthesis Services (CRO/CDMO) Contract research and custom synthesis services for glycans, glycopeptides, targeting ligands, and antibody development, providing scalable synthetic methodologies from early-stage discovery through preclinical and GMP manufacturing support.
• Glycolastin™ Lipidated Glycopeptide Cosmetic Active Patented lipidated glycopeptide technology for cosmetic applications; licensed for cosmetic actives with interest from P&G, Estée Lauder, and Croda; clinical trial completed in 2015.

Quantifiable outcome

• GalNAc-ASGPR targeting enables FDA-approved RNA-based therapies including Givosiran, Lumasiran, and Inclisiran.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and regional.

• University of Alberta (Professor Matthew Macauley)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026MITACS Accelerate Post-Doctoral Fellowship awarded to Dr. Dhanraj Kumawat in partnership between Sussex Research Laboratories Inc. and Professor Matthew Macauley of the University of Alberta, supporting research in glycoscience.
• National Research Council Canada (NRC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2026Sussex Research received advisory services and funding from the NRC through the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) to advance oligonucleotide therapeutics via glycoscience.
• 48Hour DiscoverycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 May 2025Sussex Research and 48Hour Discovery entered a strategic partnership to develop and commercialize Liquid Glycan Array (LiGA) reagents. LiGA is a high-throughput discovery platform enabling multiplex profiling of protein–glycan interactions on cell surfaces using DNA-barcoded bacteriophage scaffolds. 48Hour Discovery contributes pioneering peptide discovery expertise from its Edmonton, Alberta location (Nanotechnology Research Centre).
• Queen's University (SEAMO)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Queen's University and SEAMO awarded grants for COVID-19 Rapid Response collaborations between Queen's University and Sussex Research to develop novel small molecule therapies for COVID-19.
• Queen's University (Professor Victor Snieckus)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018NSERC Collaborative Research and Development Grant (CRDPJ) awarded to Professor Victor Snieckus of Queen's University in partnership with Sussex Research to develop synthetic strategies toward deuterium-labeled pharmaceutical compounds with improved efficacy.
• Brock University (Professor Hongbin (Tony) Yan)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014NSERC Engage grant to Professor Hongbin (Tony) Yan of Brock University for a project on labelling glycans with BODIPY fluorophores, in collaboration with Sussex Research.
• University of Ottawa (Professor Christopher N. Boddy)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012NSERC Engage grant to Professor Christopher N. Boddy of the University of Ottawa for developing a process for manufacturing pseudaminic acid, in collaboration with Sussex Research.
• Wako Pure Chemical IndustriesregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 25 May 2010Non-exclusive distribution agreement appointing Wako Pure Chemical Industries (Osaka, Japan) as distributor of Sussex Research's complete line of carbohydrate-based reagents in Japan. Products marketed under the Sussex Research label and sold in research quantities via Wako's catalog, sub-distributors, and dealer network throughout Japan.
• National Research Council (NRC) of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Longstanding collaboration with the NRC on carbohydrate processing enzymes and chemoenzymatic synthesis methods for accessing complex carbohydrate structures. This partnership remains active and has enabled novel synthetic methodology development.
• National Research Council (NRC) of Canada — Institute for Biological Sciences (NRC-IBS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2005Strategic R&D agreement with NRC-IBS to advance carbohydrate-based drug discovery technologies. Collaboration with Dr. Dennis Whitfield's Glycoconjugates and Tumour Immunology Group. Sussex Research occupies laboratory and office space within the NRC Industry Partnership Facility.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Toronto Research Chemicals: Canadian reference standard and specialty chemical manufacturer focused on stable isotope-labeled compounds, metabolites, and pharmaceutical reference standards — directly overlaps with Sussex Research's Chemaphor-acquired pharmaceutical standards business and similar Canadian origin and customer profile.
• Corden Pharma: CDMOs across peptides, lipids (including LNP excipients), and carbohydrate-derived APIs — directly comparable as a specialty CDMO serving oligonucleotide and vaccine developers, with overlapping customer profiles in the GalNAc and conjugate vaccine space.
• Selvita: European CRO/CDMO offering custom synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and biologics support to pharma clients — comparable as a mid-sized specialty chemistry services provider with carbohydrate and peptide-adjacent capabilities and similar small-to-mid pharma customer base.
• Biosynth Carbosynth: Specialty manufacturer and supplier of carbohydrates, nucleosides, and custom synthesis services — direct competitor in catalog glycan reagents and custom carbohydrate synthesis serving similar glycobiology research and pharma customers.
• Bachem: Swiss-listed peptide and oligonucleotide CDMO with deep GMP manufacturing capabilities; a strategic partner and GMP manufacturer for Sussex Research's glycoamino acid building blocks, and a direct competitor in custom glycopeptide and peptide CDMO services to pharma customers.

Emerging players

• 48Hour Discovery: Canadian peptide discovery platform company and Sussex Research's co-development partner on the LiGA platform — comparable as an emerging discovery tools player with phage-display expertise and is a partner rather than direct competitor, providing a window into adjacent high-throughput discovery platforms.

Broad incumbents

• Sigma-Aldrich (Merck KGaA Life Science): The dominant catalog reagent supplier with a broad glycan and carbohydrate product line, e-commerce storefront, and global distribution; competes with Sussex Research's catalog business at much larger scale while also serving as a potential distributor or partner.
• Lonza: One of the world's largest CDMOs with biologics, peptide, and lipid nanoparticle capabilities serving the same nucleic acid therapeutic and vaccine customers that Sussex Research addresses — competes broadly with overlapping capabilities rather than niche specialization.
• WuXi AppTec / WuXi STA: Global CRO/CDMO with extensive oligonucleotide, peptide, and carbohydrate chemistry capabilities; offers overlapping custom synthesis and CDMO services to pharma customers but at much larger scale across a much broader service portfolio.
• TCI Chemicals: Japanese specialty chemicals supplier with a significant catalog of carbohydrate reagents, glycan derivatives, and reference standards; comparable to Sussex Research's catalog business with a similar e-commerce plus distributor model and overlapping research customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sussex Research Laboratories Inc.