What TCS Biosciences does

TCS Biosciences is a UK-based specialty manufacturer of laboratory reagents, test kits, and microbiological quality control products, founded in 1965 and headquartered in Botolph Claydon, Buckingham. The company's core offering spans animal blood, serum and plasma products (where it describes itself as Europe's leading supplier of animal blood and sera for microbiological use), cell culture reagents and supplements, human biospecimens, microbiological QC organisms, chromogenic media plates, diagnostic kits, and ancillary laboratory consumables. Proprietary branded lines include Selectrol® and Accu-Bac® QC organisms (derived from UKHSA/NCTC and NCPF reference cultures), Cytocaf Technologies ECM proteins, Compact Dry™ chromogenic media, ColorSeed™ and EasySeed™ Cryptosporidium/Giardia enumeration products, and Bacticount dipslides. The company also supplies hydrogels, microcarriers, and microfluidic solutions under a "Smart Micro Solutions" portfolio targeting advanced cell culture and biomanufacturing.

TCS operates a contract manufacturing services business alongside its catalogue sales, offering OEM diagnostics and custom kit manufacturing, custom chemical and buffer production, bulk reagents, sterile filtration of serum in batches up to 800L, aliquoting, and custom media fills, delivered through an ISO 7 cleanroom facility. Multiple regulatory accreditations — ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 13485, ISO 17025 (UKAS), REACH/CLP compliance, Cyber Essentials, BSI registration, and APHA approval for handling category 1–3 animal by-products — underpin its positioning for regulated pharmaceutical, clinical, food and environmental testing customers. The company serves pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers, clinical and diagnostic laboratories, the food and beverage industry, research institutions, and diagnostic kit manufacturers requiring OEM production.

Revenue is generated primarily through direct product sales via an e-commerce storefront, telephone, email, and fax ordering, supplemented by contract manufacturing engagements. Distribution is anchored at the UK headquarters and supported by a wholly-owned EU subsidiary, TCS Biosciences EU B.V., based in Mechelen, Belgium. The company is privately held with no disclosed parent, institutional investors, or M&A activity, and does not publicly disclose pricing or revenue. No app, API, or digital platform product is offered; customer engagement occurs through the web catalogue, downloadable technical resources, and a presence across LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and a Spotify podcast channel.

Name

TCS Biosciences

Legal name

TCS Biosciences Ltd

Website

https://tcsbiosciences.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TCS Biosciences, founded 1965 in the UK, manufactures laboratory reagents, microbiological quality control organisms, diagnostic test kits, and animal-derived biological products, serving pharmaceutical, clinical, food, environmental, and research laboratories across Europe via direct sales and contract manufacturing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Botolph Claydon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Sale of laboratory reagents including animal blood products, sera, QC organisms, diagnostic kits, dyes and stains, cell culture reagents, and human biospecimens through e-commerce and direct sales.
2. Contract Manufacturing Services: OEM diagnostics and custom kit manufacturing, custom chemical and buffer production, bulk reagents, sterile filtration services for serum (up to 800L batches), aliquoting and final packaging, custom media fills.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

TCS Biosciences manufactures and supplies laboratory reagents, microbiological quality control organisms, cell culture reagents, human biospecimens, animal blood/sera, and diagnostic kits for clinical, industrial, and research scientists. The company also provides OEM contract manufacturing services including custom kit assembly, sterile filtration of serum up to 800L batches, and ISO 7 cleanroom production for diagnostic and biotech customers.

Product overview

TCS Biosciences is a life sciences supplies company serving clinical, industrial and research scientists since 1965. The company operates as a manufacturer and distributor of laboratory reagents and test kits with a diverse product portfolio. The core offering spans multiple product categories including: Animal Blood, Serum & Plasma (with products like Fetal Bovine Serum, Bovine Serum Albumin); Cell Culture Reagents & Supplements (including Cytocaf Technologies ECM proteins, Animal Free Recombinant Proteins, Human Platelet Lysate); Human Biospecimens (serum, plasma, disease state profiles); QC Organisms & Controls (featuring Selectrol® Qualitative and Accu-Bac® Quantitative micro-organisms); Diagnostic products (Gonochek®-II, ColorSeed™, EasySeed™, EasyStain™); Microbiology products (Compact Dry™ chromogenic media, Bacticount dipslides, Bactiscan biofilm detection); and specialty products (Hydrogels, Microcarriers, Microfluidics). The company also offers Contract Manufacturing services including OEM diagnostics, custom kit manufacturing, and serum filtration up to 800L batches through their ISO 7 cleanroom facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Selectrol: Qualitative micro-organisms for microbiological quality control, derived from NCTC and NCPF cultures
• Accu-Bac
• Accu-Bac Multi-Bac
• Cytocaf
• Compact Dry
• Bacticount
• ColorSeed
• EasySeed
• EasyStain
• Elarem
• TCS Group

Products and services

• Selectrol® Qualitative Micro-organisms

Quantifiable outcome

• Batch sizes up to 800L for serum filtration
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) - NCTCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSelectrol® products are first generation derivatives of original stock cultures obtained exclusively from the National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC) and National Collection of Pathogenic Fungi (NCPF), both part of UK Health Security Agency. This partnership provides access to authenticated reference strains for QC organisms.
• American Type Culture Collection (ATCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerATCC strains are listed alongside NCTC designations for reference purposes on Selectrol and Accu-Bac products, ensuring compatibility with international testing standards.
• British In-Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerTCS Biosciences is a member of BIVDA, the UK industry association for in-vitro diagnostics, providing networking and regulatory updates.
• International Serum Industry Association (ISIA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerTCS is certified to ISIA Traceability Certification, ensuring full traceability of animal-derived products from source to finished product.
• PSL AllianceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMembership in the PSL Alliance, a scientific laboratory supply partnership network.
• IBioICminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMembership in the industrial biotechnology networking organization connecting industry, academia, and government.
• Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTCS is approved by APHA to handle and store category 1, 2, and 3 animal by-products in accordance with European Regulations (EC) No 1069/2009 and (EU) No 142/2011.
• REACH ReadycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAs a member of REACH Ready, TCS complies with European REACH regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 and CLP regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 for chemical registration and labeling.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TCSBiosciences
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@tcsbiosciencesltd6770
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tcs-biosciences-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/tcsbiosciences
• TikToktiktok.com/@tcsbiosciences

Compliance6 records

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

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about TCS Biosciences