Lybe Scientific
Lybe Scientific AS is a Norwegian biotechnology company that develops and manufactures NAxtra magnetic bead-based nucleic acid extraction kits for clinical diagnostic laboratories, research institutions, and aquaculture/fish health laboratories, distributing across the Nordics, Germany, and the US.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersTrondheim, Norway
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Lybe Scientific does
Lybe Scientific AS is a privately-held Norwegian biotechnology company founded in 2020 and headquartered in Trondheim, Norway. The company develops, manufactures, and sells nucleic acid extraction kits under its NAxtra platform, using proprietary magnetic bead technology based on silica-coated and carboxylic-coated iron oxide nanoparticles. The technology originates from research groups at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in molecular medicine, nanotechnology, and chemical engineering. The product portfolio spans a CE IVD-marked kit for clinical diagnostics (SARS-CoV-2, respiratory, and sexually transmitted infection testing) and a growing range of Research Use Only (RUO) kits covering aquaculture/fish health, blood and tissue, cells, fecal samples, and NGS library preparation.
The company serves three primary customer segments: hospital and clinical diagnostic laboratories, academic and research institutions, and aquaculture/fish health laboratories. Products are sold directly via email ordering and through a network of regional distributors — BioNordika across the Nordics (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland) and BIOZOL Diagnostica in Germany — with an additional OEM/industrial partnership channel for kit and bead supply to other companies. Pricing is unit-based by reaction count (48, 96, 192, 384, 1000, 5000 reactions), with protocols validated on leading open-automation platforms (KingFisher, TANBead Maelstrom, Tecan Fluent 1080, Biomek i7, Hamilton Microlab STAR).
Lybe Scientific is ISO 13485 certified and CE IVD-marked under the EU In Vitro Medical Devices Regulation 2017/746. The company has published two peer-reviewed papers in Nature Publishing Group's Scientific Reports validating the NAxtra platform and has registered trademarks in the EU and UK. Following an early commercial success supplying more than 10 million reaction units for SARS-CoV-2 diagnostics in Norway, the company has expanded into aquaculture diagnostics (2024), completed a December 2024 capital increase from StartupLab, Gnist Capital, and Ystvika Holding, and entered the US market in January 2026 via a partnership with Nexus Medical Labs.
Lybe Scientific firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lybe Scientific
- Legal name
- Lybe Scientific AS
- Website
- https://lybescientific.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Lybe Scientific AS is a Norwegian biotechnology company that develops and manufactures NAxtra magnetic bead-based nucleic acid extraction kits for clinical diagnostic laboratories, research institutions, and aquaculture/fish health laboratories, distributing across the Nordics, Germany, and the US.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lybe Scientific industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Molecular Diagnostics Reagents
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)
- akta.pro primary industry
- IVD Reagents, Assay Kits & Consumables (Non-instrument) (HLAHAAAM)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/NAAT/NGS-based IVD) (HLAHAAAD)
Keywords
Where Lybe Scientific is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Trondheim
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Lybe Scientific business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Nucleic acid extraction kit sales: Sale of magnetic bead-based nucleic acid extraction kits for clinical diagnostics (CE IVD) and research use (RUO). Products sold in various reaction sizes (48, 96, 192, 384, 1000, 5000 reactions) through distributors and direct sales.
- Industrial partnership and OEM supply: Strategic partnership and OEM supply of kits and/or beads to other companies and laboratories
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | NAxtra nucleic acid extraction kit (CE IVD) - available in 200, 1000, and 5000 reaction sizes |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | NAxtra 2.0 Aquaculture NA extraction kit (RUO) - 384 reactions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | NAxtra Cells total nucleic acid extraction kit (RUO) - 48 and 96 reactions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | NAxtra 2.0 Blood and Tissue NA extraction kit (RUO) - 96 and 192 reactions |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Lybe Scientific product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lybe Scientific manufactures and sells NAxtra-branded magnetic bead-based nucleic acid extraction kits for clinical diagnostics, research, and aquaculture applications. Its CE IVD-marked core kit isolates RNA and DNA from human swab, saliva, urine, and vaginal swab samples for downstream PCR and NGS, while RUO kits are tailored for fish tissue, water filter, blood/tissue, cell, fecal, and NGS size-selection workflows. The company also offers OEM and industrial supply of its magnetic beads and kits to partners.
Product overview
Lybe Scientific offers a platform of NAxtra® magnetic bead-based nucleic acid extraction products. The core platform technology uses silica-coated and carboxylic-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for superior quality extraction. The main products include: the CE IVD-marked NAxtra® nucleic acid extraction kit for clinical diagnostics (SARS-CoV-2, respiratory and sexually transmitted diseases); the NAxtra® 2.0 Aquaculture kit for fish health diagnostics; the NAxtra® 2.0 Blood and Tissue kit for whole blood and tissue samples; the NAxtra® Cells kit for cell-based applications; plus specialized kits for fecal samples and NGS library preparation. All products support both manual procedures and automated workflows on open automation systems.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- NAxtra: NAxtra is the product line of magnetic bead-based nucleic acid extraction kits for various applications including clinical diagnostics (CE IVD), aquaculture, blood and tissue, cells, and NGS.
Companies that use Lybe Scientific
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Lybe Scientific technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration5 records
Feature5 records
Lybe Scientific partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Nexus Medical Labscore60,000+ test unit agreement for NAxtra nucleic acid extraction kit delivery. Partnership reinforces Nexus Medical Labs competitive advantages as supplier of fast, compliant, and integration-ready diagnostic solutions. NAxtra kit exceeded expectations with improved limit of detection across STI testing panels.
- Major aquaculture diagnostic laboratorycoreSupply agreement for NAxtra 2.0 Aquaculture NA extraction kit to a large fish health laboratory. Product tailored for aquaculture applications marking important milestone for entering new market areas within aquaculture diagnostics.
- BioNordikacoreBioNordika serves as distributor in Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland) offering wide range of products and services in cell, molecular, immunology and diagnostics. Lybe Scientific products fit perfectly into their portfolio.
- BIOZOL DiagnosticacoreBIOZOL Diagnostica Vertrieb GmbH serves as distributor covering Germany with products and services in diagnostics.
- NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology)coreTechnology originating from strong research groups within molecular medicine, nanotechnology and chemical engineering at NTNU in Trondheim, Norway. Ongoing collaboration including PhD projects and joint research publications.
- St. Olavs HospitalminorCollaborator on research and development activities; partner in Life Science Cluster ecosystem.
- Oslo University HospitalminorCollaborator on research and development activities including peer-reviewed publications in Scientific Reports.
- University of OslominorCollaborating institution on PhD project and research publications.
- Life Science ClusterminorNetwork for companies and organizations within life science with over 100 members across health, technology, marine, and agriculture sectors. Aims to strengthen collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lybe Scientific competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Roche: Roche offers the MagNA Pure line of automated nucleic acid extraction systems and reagents used widely in clinical diagnostics. As a large incumbent, it competes with Lybe in hospital and clinical lab settings, particularly for IVD workflows in Europe.
- PerkinElmer (Revvity): PerkinElmer (now Revvity) provides the chemagic magnetic bead-based nucleic acid extraction kits and automation platforms, broadly used in clinical and research labs. It competes with Lybe across multiple sample types, including those relevant to STI and aquaculture testing.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher sells the MagMAX nucleic acid extraction kits (now under Applied Biosystems) and the KingFisher automation platform, which Lybe explicitly supports. It is a broad incumbent that bundles extraction reagents with its instruments and dominates clinical and research labs globally.
Others
- Tecan: Tecan produces the Fluent 1080 liquid handling platform, which Lybe explicitly supports, and also offers its own nucleic acid extraction reagent portfolio through partners. It is partly an automation partner and partly an indirect competitor for extraction reagents used on its instruments.
- Hamilton Company: Hamilton manufactures the Microlab STAR liquid handling robots, which Lybe lists as a supported open automation platform. Hamilton is an ecosystem/integrator partner rather than a direct reagent competitor, but its installed base defines much of the automation market Lybe sells into.
Direct peers
- Analytik Jena: Analytik Jena (part of Endress+Hauser) provides the innuPREP and Smart Extraction magnetic bead kits alongside the CyBio FeliX and GeneTheatre liquid handling platforms. It is a direct peer competing in CE IVD-marked extraction kits in Europe.
- Qiagen: Qiagen is the global leader in nucleic acid extraction with its magnetic-bead-based kits (e.g., MagAttract, QIAamp) and automated QIAsymphony platform. It is the most direct competitor to Lybe's NAxtra line for clinical, research, and applied testing customers worldwide.
- Zymo Research: Zymo Research offers magnetic bead-based Quick-DNA/RNA extraction kits focused on research and applied testing workflows. It is a direct peer to Lybe in RUO kits for cells, blood, tissue, and emerging applications like environmental and microbiome testing.
- Promega: Promega offers the Maxwell and Wizard magnetic-bead-based nucleic acid extraction systems widely used in research and clinical labs. It is a direct competitor to Lybe in RUO and CE IVD workflows, with comparable automation-compatibility messaging.
- MACHEREY-NAGEL: MACHEREY-NAGEL is a German specialty manufacturer known for NucleoSpin and NucleoMag magnetic bead-based extraction kits. It is a direct peer to Lybe Scientific, particularly relevant given BIOZOL Diagnostica also distributes competing kits in Germany.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lybe Scientific social profiles
Digital presenceLybe Scientific compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Lybe Scientific financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lybe Scientific leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Lybe Scientific funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lybe Scientific M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lybe Scientific
What does Lybe Scientific do?
Lybe Scientific manufactures and sells NAxtra-branded magnetic bead-based nucleic acid extraction kits for clinical diagnostics, research, and aquaculture applications. Its CE IVD-marked core kit isolates RNA and DNA from human swab, saliva, urine, and vaginal swab samples for downstream PCR and NGS, while RUO kits are tailored for fish tissue, water filter, blood/tissue, cell, fecal, and NGS size-selection workflows. The company also offers OEM and industrial supply of its magnetic beads and kits to partners.
Is Lybe Scientific a public or private company?
Lybe Scientific is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Lybe Scientific founded?
Lybe Scientific was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Lybe Scientific based?
Lybe Scientific is headquartered in Trondheim, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does Lybe Scientific make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Nucleic acid extraction kit sales are the primary driver. The others are industrial partnership and OEM supply.
Who are Lybe Scientific's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Roche, PerkinElmer (Revvity) and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Others are Tecan and Hamilton Company. Direct peers are Analytik Jena, Qiagen, Zymo Research, Promega and MACHEREY-NAGEL.
Does Lybe Scientific have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lybe Scientific.
What industry is Lybe Scientific in?
Lybe Scientific's product category is Molecular Diagnostics Reagents. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAHAAAM, IVD Reagents, Assay Kits & Consumables (Non-instrument), with a secondary code of HLAHAAAD, Molecular Diagnostics (PCR/NAAT/NGS-based IVD). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 2835.