Cell Culture Technologies

What Cell Culture Technologies does

Cell Culture Technologies is a privately held Swiss biotechnology company founded in 1992 by Ferruccio Messi, Ph.D. and headquartered in Gravesano, near Lugano, Switzerland. The company specializes in the development and manufacture of chemically defined, protein- and peptide-free minimal culture media made exclusively from small molecule chemicals with disclosed CAS/EINECS numbers. Its product portfolio spans eight media lines covering CHO cells (ChoMaster, ChoMasterEPO), hybridomas and myelomas (TurboDoma), HEK 293 and Vero cells (Hektor), kidney and T-lymphoma lines (InVitrus), human mesenchymal stem cells (SteMaxOne), Sf9 insect cells (SpodOmics), plant cells (PlantCells), and human plasma-like media for translational medicine (InVitroNutrition). A separate StarterKits line provides ECACC-certified serum-free authenticated cell lines, and the CustomMade service offers 450+ formulations developed across the company's 30-year history.

The business operates four complementary revenue streams: (1) sale of research-grade custom culture media as ready-to-use bottles or concentrate kits with a 3-liter minimum, (2) GMP-compliant manufacturing of large-scale liquid nutrient mixtures up to 100,000 liters per single lot via a manufacturing partnership with B. Braun Medical AG at its Crissier facility near Lausanne, (3) technology transfer programs bundling cells, media, methods, and protocols (ChoMaster System, InVitrus Platform, Rapid Media Screening, SteMaxOne Program), and (4) licensing of proprietary cell lines such as ChoMasterEPO under material transfer agreements. Products are priced in Swiss francs and euros, shipped FCA Gravesano, and reach customers in over 30 countries, primarily through direct enterprise sales supported by a US distributor network and an eShop.

Customers include Big Pharma (Novartis, Roche), biotech (NovImmune), and a broad base of leading academic and research institutions (ETH Zurich, EPFL, Max Planck Institute, University of Oxford, Cambridge, Heidelberg, Copenhagen, Imperial College London, MD Anderson, A*Star Singapore, Paul Scherrer Institute, ECACC). The company has remained independently and privately funded since inception, with no disclosed institutional investors, and maintains a research-collaborative GTM motion underpinned by government co-funding from the Swiss CTI, the German BMBF, and the European Research Foundation.

Name

Cell Culture Technologies

Legal name

Cell Culture Technologies

Website

https://cellculture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cell Culture Technologies is a privately held Swiss biotech founded in 1992 that develops and manufactures chemically defined, protein- and peptide-free minimal culture media for biopharmaceutical companies, biotech firms, and academic research institutions across more than 30 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cell Culture Media

NAICS

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

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Cell Processing & Ancillary Materials (media, cytokines, beads, vectors, disposables) (HLAAABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cell Therapy Enabling Technologies (gene editing, cell engineering, delivery methods) (HLAAABAL), Cell Therapy Manufacturing Services (GMP, autologous/allogeneic) (HLAAAKAC)

Keywords

• Chemically defined media
• Cell culture media
• Recombinant protein production
• GMP manufacturing services
• Bioprocess development

Headquarters

HQ city

Gravesano

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom-Made Culture Media Products: Sale of research-grade custom culture media as liquid preparations ready-for-use (500ml bottles) or as liquid concentrate kits. Minimum 3 liters for custom orders. Also available as GMP-grade up to 100,000 liters per lot.
2. GMP Manufacturing Services: Large-scale GMP-compliant production of liquid nutrient mixtures up to 100,000 liters per single lot with verified shelf life of 5-10 years. Manufacturing via B. Braun Medical AG partnership.
3. Technology Transfer Programs: ChoMaster System, InVitrus Platform, Rapid Media Screening, SteMaxOne Program - comprehensive know-how transfer packages including cells, media, methods, and technical support for implementing minimal culture environments.
4. Licensing of Proprietary Cell Lines: Licensing of ChoMasterEPO CHO cell line expressing recombinant human EPO. Material Transfer Agreement required. Cell line deposited and certified by Culture Collection of Switzerland.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cell Culture Technologies develops, manufactures, and supplies chemically defined, protein- and peptide-free minimal cell culture media and related know-how packages for cultivating mammalian, insect, and plant cell lines. Its portfolio spans research-grade and GMP-grade liquid culture media (from 3 liters up to 100,000 liters per lot), proprietary pre-adapted cell lines (e.g., ChoMasterEPO), and technology transfer programs covering CHO, HEK, Vero, hybridoma, stem cell, and viral particle production workflows.

Product overview

Cell Culture Technologies offers a comprehensive portfolio of cell culture products centered around chemically defined, protein- and peptide-free minimal culture media. The portfolio consists of multiple specialized media lines (ChoMaster for CHO cells, TurboDoma for hybridomas, Hektor for HEK 293 cells, InVitrus for kidney cell lines, SteMaxOne for stem cells, SpodOmics for insect cells, and PlantCells for plant cells), a custom media development service (CustomMade with 450+ formulations), and technology transfer platforms (ChoMaster System, InVitrus Platform, Rapid Media Screening, and SteMaxOne Program). The company manufactures both research-grade and GMP-grade liquid media and concentrates, with production scales ranging from 3 liters to 100,000 liters per lot.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ChoMaster: Minimal culture media for cultivation of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells for production of recombinant glycoproteins in chemically defined protein- and peptide-free minimal culture media. Includes ChoMaster HTS, ChoMaster HP-1, and ChoMaster HP-5 formulations.
• ChoMasterEPO
• TurboDoma
• InVitrus
• Hektor
• SteMaxOne
• SpodOmics
• InVitroNutrition
• StarterKits
• FMX-8
• PlantCells
• Rapid Media Screening
• ChoMaster System

Products and services

• ChoMaster Chemically defined, protein- and peptide-free minimal culture media for cultivation of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells producing recombinant glycoproteins. Includes ChoMaster HTS, ChoMaster HP-1, and ChoMaster HP-5 formulations for academic and industrial bioprocess applications.
• ChoMasterEPO Genetically engineered CHO-K1 derived cell line secreting human erythropoietin (rh-EPO) in chemically defined protein- and peptide-free minimal culture media. Available as an open-source technology package requiring a Material Transfer Agreement; cell line deposited at Culture Collection of Switzerland.
• TurboDoma

Quantifiable outcome

• Verified shelf life of 5-10 years for GMP-grade media
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• B. Braun Medical AGcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 2 April 2015Manufacturing partnership for GMP production of cell culture media. B. Braun produces, fills, sterilizes and packs millions of infusion, irrigation and parenteral nutrition bags per year in strict conformity with cGMP standards at their Crissier facility near Lausanne, Switzerland. Cell Culture Technologies collaborates with B. Braun to provide industrial customers with large scale products of highest quality.
• NovImmunemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2013Collaboration to establish a robust commercial-scale manufacturing platform for kappa lambda body (kl-body), a novel fully human bispecific antibody format. Project supported by Commission for Technology and Innovation (CTI) of Swiss Confederation. ChoMaster System and single-use bioreactors used for process robustness.
• European Collection of Authenticated Cell Cultures (ECACC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Technical collaboration to adapt ECACC cell lines to serum-free proliferation in Cell Culture Technologies minimal media, and transfer know-how relating to cultivation and cryopreservation. Since 2003, ECACC distributes several serum-free human and animal cell lines banked in Cell Culture Technologies media including 293-Hektor, Vero-Hektor, NS0-TurboDoma, Sp2/0-Ag14-TurboDoma, and others.
• Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple research collaborations including Institute of Biotechnology (glycosylation analysis, Sf9 cell cultivation, CHO cell processes), Institute of Cell Biology (ChoMasterEPO development), and Institute of Bioprocess Engineering (stem cell culture, viral vector production).
• University of Applied Sciences Mittelhessen (THM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitute of Bioprocess Engineering and Pharmaceutical Technology collaboration on measles virus replication in Vero cells, stem cell expansion studies, and EV production research. Project OnkoVir supported by German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
• European Research FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop xeno-free synthetic tissue culture media to grow human cells suitable for cell therapeutic applications. Goal to improve clinical safety regarding cell therapy treatments.
• Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCenter for Radiopharmaceutical Sciences ETH-PSI-USZ collaboration for modified folate radioconjugate research. Technical collaboration started in 2000 with Roger Schibli and Cristina Mueller's research group using custom RPMI 1640 media free of folic acid.
• Swiss FFVFF FoundationminorOthersNon-profit organization supporting animal-free experimental research in life science. Supported the StarterKits project development.
• Global Healthcare Companies (unspecified)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical assistance agreements for access to SteMaxOne Program for stem cell culture technology transfer. Based on success of ChoMaster System, expanded to include technology transfer for human stem cells and extracellular nanovesicles.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Lonza Group: Lonza is a global leader in cell and gene therapy manufacturing and bioprocess services, including custom media development and GMP-grade media production. Directly comparable to CCT in chemically defined media and GMP manufacturing partnerships, but at vastly larger scale.
• Cytiva: Cytiva (formerly GE Healthcare Life Sciences) supplies cell culture media, single-use bioprocess technologies, and GMP manufacturing services. Comparable to CCT as a defined-media and bioprocess supplier serving biopharma and CGT customers.
• Bio-Techne: Bio-Techne (including R&D Systems) supplies specialty reagents, proteins, and cell culture media for research and bioprocess applications. Comparable to CCT as a high-quality, specialty media/reagent supplier to academic and biopharma researchers.
• FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific: FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific is a leading supplier of cell culture media for biopharmaceutical, cell therapy, and reproductive medicine applications. Directly comparable to CCT's CHO, hybridoma, HEK, and stem cell media lines, with broader catalog and CGT focus.
• STEMCELL Technologies: STEMCELL Technologies is a specialty supplier of cell culture media, reagents, and tools for stem cell and immunology research. Directly comparable to CCT's SteMaxOne and InVitroNutrition platforms targeting stem cell and primary human cell applications.

Broad incumbents

• Sartorius: Sartorius supplies bioprocess equipment, consumables, and cell culture media for biopharmaceutical manufacturing. Comparable to CCT on the bioprocess/media side, with broader offerings in bioreactors and process analytics.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Gibco): Gibco (a Thermo Fisher brand) is the dominant global supplier of cell culture media, sera, and reagents for research and bioproduction. Overlaps with CCT across CHO, HEK, hybridoma, and stem cell media, but as part of a vastly broader life-science tools portfolio.
• Merck KGaA (Life Science): Merck's Life Science division offers cell culture media, bioprocess solutions, and GMP manufacturing services. Comparable to CCT in defined media and biomanufacturing, but as part of an integrated portfolio spanning filtration, single-use, and analytical tools.
• Corning Life Sciences: Corning Life Sciences supplies cell culture media, vessels, and bioprocess products. Comparable to CCT in defined media offerings but operating at much larger scale with a broader catalog across cell culture consumables.

Emerging players

• Miltenyi Biotec: Miltenyi Biotec supplies cell and gene therapy manufacturing solutions including media, reagents, and processing instruments. Comparable to CCT's InVitroNutrition platform serving the cell therapy manufacturing market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cell-culture-technologies-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Cell Culture Technologies