ISAC

What ISAC does

ISAC (International Society for Advancement of Cytometry) is a 501(c)(3) professional society founded in 1976 and headquartered in Washington, DC, that serves as the central global body for the cytometry community across academia, industry, and clinical research. Its mission centers on advancing cytometry science and engineering through standardization, education, and community building. ISAC maintains the field's foundational data interoperability standards — Flow Cytometry Standard (FCS, since 1984), Gating-ML 2.0, MIFlowCyt, the Classification Results (CLR) format, and the Image Cytometry Experiment Format (ICEFormat) — which are adopted by instrument manufacturers, software vendors, journals, and funders worldwide. The society's core products are the annual CYTO conference (the premier international cytometry meeting), the CYTO U online learning platform offering peer-reviewed courses, webinars, and recorded sessions, the peer-reviewed journal Cytometry Part A published in partnership with Wiley, and the FlowRepository data sharing platform. Supporting programs include the SRL Recognition Program, Biosafety Standards, Certification in Cytometry, CYTO Women, the Leadership Development Program, CYTO Connect regional events, Instruments 4 Science, and the ISAC Career Center.

ISAC's business model is characteristic of a member-supported professional society rather than a commercial enterprise. Revenue is generated through tiered membership dues (Bronze, Silver, Platinum, Retired), registration fees for the CYTO conference and regional CYTO Connect events, paid access to CYTO U webinars and e-learning content for non-members (e.g., $50 per webinar for visitors, $350 for a CYTO 2025 recording package), job postings through the Career Center, and tax-deductible donations (EIN: 85-0319221) supporting initiatives such as CYTO Women and Instruments 4 Science. The society serves four primary persona segments — researchers and scientists, Shared Resource Laboratory (SRL) managers and staff, students and early-career professionals, and clinical cytometrists — reached through a community-led, event-driven go-to-market motion anchored by the CYTO conference and supported by social media, an Associated Societies program, and a global volunteer leadership structure.

Name

ISAC

Legal name

International Society for Advancement of Cytometry

Website

https://isac-net.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Scientific Society Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Flow Cytometry & Cellular Analysis Diagnostics (HLAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Open Courseware & Course Modules (OCW) (EDAGAJAB)

Keywords

• Flow cytometry standards
• Scientific professional society
• Online education platform
• Annual scientific conference
• Cytometry data standards

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ISAC operates with multiple membership tiers (Bronze, Silver, Platinum, Retired) that provide access to CYTO U, conferences, publications, and other member benefits
2. Conference Revenue: CYTO annual conference registration fees provide significant revenue, with discounted rates for members
3. Donations: Tax-deductible donations support various programs including global cytometry education, CYTO Women, instruments for science, and leadership development. EIN: 85-0319221
4. Educational Content: Revenue from webinars, e-learning courses, and CYTO recordings for non-members and visitors at various price points

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ISAC is the global professional society dedicated to advancing cytometry, providing standardized data formats (FCS, Gating-ML, MIFlowCyt, CLR, ICEFormat) for instrument and software interoperability, organizing the annual CYTO conference, publishing the Cytometry Part A journal, and operating the CYTO U online education platform. The society also issues biosafety standards, certification, and career resources for the worldwide cytometry community.

Product overview

ISAC (International Society for Advancement of Cytometry) is a professional society offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services focused on cytometry education, research, and community building. The core offerings include the CYTO Conference (annual international conference), CYTO U (online education platform with webinars and courses), Cytometry Part A (journal publication), and various data standards (FCS, Gating-ML, MIFlowCyt, CLR, ICEFormat). Supporting programs include the Career Center, Leadership Development Program, CYTO Women initiative, CYTO Financial Assistance, Biosafety Standards, Certification in Cytometry, and Shared Resource Laboratories program. The society also supports access to cytometry in resource-limited areas through the Instruments 4 Science program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CYTO: The premier international conference on cytometry organized by ISAC, held annually with exhibitions, tutorials, and networking for cytometry professionals.
• CYTO U
• CYTO Connect
• CYTO Women

Products and services

• CYTO Conference Premier international annual conference covering all facets of cytometry science and engineering, featuring scientific tutorials, workshops, plenary sessions, and networking opportunities. Targeted at scientists, researchers, SRL staff, and clinicians working in cytometry.
• CYTO U

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Scientific Societies, Institutions, and OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCYTO Connect initiative collaborates with scientific societies, institutions, and organizations to develop regional and subject-specific conferences that reflect local strengths and global scientific trends. Collaborators propose locations, form organizing committees, develop scientific programs, and promote events jointly under ISAC financial support model.
• NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIFlowCyt standard endorsed by the Data Interoperability Steering Committee of the Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation within NIAID. The standard is also included in MIBBI (Minimum Information for Biological and Biomedical Investigations).
• AIMBE (American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering)minorOthersISAC is a member of AIMBE Council of Societies. Daniel T. Chiu, Professor at University of Washington and ISAC member, was recognized by AIMBE in 2026 for his contributions to nanomaterials and single-molecule detection.
• Associated Cytometry SocietiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISAC's Associated Societies program connects ISAC with national and regional cytometry societies worldwide, facilitating collaboration and expanding the global cytometry community.
• Scientific JournalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIFlowCyt standard is supported by several scientific journals as part of their publication requirements, promoting standardized reporting of flow cytometry experiments.
• WileycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCytometry Part A journal is published in partnership with Wiley, providing peer-reviewed publication of cytometry research.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Biophysical Society: International scientific society with annual meeting, member benefits, and a peer-reviewed journal (Biophysical Journal). Comparable membership-based, conference-driven operating model serving a discipline adjacent to cytometry instrumentation.
• American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB): Professional society serving cell biologists with annual meeting, journal (Molecular Biology of the Cell), membership tiers, and education programs. Closely mirrors ISAC's structure of standards, conference, and member services for an adjacent cell-analysis discipline.
• International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR): Global scientific society with annual meeting, peer-reviewed journal, member tiers, and educational programs. Comparable professional-society operating model serving a specialized biomedical research community similar to ISAC's cytometry niche.
• International Society for Laboratory Hematology (ISLH): International society for laboratory hematology that operates annual meetings, education, and standards around hematology diagnostics. Closely analogous to ISAC in running a niche clinical-research society with conference, education, and standards output.
• Genetics Society of America (GSA): Member society with conferences (including international Drosophila meeting), peer-reviewed journal (GENETICS), and educational initiatives. Highly analogous professional-society business model to ISAC for another specialized biological-research community.
• American Association of Immunologists (AAI): Large US-based immunology professional society with tiered membership, flagship annual conference, peer-reviewed journal (Journal of Immunology), and educational programming. Highly comparable to ISAC's operating model for a specialized life-science discipline.
• European Society for Clinical Cell Analysis (ESCCA): European professional society focused on clinical flow cytometry, running conferences, training, and quality standards. Directly comparable to ISAC's cytometry mission and member-services model, but Europe-weighted in geography.

Regional players

• International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS): International umbrella body coordinating national immunology societies worldwide with congress and education programs. Comparable global professional-federation role to ISAC, but international in scope and broader in subject area than flow cytometry.

Broad incumbents

• American Society for Hematology (ASH): Much larger clinical-translational hematology society with annual meeting, journal (Blood), and educational portfolio. Overlaps ISAC's translational/clinical cytometry segment but is a broad incumbent with substantially more resources and members.
• Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB): Umbrella federation of biomedical and life-science member societies, including advocacy, scientific conferences, and publications. Functions similarly to ISAC as a service-provider society but at federation scale across multiple life-science disciplines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ISAC_CYTO
• Facebookfacebook.com/ISAC.CYTO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-society-for-advancement-of-cytometry
• Instagraminstagram.com/isac_cyto
• Xx.com/ISAC_CYTO

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about ISAC