What Neppajin does

Neppajin (ネッパジーン株式会社 / NEPA GENE CO., LTD.) is a privately-held Japanese life science instruments company headquartered in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, specializing in electroporation-based gene introduction and adjacent cellular manipulation technologies. The company's core platform is a proprietary multi-step pulse electroporation method, patented in Japan, Europe, and China, which delivers consecutive strong and weak electrical pulses to achieve high transfection efficiency with high cell viability even in hard-to-transfect primary cells, immune cells, and blood cell lineages. Its flagship product line, the NEPA21 series (including the 2026-launched NEPA21 Type III), supports both in vitro and in vivo electroporation from a single unit. The product portfolio spans ten categories: electroporation devices and electrodes, mechanoporation systems (Gateway, Galaxy), microfluidic nanoparticle synthesis (NanoAssemblr series for mRNA-LNP and liposome production), sonoporation and focused ultrasound systems, jet injection (Actranza Lab), gene guns, microinjection devices, electrical cell fusion (ECFG21), fluorescence staining (TiYO, ISHpalette in situ HCR), single-cell picking (MPP and UnipicK series), stem cell sorting (VIVANT-CELL), cell freezing, and live cell imaging and analysis instruments.

The company generates revenue primarily through the sale of capital scientific instruments and recurring consumables (electrodes, NanoAssemblr cartridges, reagent kits including GenVoy-ILM T Cell and CD34+ HSC LNP kits), with pricing conducted via inquiry-based quotes rather than public disclosure. Go-to-market is hybrid: direct sales within Japan via the company website, email, and exhibitions, complemented by a network of nine dedicated regional distributors across Australia, USA/Canada, China, Europe, Germany, India, Israel, Korea, and Taiwan. Marketing is driven primarily by participation in over 30 annual Japanese academic conferences and hands-on training workshops (including the long-running GONAD method training series), joint scientific publications with university collaborators, and a Japanese-language product catalog website. The company serves academic life science researchers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and regenerative medicine and cell therapy developers, with no major-customer concentration disclosed and applications spanning mammals, birds, fish, plants, algae, bacteria, and yeast.

Neppajin was founded in 2001 and has built a substantial intellectual property portfolio, including a 2014 patent litigation victory and the 2015 Japanese patent grant for electroporation-based embryo genome editing in joint filing with Kyoto University. The company has received multiple Japanese government honors, including the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award (2014), the Medal with Purple Ribbon to President Yasuhiko Hayakawa (2017), the Order of the Rising Sun to President Hayakawa (2024), the 28th Chiba Prefecture Excellent Management Award (2023), and ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications (2021). The company operates with 1-10 employees, is privately held with no disclosed external funding, and has no public listing.

Name

Neppajin

Legal name

ネッパジーン株式会社

Website

https://nepagene.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Neppajin (ネッパジーン株式会社) is a privately-held Japanese life science instruments company headquartered in Chiba, Japan, that designs and manufactures electroporation, cell fusion, microfluidic nanoparticle synthesis, and single-cell analysis equipment for academic researchers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and regenerative medicine developers across 11 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Scientific Instruments

NAICS

Medical Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (3391)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Molecular Biology & Genomics Instruments (PCR/qPCR, Sequencing, Microarrays) (HLAGAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Synthetic Biology & Genetic Circuit Design Platforms (pathway engineering, chassis development) (HLAAAIAD)

Keywords

• Electroporation instruments
• Cell fusion equipment
• Microfluidic nanoparticle synthesis
• Laboratory transfection devices
• Cell biology instruments

Headquarters

HQ city

Chiba

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Revenue model

1. Scientific Instruments and Equipment Sales: Sale of laboratory equipment including electroporators, cell fusion devices, nanoparticle synthesis systems, ultrasound instruments, and single-cell analysis instruments. Revenue is generated through direct sales in Japan and through international distribution channels. The company has expanded its international sales notably, as recognized in the Chiba Prefecture Excellent Management Award (2023).
2. Consumables and Accessories: Sales of electrodes (cuvette electrodes, needle electrodes, tweezers electrodes, etc.), cartridges for NanoAssemblr systems, reagents, and assay kits. These provide recurring revenue as consumables are consumed with each experiment.
3. Specialty Reagents and Kits: Sale of specialty kits including ISHpalette fluorescent probes, GenVoy-ILM T Cell kits, CD34+ HSC LNP kits, RNA delivery LNP kits, and other application-specific reagent sets.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Neppajin is a Japanese scientific instrument manufacturer that designs, develops, and sells specialized laboratory devices for gene introduction, cell manipulation, and drug delivery research. Its portfolio spans electroporation systems, electro cell fusion devices, microfluidic nanoparticle synthesis platforms for mRNA-LNP and liposomes, sonoporation (focused ultrasound) systems, jet injection devices, single-cell picking/microdissection instruments, stem cell sorting systems, in situ HCR detection reagents, and cell culture/imaging analyzers. Products are sold direct in Japan and through a network of international distributors to academic researchers and pharmaceutical/biotech companies.

Product overview

Neppajin (ネッパジーン株式会社) is a life science instruments company that offers a comprehensive portfolio of specialized devices and reagents for cellular biology, molecular biology, and drug discovery research. The product portfolio is organized into ten major categories: (1) Electroporation — including the flagship NEPA21 Type III, NEPA21, ELEPO21, NEPA Porator, and CUY21 series instruments plus associated electrodes and accessories; (2) Drug Delivery & Gene Introduction — comprising mechanoporation devices (Gateway 2.0, Galaxy, Galaxy-i, MilliBooster), microfluidic nanoparticle manufacturing systems (NanoAssemblr Ignite, Spark, Blaze, CFS) for mRNA-LNP and liposome production with dedicated LNP kits (GenVoy-ILM T Cell kit, CD34+ HSC LNP kit), sonoporation/FUS systems (FUS-RK-50, Sonitron GTS, USphere, SV-25, Sonopore 4000CE), jet injection (Actranza Lab), particle delivery (GDS-80 gene gun), and microinjection devices (LTM-1000M, MCF-100); (3) Electrical Cell Fusion — including ECFG21, LF201, LF101 devices and fusion/activation electrodes; (4) Fluorescent Tissue Staining — TiYO autofluorescence quenching device and ISHpalette in situ HCR hairpin DNA reagents; (5) Cell Separation — VIVANT-CELL series stem cell sorting instruments; (6) Single Cell Collection — micropick & place systems (MPP series) and single cell picking devices (UnipicK, UnipicK+, A-picK); (7) Cell Freezing — PF-NP programmable freezers; (8) Cell & Microbial Culture — including oCelloScope live cell imaging, µCount3D, ECIS Z-Theta real-time cell analysis, CASY VIVO cell counter, cell stretching systems, perfusion culture chambers (Catchburger), and IntuGrow microbial testing; (9) In Vivo Imaging & Monitoring — Prospect small animal ultrasound and MARTA Pad vital sign monitoring; (10) Egg Vibration Culture — NSSB-300N fertilized egg vibration culture and EMB-MST embryo cutting devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NEPA21 Type III Electroporator Flagship super electroporation device delivering high transfection efficiency with high cell viability for primary cells, immune cells, and blood cell lineages; supports in vitro and in vivo electroporation from a single unit.
• NEPA21 Super Electroporator Super electroporator for gene introduction into difficult-to-transfect cells with high efficiency and survival rates, applicable to both in vitro and in vivo transfection.
• ELEPO21 High-Energy In Vitro Electroporator High-energy in vitro electroporation device for gene introduction into cultured cells with improved survival rates; covered by Japanese patent.
• NEPA Porator Electroporator Electroporation device specialized for bacteria, yeast, fungi, and cultured cells.
• CUY21Pro-Vitro Electroporator Electroporation device designed for in vitro gene introduction applications.
• CUY21SC In Vivo Electroporator Electroporation device specialized for in vivo gene introduction into somatic cells.
• CUY21EDIT Genome Editing Electroporator Electroporation device dedicated to genome editing applications.
• Gateway 2.0 MechanoPorator Intracellular drug and nucleic acid delivery device using mechanoporation technology for cell therapy and drug discovery applications.
• Galaxy MechanoPorator System High-throughput intracellular drug and nucleic acid delivery system using mechanoporation for cell-based research and screening.
• NanoAssemblr Microfluidic Nanoparticle Synthesis Platform Microfluidic platform comprising Ignite/Ignite+, Spark, Blaze, and CFS models for the precise and reproducible synthesis of mRNA-LNP, liposome, and polymer nanoparticles at various scales.
• FUS-RK-50 Focused Ultrasound System Focused ultrasound instrument for sonoporation-based drug and gene delivery research.
• Sonitron GTS Ultrasonic Device Ultrasonic device for sonoporation-based gene and drug delivery.
• Sonopore 4000CE Ultrasonic Gene Transfection Device Ultrasonic gene transfection device for sonoporation-based molecular delivery.
• Actranza Lab Pyro-Drive Jet Injector Needle-free jet injector using high-speed jet flow generated by combustion energy for intradermal gene and drug delivery.
• GDS-80 Gene Gun Gene gun system for particle-delivery-based gene transfection into skin and other tissues.
• LTM-1000M Microinjection Device Microinjection device for gene and substance delivery into plant cells and algae.
• ECFG21 Super Cell Fusion Device Super cell fusion device enabling real-time confirmation of output voltage, current, and energy for highly effective electro cell fusion (e.g., hybridoma production, oocyte activation, somatic cell nuclear transfer).
• LF201 Cell Fusion Device Cell fusion device for electro cell fusion applications.
• TiYO Autofluorescence Quenching Device LED-based pre-treatment device that quenches autofluorescent substances in tissue samples prior to fluorescence staining, enabling clearer imaging.
• ISHpalette In Situ HCR Fluorescent Probe Reagent Fluorescence-labeled hairpin DNA probes for in situ hybridization chain reaction (HCR) enabling highly sensitive detection of target mRNA in tissue sections, including custom probe design services and a complementary mounting agent.
• VIVANT-CELL Stem Cell Sorting System Stem cell sorting and recovery device for high-efficiency isolation of high-function stem cells; a co-branded variant (VIVANT-CELL-Pot with UpCell Plate) was launched in collaboration with CellSeed Inc.
• MicroPick & Place (MPP) Single-Cell Picking System Micropick & Place systems (MPP-300Z/300 and MPP-200Z/200B/100) for aspiration, extraction, and dispensing of single cells (animal cells, algae, plant cells, protein crystals) and micro-volume samples.
• UnipicK / UnipicK+ / A-picK Single-Cell Pickers Adherent cell picking and microdissection instruments for extracting single cells or tissue regions from culture dishes and tissue sections.
• PF-NP Programmable Cell Freezer Compact programmable freezer supporting cell therapy (stem cells, primary cells) and livestock (sperm, embryos, tissues) cryopreservation.
• µCount3D Microbial Cell Counter Instrument for counting and analyzing microbial cells.
• oCelloScope Live Cell Imaging System Real-time, live-cell imaging and analysis system for microbial growth, antibiotic susceptibility testing, food microbiology, and crop science applications.
• IntuGrow Rapid Microbial Testing System Rapid microbial testing system for quality control and safety inspection applications.
• ECIS Z-Theta Real-Time Cell Analyzer Real-time cell analysis system using electrically sensitive well plates to monitor cell proliferation, migration, cytotoxicity, barrier function, and viral infections.
• CASY VIVO Cell Counter and Analyzer Cell counter and analyzer for cell lines, stem cells, primary cells, bacteria, yeast, algae, and blood cells.
• Prospect Small-Animal Ultrasound Imaging System Small-animal ultrasound imaging instrument for cardiovascular, tumor/cancer, developmental biology, HIFU, image-guided sonoporation, and elasticity imaging research.
• MARTA Pad Vital Sign Monitor Vital sign monitoring pad for measuring and monitoring vital signs in small laboratory animals.
• NSSB-300N Fertilized Egg Vibration Culture Device Vibration culture device for efficient production of parthenogenetic oocytes and somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos to the blastocyst stage.
• GenVoy-ILM T Cell mRNA LNP Kit Lipid nanoparticle kit for mRNA delivery into T cells for cell therapy applications, used with the NanoAssemblr platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Markedly high transfection efficiency with high cell survival rates using multi-step electroporation pulses
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CellSeed Inc. (セルシード社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024Co-branded product collaboration. CellSeed Inc. and Neppajin jointly released the 'Stem Cell Fraction Recovery Kit' product — VIVANT-CELL®-Pot with UpCell® Plate — for high-efficiency functional stem cell recovery. This represents a product integration combining CellSeed's cell culture surface technology with Neppajin's VIVANT-CELL sorting technology.
• TrendBio Pty Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Neppajin products in Australia, covering Victoria and other regions. Located at Unit 1, 8-14 Albert Street, Preston VIC 3072, Australia. Contact via [email protected], Tel: +61-1300-720-574.
• Bulldog Bio, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor for Neppajin products in the USA and Canada. Located at One New Hampshire Ave, Suite 125, Portsmouth, NH 03801, USA. Contact via [email protected], Tel: +1-603-570-4248.
• Applitech Biological Technology Co., Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor for Neppajin products in China. Located at 483 Xingnan Road, Nancun, Panyu, Guangzhou 511442, China. Contact via +86-20-34821111.
• Sonidel LimitedcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEuropean distributor for Neppajin products. Located at 32 Tonlegee Drive, Cameron Park, Raheny, Dublin 5, Ireland. Contact via [email protected], Tel: ++353 (0)1 4434358.
• Xceltis GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor for Neppajin products in Germany. Located at Pirnaer Strasse 24, 68309 Mannheim, Germany. Contact via [email protected], Tel: +49-621-872096-0.
• Medi Analytika India Pvt. LtdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor for Neppajin products in India. Located at New No.15, Old No-6, Adyar Bridge Road, Adyar, Chennai 600 020, India. Contact via [email protected], Tel: +91-44-2446 3084.
• Almog DiagnosticcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor for Neppajin products in Israel. Located at P.O Box 349, Shoham, 73142, Israel. Contact via [email protected], Tel: +972-3-977-3390.
• Bio-Medical Science Co., Ltd. (BMS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor for Neppajin products in Korea. Located at BMS Bldg., 22 Yeoksam-ro 7 gil, Gangnam-ku, Seoul 135-936, Korea. Contact via [email protected], Tel: +82-(0)2-3471-6500.
• Bio-East Technology Co., Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor for Neppajin products in Taiwan. Located at 9F., No.21 Fu-Kor Rd., Shi-Lin, Taipei 111, Taiwan. Contact via [email protected], Tel: +886-2-2831-3061.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Sonidel Limited: Sonidel manufactures sonoporation devices for ultrasound-mediated drug and gene delivery, overlapping with NEPA GENE's Sonitron GTS and FUS-RK-50 product lines; Sonidel is simultaneously NEPA GENE's European distributor, making it both peer and channel partner.

Direct peers

• Lonza Group: Lonza's Nucleofector program (acquired with Amaxa) is the dominant electroporation platform for hard-to-transfect primary cells and immune cells — the exact same use case NEPA GENE's multi-step pulse technology targets — making Lonza a close functional competitor.
• Mirus Bio: Mirus Bio sells TransIT transfection reagents for gene delivery into mammalian cells, serving the same cell biology and gene therapy research customers as NEPA GENE's electroporation platforms and competing on the upstream reagent/tooling layer.
• Precision NanoSystems (Cytiva): Precision NanoSystems — now part of Cytiva — is the original developer of the NanoAssemblr microfluidic mRNA-LNP and liposome synthesis platform that NEPA GENE distributes, making it both a critical supplier and a direct peer in the nucleic acid therapeutic formulation tooling space.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Bio-Rad is a major life science research and clinical diagnostics company whose Gene Pulser and Gene Pulser Xcell electroporation systems are direct competitors to NEPA GENE's NEPA21 and ELEPO21 lines, serving the same academic and biotech transfection workflows.
• MaxCyte: MaxCyte specializes in flow electroporation for cell therapy manufacturing (CAR-T, CRISPR engineering), directly competing with NEPA GENE's electroporation platform in the same primary and immune cell transfection use cases serving pharma and biotech.
• Polyplus (Sartorius): Polyplus, acquired by Sartorius, sells transfection and virus production reagents (FectoVIR, PEIpro) used in gene therapy and vaccine manufacturing — overlapping with NEPA GENE's cell therapy and nucleic acid delivery customers as a reagent-side alternative to electroporation.
• BTX (Harvard Apparatus): BTX is a long-established manufacturer of electroporation and electrofusion instruments with overlapping product positioning to NEPA GENE's NEPA21 and ECFG21 lines, particularly in academic and core facility use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher's Neon transfection system competes with NEPA GENE's electroporation portfolio in primary cell workflows, while its broader life sciences instruments portfolio dwarfs NEPA GENE's specialty catalog — making it a broad incumbent rather than a focused direct peer.

Emerging players

• Celetrix: Celetrix is an emerging manufacturer of electroporation devices for cell therapy and gene delivery applications, competing with NEPA GENE's NEPA21 line in primary cell and hard-to-transfect cell workflows for biotech and academic customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

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 Neppajin