Katalyst Laboratories

What Katalyst Laboratories does

Katalyst Laboratories is a UK-based molecular diagnostics and product distribution company founded in 2020, operating an ISO 15189 accredited laboratory in Soho Square, London, with its registered place of business in Harlow, Essex (trading name of Katalyst Health Ltd / Katalyst Laboratories Ltd). The company was established during the COVID-19 pandemic, initially as a point-of-care testing provider for UK airports (including Heathrow), ports, and film/TV production companies under ISO 22870 POCT certification, before diversifying into distribution of CE IVD certified PCR assays, reagents, and diagnostic instruments across veterinary, microbiology, virology, food safety, and water pathogen testing verticals. Its technology portfolio is built on qPCR (quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction) and lateral flow assay platforms, with proprietary and distributed products including the WinterPLEX multiplex assay (simultaneous SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A/B, and RSV detection), RespiraTrack 24/27 respiratory pathogen panels, over 200 veterinary PCR assays, and over 40 lyophilised food and water pathogen detection kits. The company has additionally launched a recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) vaccine platform with five poultry vaccine candidates (NDx-H9, NDx-H5, NDx-IBV, NDx-IBDV, NDx-dual) leveraging codon-pair deoptimisation technology and 70+ years of NDV safety data.

Katalyst's business model combines three revenue streams: diagnostic product distribution under a one-time/perpetual license pricing model (products invoiced at price in effect at order acceptance, net 30 payment terms), ISO 15189 laboratory services and ISO 22870 POCT testing services billed on a time-and-materials basis with daily fee rates, and poultry vaccine distribution via regional partners and licensing opportunities globally. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales targeting hospitals, clinical laboratories, veterinary clinics, universities, diagnostic service labs, travel industries, food and beverage producers, and community healthcare organisations. Sales are generated through direct inquiry via a website contact form rather than a transactional e-commerce channel, supported by content marketing through a Health Hub blog and Video Hub.

The company operates with a small team (11-50 employees) led by co-founder and CEO Andrew Wheeler, and is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or revenue figures. Its technical differentiators include the NDV vaccine platform's attenuation technology, lyophilised reagent formats enabling room-temperature shipping, and the breadth of its agnostic multi-supplier diagnostic portfolio spanning at least eight vertical markets.

Name

Katalyst Laboratories

Legal name

Katalyst Laboratories Ltd

Website

https://katalystlaboratories.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Molecular Diagnostics

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), Veterinary Services (54194), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215)

SIC

Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Veterinary Vaccine & Biologics Distributors (HLAMAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Diagnostics & Laboratory Services (Sampling, Necropsy, Disease Investigation) (AFACADAF), Reference Laboratory Testing (Clinical Pathology & Chemistry) (HLAMADAA), Vaccine R&D, Clinical/Field Trials & Regulatory Affairs (HLAMAKAM), Veterinary Microbiology & Infectious Disease Testing (Culture/PCR/Serology) (HLAMADAC)

Keywords

• Molecular diagnostics
• QPCR detection kits
• Veterinary diagnostics
• Clinical microbiology
• Poultry vaccines

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Diagnostic Product Distribution: Distribution of PCR assays, reagents, and equipment for microbiology, virology, veterinary, food, and water markets. Products include qPCR tests, lateral flow assays, ELISA kits, and diagnostic instruments
2. Poultry Vaccine Distribution: Distribution of recombinant NDV-based poultry vaccines targeting avian influenza, infectious bronchitis, infectious bursal disease, and Newcastle disease
3. Services (Laboratory Testing): ISO 15189 laboratory services and ISO 22870 POCT testing services, with pricing based on time and materials using daily fee rates

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Distributes diagnostic products and provides laboratory testing services, offering qPCR assays, reagents, diagnostic instruments, and proprietary poultry vaccines (including WinterShield, WinterGuard, RespiraTrack, and NDx-H9) across veterinary, clinical microbiology, and food/water testing markets. Operates ISO 15189-accredited laboratory services and ISO 22870 POCT testing for hospitals, clinics, and reference laboratories.

Product overview

Katalyst Laboratories is a diagnostic solutions provider offering a diversified portfolio spanning veterinary diagnostics, microbiology/virology testing, environmental pathogen detection, and poultry vaccine distribution. The core offering consists of qPCR detection kits (WinterShield, WinterGuard, WinterPLEX, RespiraTrack 24/27) for clinical and food/water testing, supported by a range of automated diagnostic instruments (QT3, SMT-120VP, Hailstorm, VG1, VBC50). The company also distributes recombinant NDV-based poultry vaccine candidates (NDx-H9, NDx-H5, NDx-IBV, NDx-IBDV, NDx-dual) and provides specialised veterinary diagnostics including equine PCR panels, canine allergy kits (INgezim PLEX), and the qcLAMP-Mini UTI device. Laboratory services include ISO 15189 accredited testing and ISO 22870 POCT solutions. The portfolio is built on qPCR and immunoassay technologies, with instruments ranging from handheld point-of-care devices to fully automated analysers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WinterShield: Advanced diagnostic tool for accurate detection and differentiation of Influenza A, Influenza B, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2.
• WinterGuard
• RespiraTrack

Products and services

• WinterShield
• WinterGuard
• RespiraTrack
• NDx-H9
• ISO 15189 Laboratory Testing Services
• ISO 22870 Point-of-Care Testing (POCT)
• Diagnostic Product Distribution

Named customers2 records

Segments9 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

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• bioMérieux: Established microbiology and infectious disease diagnostics company with a broad product portfolio in clinical and industrial (food) testing. Overlaps with Katalyst's microbiology qPCR reagents and food pathogen detection kits.
• QIAGEN: Major molecular diagnostics and sample technologies provider. Overlaps with Katalyst's molecular (qPCR) reagent and assay distribution business on the human clinical side.
• Hologic: Molecular diagnostics and women's health specialist with PCR-based test platforms. Comparable to Katalyst's multiplex respiratory PCR products (RespiraTrack, WinterPLEX) and POCT ambitions.
• IDEXX Laboratories: Global leader in veterinary diagnostics with proprietary instruments, assays and reference lab services. Comparable to Katalyst's veterinary product and instrument categories, but at vastly greater scale with directly owned IP.
• Neogen Corporation: Animal and food safety diagnostics provider with test kits, instruments and genomics services. Comparable to Katalyst's combination of veterinary diagnostics, food/water pathogen detection kits and poultry-related animal health offerings.
• Eurofins Scientific: Global testing services network with strong food, environmental and clinical diagnostics lab capabilities. Overlaps with Katalyst's ISO 15189 lab services and environmental/food testing offerings, though at much larger scale.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Long-established life sciences and clinical diagnostics manufacturer with broad qPCR, immunoassay and quality control portfolios. Comparable to the qPCR and ELISA kit components that Katalyst distributes or white-labels.

Direct peers

• Pro-Lab Diagnostics: UK-focused diagnostics distributor serving clinical and veterinary laboratories with a curated portfolio of assays and instruments. Similar scale, geography and breadth of product offering to Katalyst Laboratories.
• Romer Labs: Specialist in food and feed safety diagnostic test kits (PCR and immunoassay for pathogen and mycotoxin detection). Direct overlap with Katalyst's qPCR food and water pathogen detection kit portfolio.
• Launch Diagnostics: UK-based diagnostics distributor offering a multi-vendor portfolio of microbiology, immunology, haematology and veterinary diagnostic products to NHS and private labs. Closely mirrors Katalyst's agnostic, multi-supplier distribution model across clinical and veterinary verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Katalyst Laboratories