What NeoBiosystems does

NeoBiosystems, Inc. is a privately held scientific instrumentation company founded in 2005 and headquartered in San Jose, California. The company designs and manufactures automated electrophysiology systems used primarily by academic and research laboratories for patch clamp and two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) experiments. Its core technology centers on computer-controlled resistance-based feedback that detects cell membrane contact and forms gigaohm seals without requiring a microscope, a design that materially reduces equipment cost and bench footprint relative to traditional rigs.

The product line spans the ez-gSEAL pressure controllers, ezPatch motorized micromanipulators, the PatchMAX single-channel automated patch clamp system, and the ChannelMAX dual- and quad-channel systems that combine patch clamp and TEVC in a single compact rig. All systems run on the proprietary NBSController software and integrate with National Instruments DAQ hardware. Four patent-pending designs protect the automated membrane detection and pressure-control architecture. Accessories including perfusion chambers, amplifier adaptors, and interface boxes are sold as add-ons. Customer evidence is concentrated in US academic neuroscience and ion channel labs (Yale, UCSF, Ohio State, University of Utah, UC Davis, Marine Biological Laboratory), with teaching labs and pharmaceutical ion channel research identified as secondary segments.

The business operates on one-time hardware sales plus accessories, with no recurring software subscription, service contract, or consumable revenue stream disclosed. Go-to-market is primarily direct via website, phone, and email, complemented by event-driven demand generation through Neuroscience and Biophysical Society annual meetings, and supported by exclusive regional distributors in Japan (Inter Medical), China (DL Naturegene), Hong Kong (Bio-gene Technology), and Singapore (Precision Technologies). Pricing on flagship systems ranges from $11,597 to $37,950 plus required DAQ boards, which is roughly 50% below equivalent traditional setups. The company has no disclosed external funding and operates with 1–10 employees.

Name

NeoBiosystems

Legal name

NeoBiosystems, Inc.

Website

https://neobiosystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NeoBiosystems, founded in 2005 and based in San Jose, designs and sells automated patch clamp and TEVC electrophysiology systems for academic, teaching, and pharmaceutical research labs, with patent-pending microscope-free resistance-feedback technology and distributors across Asia-Pacific.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electrophysiology Instrumentation

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845)

akta.pro primary industry

Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)

Keywords

• Electrophysiology equipment
• Patch clamp systems
• Voltage clamp instruments
• Micromanipulator devices
• Biomedical research tools

Headquarters

HQ city

San Jose

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electrophysiology Equipment Sales: Direct sales of automated patch clamp systems, pressure controllers, micromanipulators, and accessories to research institutions. One-time hardware purchases with optional software support.
2. Accessories and Consumables: Sales of perfusion chambers, amplifier adaptors, DAQ boards, interface boxes, and cables as add-on components for core systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NeoBiosystems designs, manufactures, and sells computer-controlled electrophysiology instrumentation for biological and biomedical research. Its core offerings are automated patch clamp systems, two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) systems, motorized micromanipulators, and pressure controllers that enable microscope-free operation via resistance-based membrane detection, plus accessories such as perfusion chambers and data acquisition boards.

Product overview

NeoBiosystems is a specialized instrument company developing tools for biological and biomedical research, particularly in electrophysiology. Their product portfolio consists of standalone and integrated systems for patch clamp and two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) experiments. The core product line includes: (1) ez-gSEAL 100B Pressure Controller for automated pressure control during patch clamping; (2) ezPatch 100A and ezPatch 200A Smart Micromanipulators with computer-controlled feedback for precise electrode positioning; (3) PatchMAX 100B Automated Patch Clamp System for standalone automated patch clamping without microscopes; and (4) ChannelMAX 100B Mini and ChannelMAX 100A Twin systems combining dual/quad patch clamp and TEVC capabilities. These products share the NBSController software platform and use National Instruments DAQ boards, allowing integration into unified automated electrophysiology workflows. Accessories include perfusion chambers, amplifier adaptors, and interface boxes. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ez-gSEAL 100B Pressure Controller High-precision, software-controlled pressure controller with built-in pumps (-250 to 250 mmHg, 1.5 mmHg resolution) for automated seal formation and cell break-in in patch clamp experiments. Eliminates need for external air tanks and is suitable for drug puffing, Patch-seq, atomic force microscopy, and stretch-activated channel studies.
• ezPatch 100A Smart Manipulator Motorized micromanipulator with computer-controlled feedback that stops precisely when the electrode contacts the cell membrane, enabling microscope-free operation. Bundled with PCI data acquisition board, BNC interface box, NBSController software, and National Instruments DAQ support.
• ezPatch 200A Micromanipulator High-precision stepper-motor micromanipulator controlled wirelessly via iPod Touch with 47nm resolution, designed for patch clamping, intracellular recordings, and microinjection. Features adjustable headstage angle and works in conjunction with the ez-gSEAL 100B pressure controller for automated workflows.
• PatchMAX 100B Automated Patch Clamp System Standalone automated patch clamp system that brings electrodes to the cell membrane via resistance feedback without requiring a microscope. Includes motorized manipulator, manual XY stage, DAQ board, BNC interface, and perfusion chamber, and supports whole-cell, cell-attached, inside-out, and outside-out patch configurations.
• ChannelMAX 100B Mini Automated Patch Clamp and TEVC System Dual automated patch clamp and two-electrode voltage clamp (TEVC) system with two computer-controlled manipulators that runs two simultaneous patch clamp experiments or one TEVC experiment without a microscope, reporting over 90% seal success rates.
• ChannelMAX 100A Twin Automated Patch Clamp and TEVC System Quad patch clamp and dual two-electrode voltage clamp system with four computer-controlled micro-manipulators on a 12x12 inch footprint, capable of running up to four simultaneous patch clamp experiments or two TEVC experiments with automated seal formation.
• National Instruments USB-6212 DAQ Board 16-bit, 400 kS/s multifunction USB data acquisition board with 16 analog inputs, 2 analog outputs, and up to 32 digital I/O, bundled with NI-DAQmx driver software and NI LabVIEW SignalExpress data-logging software for integration with NeoBiosystems systems.
• BNC Interface Box Interface box providing 10 analog inputs, 2 analog outputs, and 1 digital output with connections enabling switching between third-party data acquisition boards and NeoBiosystems systems.
• Amplifier Headstage Adaptor Headstage adaptors enabling compatibility between NeoBiosystems manipulators and pressure controllers and amplifiers manufactured by Molecular Devices, Warner Instruments, HEKA, and other vendors.
• Perfusion Chamber Support Complex Complete perfusion chamber support package including the Perfusion Chamber I, stand, base plate, and clamp for fixing the chamber onto the base plate.
• SCSI Cable (VHDCI Premium) VHDCI Premium 68-pin male-to-female cable, 28 AWG, used for system connectivity within NeoBiosystems electrophysiology rigs.
• Perfusion Chamber II Assembly Fast solution exchange perfusion chamber for excised patch and cultured cell whole-cell patch applications, with two slots for three-barrel perfusion pipettes and software-controlled solution changes as fast as 20 ms.
• Perfusion Chamber I Standard perfusion chamber designed for oocyte two-electrode voltage clamp and patch clamp with a 4 microliter cone-shaped well for oocyte positioning and an isolated solution outlet to prevent water surface vibration from breaking seals.

Quantifiable outcome

• Seal success rate of 90%+ reported across multiple customer labs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Inter Medical Co.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 9 April 2007Exclusive distribution agreement for Japan. Inter Medical markets, sells, and supports all NeoBiosystems products in Japan. Inter Medical is based in Nagoya and specializes in manufacturing and selling research equipment for biology, biophysics, pharmacology, and physiology.
• DL Naturegene Life SciencescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor for China with headquarters in Beijing and USA office in Newbury Park, CA. Manages sales and technical support for Chinese customers.
• Bio-gene Technology Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor for Hong Kong. Located in Shatin, Hong Kong. Handles sales and support for the Hong Kong market.
• Precision TechnologiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor for Singapore. Located at Henderson Industrial Park, Singapore. Manages sales and support for Singapore customers.
• National InstrumentssupportingTechnology or IntegrationProvides DAQ hardware (PCI-6221, USB-6212, USB-6361) and drivers (NI-DAQmx) that integrate with NeoBiosystems control systems. Products are listed on National Instruments Solutions Partner network.
• jCLAMP/ScisoftcosupportingTechnology or IntegrationThird-party data acquisition software compatible with NeoBiosystems DAQ boards. Users can leverage existing jCLAMP licenses without purchasing additional data acquisition hardware.
• Molecular DevicessupportingTechnology or IntegrationAmplifier compatibility. NeoBiosystems offers headstage adaptors for amplifiers from Molecular Devices, Warner Instruments, HEKA and other manufacturers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sutter Instrument: Manufacturer of micromanipulators (MP-285, MP-225), pulled-glass micropipette pullers, and microscopes used in patch clamp rigs. Comparable as a peer because it supplies the micromanipulator category where NeoBiosystems' ezPatch competes.
• Warner Instruments: Long-established supplier of patch clamp chambers, micromanipulators, and perfusion systems for electrophysiology. Comparable as a peer because it sells complementary accessories into the same academic and pharma labs; NeoBiosystems lists Warner amplifier adaptors as compatible accessories.
• Scientifica: UK-based manufacturer of micromanipulators, two-photon microscopes, and patch clamp setups for neuroscience research. Comparable as a peer in the patch clamp rig category and a competitor in European academic markets that NeoBiosystems currently does not serve.
• Multi Channel Systems (Harvard Bioscience): Supplies multi-electrode array (MEA) platforms and electrophysiology recording systems for neuroscience and cardiac safety. Comparable as a peer in the broader electrophysiology instrumentation space, though it emphasizes MEA-based rather than single-cell patch clamp.
• HEKA Elektronik (Harvard Bioscience): Manufactures the EPC-series patch clamp and TEVC amplifiers and the PatchMaster acquisition software. Directly comparable because it serves the same electrophysiology workflows (patch clamp, TEVC) that NeoBiosystems targets, and NeoBiosystems already sells headstage adaptors for HEKA amplifiers.

Emerging players

• Nanion Technologies: Specializes in automated and high-throughput patch clamp (Patchliner, SyncroPatch) and bilayer electrophysiology. Comparable as a peer because it competes for ion-channel drug discovery budgets, though it targets higher-throughput pharma workflows than NeoBiosystems' 1–4 channel manual rigs.
• Sophion Bioscience: Developer of the QPatch automated patch clamp platform used in pharma safety and ion-channel screening. Comparable as a peer because it competes for automated patch clamp adoption, particularly in pharma drug discovery, but at a much higher throughput tier than NeoBiosystems.

Regional players

• Aurora Scientific: Canadian supplier of muscle physiology and electrophysiology instrumentation, including force transducers and related rigs. Comparable as an adjacent life science instruments peer, though it focuses more on muscle/contractility than patch clamp specifically.

Broad incumbents

• Molecular Devices: Part of Danaher's Life Sciences segment and the dominant electrophysiology and patch clamp instrumentation vendor (MultiClamp, Axopatch, IonWorks). Comparable because it sells manual and automated patch clamp rigs and headstage accessories to the same neuroscience and ion-channel research customers, but at higher price points and with a much broader portfolio.

Others

• National Instruments (NI / Emerson): Supplies DAQ hardware (USB-6212, USB-6361) and NI-DAQmx drivers that NeoBiosystems integrates into its rigs. Not a direct competitor but a key enabling technology partner whose roadmap and pricing directly affect NeoBiosystems' bill of materials and channel pricing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/neobiosystems-inc

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 NeoBiosystems