NBS Biologicals

What NBS Biologicals does

NBS Biologicals is a UK-based manufacturer and supplier of laboratory reagents, biochemicals, kits, labware, and benchtop equipment serving academic, life-sciences, and charitable research customers. Its product catalog spans antibiotics, culture media, electrophoresis supplies, molecular biology kits, PCR reagents, premade proteins, and general labware, with sub-categories organized around specific formulations such as LB broth, M63 medium, and HPLC-grade water. The company also operates as the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Dojindo's cellular function, senescence, oncology, and neuroscience research product lines, comprising 426 SKUs. Beyond catalog sales, it offers custom molecular biology services — gene synthesis, DNA fragments, subcloning, oligonucleotide synthesis, and protein expression and purification — leveraging its parent's manufacturing scale and a patented HAP (High Affinity Purification) method for oligos. Revenue is generated through a pay-as-you-go e-commerce model with a £40 minimum order, direct B2B account registration, and tiered international delivery to the UK, EU, USA/Canada, and Rest of World. The business is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Bio Basic Inc. following a 2015 acquisition, retains ISO 9001 quality certification, and is operated by a 1–10 person team based in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

Name

NBS Biologicals

Legal name

NBS Biologicals Ltd

Website

https://nbsbio.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NBS Biologicals is a UK-based manufacturer and supplier of laboratory reagents, biochemicals, kits, and labware, serving academic, biotechnology, and charity research customers via e-commerce, and operating as the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Dojindo's cellular research products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Reagents and Supplies

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes) (HLAGAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

mRNA & Nucleic Acid Manufacturing Services (mRNA/saRNA/Plasmid DNA) (HLAGAGAC), Raw Materials & Critical Reagents Supply (Media/Resins/Cytokines) (HLAGAGAI)

Keywords

• Laboratory reagents
• Biochemical supplies
• Molecular biology kits
• Gene synthesis services
• Oligonucleotide synthesis

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntingdon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Sale of biological reagents including antibiotics, biochemicals, culture media, labware, molecular biology kits, PCR products, electrophoresis supplies, proteins, and benchtop equipment. One-time product transactions with repeat purchase potential.
2. Gene Synthesis Services: Custom gene synthesis services including oligo synthesis, gene assembly, cloning, and DNA sequencing verification. Service-based offering with project-based pricing.
3. Oligo Synthesis Services: Custom oligonucleotide synthesis with various purification options (Desalted, HAP, PAGE, HPLC, HPLC-CE) and modification services including linkers, spacers, quenchers, fluorophores.
4. Protein Purification Services: Protein expression, refolding, and purification services. Includes endotoxin removal, N-terminal sequencing, fermentation, and lyophilization services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

NBS Biologicals manufactures and supplies high-quality laboratory reagents, biochemicals, culture media, electrophoresis supplies, molecular biology kits, PCR reagents, premade proteins, labware, and benchtop equipment to research laboratories. The company also offers custom molecular biology services including gene synthesis, oligonucleotide synthesis, DNA fragment synthesis, subcloning, and protein purification, and serves as the authorized UK and Ireland distributor for Dojindo cellular research products.

Product overview

NBS Biologicals is a manufacturer and supplier of high-quality laboratory reagents, biochemicals, benchtop equipment, labware, and research services for the laboratory research industry. The product portfolio is organized into distinct categories including Antibiotics, Benchtop Equipment, Biochemicals, Culture Media (with sub-categories for Agar, Broth, Medium, and Water), Electrophoresis supplies, Labware, Molecular Biology Kits, PCR reagents, and Premade Proteins. The company also serves as an authorized UK and Ireland distributor for Dojindo products covering cellular function analysis, cellular senescence, oncology, and neuroscience research. Services offered include Gene Synthesis (through parent company Bio Basic Inc.), Oligo Synthesis, and Protein Purification services. NBS Biologicals is part of Bio Basic Inc. and has been operating since the 1980s, originally as a division of New Brunswick Scientific.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Antibiotics Laboratory antibiotics for research applications, available in liquid and powdered formulations, supplied to research laboratories.
• Biochemicals Research biochemicals including adsorbents, biological buffers, carbohydrates, enzyme inhibitors, nucleic acids, pH standards, solvents, amino acids, detergents, indicators, stains, paraffins, vitamins, and miscellaneous biochemicals.
• Culture Media Culture media products including agar, broths, growth regulators, medium, supplements, herbicides, protein expression media, and culture grade water for laboratory microbial research.
• Electrophoresis Supplies Electrophoresis supplies including acrylamide/bis-acrylamide, blotting papers, ethidium bromide disposal, protein/DNA/RNA ladders, precast gels, agarose, buffers, reagents, reducing agents, and tracking dyes.
• Labware General laboratory ware including beakers, bottles, cylinders, columns, cuvettes, dialysis tubing, lab accessories, lab safety equipment, filtration supplies, multiwell plates, pipette tips, pipettors, racks, tubes, and reagent reservoirs.
• Molecular Biology Kits Molecular biology kits for blunting/ligation, cloning, DNA/RNA/protein extraction, cell transformation, lysis, protein assays, purification, and SDS detection.
• PCR Reagents PCR reagents and kits including dNTPs, polymerases, enzymes, buffers, optimization kits, RT-PCR kits, qPCR premix, and vectors/plasmids.
• Premade Proteins Pre-made proteins including albumin, avidin/streptavidin, enzymes, protein standards, and recombinant proteins for laboratory research applications.
• Benchtop Equipment Laboratory benchtop equipment including autoclaves, centrifuges, heat baths, incubators, sterilizers, vacuum aspirators, water baths, balances, gel electrophoresis units, homogenizers, mixers, thermal cyclers, and vacuum manifolds.
• Cellular Function Analysis (Dojindo) Dojindo-branded products for cell viability, cytotoxicity assays, and mitochondria research, distributed by NBS Biologicals in UK and Ireland.
• Cellular Senescence (Dojindo) Dojindo-branded products for cancer research, cell senescence detection, and neurodegenerative disease studies, distributed by NBS Biologicals in UK and Ireland.
• Gene Synthesis Service Custom gene synthesis service including oligo synthesis, gene assembly, cloning, colony selection, DNA sequencing verification, and lyophilization. Delivered through parent company Bio Basic Inc.
• Oligo Synthesis Custom oligonucleotide synthesis with purification options (Desalted, HAP, PAGE, HPLC, HPLC-CE) and modification services including linkers, spacers, quenchers, fluorophores, and modified bases.
• DNA Fragments Custom synthesis of double-stranded DNA constructs without vector insertion. Genes are sequence verified with minimum yield guarantees (200ng for fragments <600bp and 500ng for fragments >600bp).
• Subcloning Service Gene subcloning service inserting genes into specific vectors with complimentary vectors such as pUC57, pBR322, and pBluescript II KS+/SK+. Turnaround 10-20 days.
• Protein Purification Protein expression and purification services from gene synthesis to protein expression, refolding and purification. Includes endotoxin removal, N-terminal sequencing, fermentation, and lyophilization.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% sequence verification guarantee for all synthesized genes
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Bio Basic Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBio Basic Inc. acquired NBS Biologicals in 2015, making NBS a subsidiary. NBS retains its historical NBS Biologicals name (dating back to 1980s as division of New Brunswick Scientific). NBS offers Bio Basic's full range of products and services to UK customers, including gene synthesis, oligo synthesis, and protein purification services. Bio Basic is described as one of the largest professional gene manufacturers in the world.
• DojindocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNBS Biologicals is an authorized distributor for Dojindo products in the UK and Ireland. Dojindo is a world-leading manufacturer of cellular function analysis, oncology, neuroscience, and cellular senescence products. NBS offers 426 Dojindo products including Cell Counting Kit-8, Cellular Senescence Detection Kit, and various staining and assay kits.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GenScript: Global gene synthesis, oligo synthesis, and protein services provider. Directly comparable to NBS/Bio Basic's gene synthesis and custom oligo service offerings.
• Bio-Techne: Supplier of research reagents, assay kits, and proteins for life science research. Comparable in reagents, proteins, and specialty assay kits including cell biology and neuroscience areas.
• Cambridge Bioscience: UK life science distributor offering reagents, kits, and specialist consumables to academic and biotech customers. Comparable overlap in molecular biology kits, antibodies, and cell biology reagents.
• Scientific Laboratory Supplies: UK-based laboratory supplies distributor serving academic, biotech, and industrial labs with reagents, consumables, and equipment. Directly comparable as a domestic lab supplies channel targeting the same customer base NBS serves.
• Bio-Rad Laboratories: Global life science research and clinical diagnostics company supplying PCR reagents, electrophoresis products, protein purification tools, and lab instruments — directly overlapping NBS's molecular biology and protein workflow catalog.
• Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT): World-leading custom oligonucleotide and nucleic acid supplier under Danaher. Direct competitor to NBS/Bio Basic in custom oligo synthesis with overlapping product formats and modifications.
• Eurofins Genomics: Genomics services provider offering gene synthesis, oligo synthesis, and DNA sequencing. Direct competitor to NBS/Bio Basic in custom DNA services sold to UK and EU researchers.

Broad incumbents

• Merck (Sigma-Aldrich): Global life science tools incumbent with an enormous reagents, biochemicals, and lab supplies catalog. Broadly overlaps NBS's biochemicals, buffers, and culture media lines at much larger scale.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Fisher Scientific): Global lab products and services distributor with extensive reagent, consumable, and instrument portfolio. Comparable as a one-stop UK supplier for reagents, labware, and benchtop equipment.
• Avantor (VWR): Global distributor of laboratory products, equipment, and services. Overlaps with NBS's distribution role for reagents, labware, and life science consumables across academic and biotech customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nbsbio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nbs-biologicals

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 NBS Biologicals