What Giotto Biotech does

Giotto Biotech S.r.l. is a privately held Italian spin-off of the Magnetic Resonance Center (CERM) at the University of Florence, founded in 2011 and headquartered in Sesto Fiorentino. The company develops and commercializes Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy-based reagents and services for structural biology research, with a product portfolio organized as a catalog-plus-custom-services model. Its core offering includes recombinant proteins (MBP, Ubiquitin, GB1, L-Asparaginase 2, Calmodulin, Carbonic Anhydrase, SOD1 mutants, and Lanmodulin) available with selective or uniform stable-isotope labeling (13C, 15N, 2H), NMR protein reference standards in solution and solid-state formats, the proprietary SpiNpack ultracentrifugal device for solid-state NMR sample preparation, custom peptide synthesis up to 150 amino acids, custom organic synthesis of reference compounds, and polyclonal and monoclonal antibody production services (the latter via phage display with 500+ antibody capability). The company also runs NMR-based metabolomics services for agri-food applications (food fingerprinting, authenticity certification, fraud detection) in collaboration with CERM, and offers NMR Access services for external researchers.

The revenue model combines one-time catalog sales of consumables (proteins priced €130-€4,900 depending on type and labeling; buffers and dyes priced €22-€390) with bespoke custom production services and metabolomics contracts. Distribution is via direct e-commerce on giottobiotech.com plus email-based quote ordering for custom and bulk work, supplemented by visibility at scientific conferences (EURO ISMAR, Telethon, RNAct) and participation in EU-funded research consortia (RNAct H2020-MSCA-ITN in 2019, GLYTUNES H2020-MSCA-ITN in 2020, Saturno and RESPIRA regional projects, and ENSCC in 2024). The named customer base spans academic and industrial researchers in structural biology and drug discovery, agri-food operators, and COVID-19 research labs, with reference logos including Mayo Clinic, Bruker BioSpin, ADMI, and EOS Imaging. Ownership is not publicly disclosed; the company has raised no external funding rounds and operates with 1-10 employees under the leadership of President Renata Barnini and Board Member Leonardo Tenori.

Name

Giotto Biotech

Legal name

Giotto Biotech S.r.l.

Website

https://giottobiotech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Giotto Biotech is an Italian spin-off of the University of Florence's CERM that produces isotope-labeled recombinant proteins, NMR reference standards, and the proprietary SpiNpack device for academic and industrial structural-biology researchers, alongside custom protein, peptide, antibody, and metabolomics services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Life Sciences Research Reagents

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Material Characterization & Spectroscopy (NMR/FTIR/MS) (HLAGADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reagents, Chemicals & Assay Kits (Buffers, Antibodies, ELISA, Enzymes) (HLAGAIAI), Library & Diversity Generation Platforms (display libraries, DNA-encoded libraries for biologics, variant libraries) (HLAAAIAL)

Keywords

• Recombinant protein production
• NMR reference standards
• Isotope labeling services
• Custom peptide synthesis
• NMR metabolomics services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sesto Fiorentino

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Recombinant Proteins and Peptides Sales: Sale of catalog recombinant proteins with various labeling options (unlabeled, 15N, 13C15N, 2H13C15N) in bulk or NMR tubes. Products range from €130-4,900 depending on protein type and labeling.
2. Custom Production Services: Custom production service for proteins and organic compounds tailored to specific customer requirements, including recombinant proteins, peptides, and organic synthesis.
3. NMR Standards and Tools: Sale of NMR protein reference standards including solution and solid-state formats, SpiNpack devices, and related NMR consumables.
4. Metabolomics Services: NMR-based metabolomics services provided in collaboration with CERM at University of Florence for food fingerprinting, food authenticity, and fraud detection.
5. Buffer and Dye Products: Sale of laboratory buffers and dyes including ProBlue Safe Stain, Bradford assay reagents, electrophoresis buffers. Unit pricing from €22-390.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Giotto Biotech S.r.l. produces and sells a catalog of recombinant proteins and peptides (often with stable-isotope labeling such as 13C, 15N, 2H) along with NMR protein reference standards and consumables for solution and solid-state NMR. It also offers custom services including custom recombinant protein production, custom peptide synthesis (up to 150 aa), custom multi-step organic synthesis, NMR-based metabolomics (in collaboration with CERM/University of Florence), polyclonal and monoclonal antibody production, and NMR instrumentation access.

Product overview

Giotto Biotech is a biotech company offering custom protein services and custom organic synthesis. The product portfolio is organized as a catalog-plus-custom-services model, comprising: (1) Recombinant Proteins and Peptides — a wide catalog of research proteins including MBP, Ubiquitin, GB1, L-Asparaginase 2, Calmodulin, Carbonic Anhydrase, SOD1 mutants, Lanmodulin, and various S100/MMP proteins, each available with optional stable isotope labeling (15N, 13C15N, 2H13C15N) and in multiple formats (bulk solution, NMR tubes, microcrystals, MAS rotors); (2) NMR Standards and Tools — protein reference standards for solution and solid-state NMR, including the proprietary SpiNpack device; (3) NMR-based Metabolomics — services in collaboration with CERM at University of Florence; (4) Organic Synthesis — custom multi-step synthesis of reference compounds; (5) Antibody Production — polyclonal and monoclonal antibody services including phage display; (6) Peptide Synthesis — custom peptides up to 150 aa; (7) Buffers and Dyes — laboratory reagents including ProBlue Safe Stain, MES/SDS buffer, and various electrophoresis buffers; (8) Custom Production Service — bespoke manufacturing of proteins and organic compounds. The company also provides SARS-CoV-2 proteins and NMR Access services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recombinant Proteins and Peptides

Quantifiable outcome

• 1/64000 ELISA titer guaranteed for polyclonal antibody production
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• ENSCC Project ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024European research training network. Giotto Biotech supervises DC9 doctoral position. Deadline for applications May 1st 2024.
• RESPIRA Project Partners (Publiacqua, Etruria Volo)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2021Research project on airborne peracetic acid monitoring with ROVER and UAS. Partners: Publiacqua and Etruria Volo. Financed by Artes 4.0.
• GLYTUNES Consortium (H2020-MSCA-ITN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2020European training network for bioinspired development of glycomimetics tuning the Siglec-Sialoglycan axis. Involves 7 academic partners and 4 companies (SMEs) from 7 European countries.
• Saturno Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 July 2019Circular bioeconomy research project financed by Piemonte region. Involves 26 partners including universities, research centers, and companies. Focuses on organic waste transformation and CO2 utilization.
• Faber 2 Consortium (Fondazione CR Firenze, Confindustria Firenze)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 May 2019Project funded by Fondazione CR Firenze and Confindustria Firenze, promoted by University of Florence and Città Metropolitana di Firenze. Giotto Biotech won funding for NMR-based metabolomics research for agro-food companies.
• RNAct Consortium (H2020-MSCA-ITN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019H2020-MSCA-ITN project on Enabling proteins with RNA recognition motifs for synthetic biology and bio-analytics. Partners include Vrije Universiteit Brussel, CNRS, Helmholtz Zentrum Muenchen, CSIC, Dynamic Biosensors GmbH, Ridgeview Instruments AB.
• CERM (Magnetic Resonance Center) - University of FlorencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGiotto Biotech collaborates with CERM at University of Florence for metabolomics services. This partnership provides unique positioning for NMR-based metabolomics analysis including food fingerprinting and authentication services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Abcam: Large antibody and protein reagent catalog serving the same academic and biotech research buyers that Giotto addresses with its antibody and recombinant protein offerings.
• Bruker BioSpin: Leading NMR instrumentation vendor that is also a named Giotto customer; sells competing NMR consumables and reference standards and represents both a partner and a competitive incumbent in the NMR ecosystem.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Diversified life sciences tools and reagents provider whose protein, antibody, and custom services portfolios directly overlap Giotto's recombinant protein, antibody, and peptide synthesis offerings.
• Cambridge Isotope Laboratories: Largest global supplier of stable isotope-labeled compounds, including the 13C, 15N, and 2H reagents that Giotto uses to produce its labeled proteins; serves the same NMR and structural biology market at greater scale.
• New England Biolabs: Established life science reagent and enzyme supplier whose catalog of buffers, dyes, and protein research reagents overlaps Giotto's consumables line including ProBlue Safe Stain and electrophoresis buffers.
• Sigma-Aldrich (Merck): Dominant life science reagent catalog offering isotope-labeled proteins, peptides, antibodies, buffers, and dyes that overlap almost every Giotto product line, with materially larger distribution and pricing power.

Direct peers

• GenScript: Global custom biology services company offering recombinant protein, peptide, and antibody production, directly comparable to Giotto's custom production, peptide synthesis, and antibody services.
• Active Motif: Specialty reagent supplier focused on proteins, antibodies, and epigenetics research tools, mirroring Giotto's catalog-plus-custom model for academic and industrial structural biology customers.
• Jena Bioscience: German supplier of reagents and tools for crystallography, NMR, and electron microscopy; competes head-on with Giotto in NMR standards and structural biology reagents across Europe.
• CortecNet: France-based specialist in stable isotope-labeled compounds and NMR consumables, directly overlapping Giotto's isotope labeling and NMR reference standard catalog with comparable academic and industrial customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Giotto Biotech