SWISSCI

What SWISSCI does

SWISSCI is a Switzerland-headquartered (Neuheim) specialty manufacturer of laboratory consumables and instruments for structural biology research, with a UK commercial office in High Wycombe. The company designs and produces crystallization plates (including proprietary UVXPO, UVP, and UVX polymer formulations), cryo-EM grid storage boxes, dialysis tubing and devices, ultrafiltration products, and crystal imaging systems. Its offerings are engineered for protein crystallography, membrane protein work using lipidic cubic phase (LCP) methods, cryo-EM sample handling, and serial crystallography at synchrotron beamlines. The UVEX Crystal Imaging System, distributed in partnership with JAN Scientific, has been deployed at 300+ research sites globally.

The company's product portfolio has been co-developed with leading structural biology institutions including the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, the Paul Scherrer Institute, the University of Zurich, and the UK's National Physical Laboratory. Notable co-developed products include the XPOL LCP Kit and LCP Modular Range (University of Zurich), SWISSMX CM Supports for serial crystallography (Paul Scherrer Institute), and UVEX imaging (JAN Scientific). SWISSCI holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and runs an 11-50 employee operation with no disclosed venture funding.

SWISSCI operates a direct, quote-based sales model reaching academic, government, and pharmaceutical structural biology laboratories worldwide. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds. Recent product expansion includes the Converse Ultrafiltration Devices line (August 2024), extending the consumables footprint into upstream sample preparation for crystallography and cryo-EM workflows.

Name

SWISSCI

Legal name

SWISSCI AG / SWISSCI LTD

Website

https://swissci.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SWISSCI is a Swiss-headquartered specialty manufacturer of crystallization plates, cryo-EM storage products, ultrafiltration devices, and crystal imaging systems serving global structural biology research laboratories in academic, government, and pharmaceutical settings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Consumables for Structural Biology

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Laboratory Consumables & Plasticware (Tips, Tubes, Plates, Filters) (HLAGAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Microscopy, Imaging & Flow Cytometry Instruments (HLAGAIAE)

Keywords

• Crystallography consumables
• Cryo-EM grid boxes
• Protein crystallization plates
• Ultrafiltration devices
• Crystal imaging systems

Headquarters

HQ city

High Wycombe

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Consumables Sales: Sale of specialized laboratory consumables including crystallization plates, assay plates, Cryo-EM grid boxes, ultrafiltration devices, dialysis products, and labware. Products sold in packs with SKU codes for ordering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SWISSCI designs, manufactures, and sells specialised laboratory consumables and instruments for structural biology research, including protein crystallisation plates, cryo-EM grid boxes and support films, ultrafiltration devices, dialysis products, and automated crystal imaging systems. Their products serve X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, and protein chemistry workflows in academic, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology research settings worldwide.

Product overview

SWISSCI is a laboratory solutions company providing a comprehensive portfolio of specialised products for structural biology and life science research. The product range centres on protein crystallography consumables including sitting drop plates (MRC 2-Lens, 3-Lens, and Maxi 48-Well), hanging drop systems, LCP crystallography products (Screening Kit, Modular Range, XPOL Kit), and microbatch under-oil plates. Supporting infrastructure includes Cryo-EM Grid Boxes for sample storage, SWISSMX CM Supports for serial crystallography, and UVEX crystal imaging systems (manual microscope, automated imager, and plate hotels) developed with JAN Scientific. The company also offers ultrafiltration and dialysis products (Converse, Cerocon, Diaplate, Diacon, Diatube) for protein concentration and buffer exchange, along with general labware (assay plates, microtiter plates, deep well plates, PCR plates) and accessories (sealing sheets, plate seals, sealing paddles, microtiter lids). Products are ISO 9001:2015 certified and developed in collaboration with institutions including MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology Cambridge, Paul Scherrer Institute, and Diamond Light Source.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MRC 2-Lens Crystallisation Plate Two-lens sitting-drop protein crystallisation plate using SWISSCI 1-drop technology, designed for structural biology research laboratories running protein crystallisation screening.
• MRC 3-Lens Crystallisation Plate Three-lens sitting-drop protein crystallisation plate for advanced protein crystallisation screening in research laboratories.
• MRC Maxi 48-Well Crystallisation Plate 48-well sitting-drop protein crystallisation plate offering larger drop volumes for crystallisation experiments in structural biology labs.
• MRC Under Oil 96-Well Crystallisation Plate 96-well under-oil protein crystallisation plate developed in collaboration with Raimond Ravelli for under-oil microbatch crystallography in structural biology research.
• Hanging Drop Plug Plate Plug-based hanging drop crystallisation plate for protein crystallisation using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method.
• LCP Screening Kit Lipidic Cubic Phase (LCP) screening kit for membrane protein crystallisation, designed for researchers studying membrane proteins using LCP methodology.
• Modular Range (LCP) Modular LCP product range providing components for membrane protein crystallisation in research laboratories.
• XPOL LCP Kit XPOL LCP Kit for protein crystallisation using the lipidic cubic phase method, designed for membrane protein structural studies.
• SWISSMX CM Supports Custom cryo-EM support films with gold, carbon, or graphene-oxide coatings used for cryo-electron microscopy sample preparation in structural biology laboratories.
• Cryo-EM Grid Box Specialised box for the storage and handling of cryo-EM specimen grids, designed for structural biology and cryo-electron microscopy laboratories.
• UVEXm and UVEXp Crystal Imaging Systems UV crystal imaging systems (UVEXm manual and UVEXp programmable) for automated detection, imaging, and documentation of protein crystals in structural biology research.
• UVEX-PS Crystal Imaging System UVEX-PS crystal imaging system with polarised-screen capability for automated protein crystal detection in structural biology workflows.
• Converse Ultrafiltration Device Ultrafiltration device for protein concentration, desalting, and buffer exchange in protein chemistry and structural biology research laboratories.
• Cerocon Ultrafiltration Device Cerocon ultrafiltration device for protein concentration and sample preparation in research and process applications.
• Diaplate Dialyser Diaplate dialysis plate for equilibrium and gradient dialysis of protein and biological samples in research laboratories.
• Diacon Dialyser Diacon single-sample dialyser for dialysis of protein and biological samples in research and process workflows.
• Diatube Dialysers Diatube dialyser tubing products for dialysis of protein and biological samples in research and process workflows.
• Microtiter Plates Standard microtiter plates including 96-well, 96 deep-well, and 384 PCR formats for general laboratory use in life sciences research.
• Glass Bottom Assay Plates Glass bottom assay plates designed for microscopy and imaging-based assays in life sciences research laboratories.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces auto-fluorescence to less than 5% of unprocessed plates
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and core.

• National Physical Laboratory (NPL)strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021NPL and SWISSCI completed a successful Measurement for Recovery (M4R) project with breakthrough results in crystallization. Collaboration with Dr. Isabel Moraes, Principal Research Scientist from NPL.
• JAN ScientificcoreTechnology or IntegrationSWISSCI and JAN Scientific have partnered to bring UVEX crystal imaging systems to the market. With over 300 installations worldwide, the UVEX is becoming the crystallographer's go-to tool for rapid detection and intuitive classification of protein crystals. SWISSCI distributes these systems.
• Paul Scherrer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWISSMX CM Supports designed and engineered by scientists of the Macromolecular Crystallography group and the Laboratory of Micro and Nanotechnology at the Paul Scherrer Institute in collaboration with the Institute of Polymer Nanotechnology at Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz. Products for serial data collection at synchrotrons and XFELS.
• Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz (Institute of Polymer Nanotechnology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on development of SWISSMX CM Supports - polymer-based ultra-thin porous membranes for high throughput serial data collection from micro-crystals.
• MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWISSCI Cryo EM Grid Box developed in close collaboration with MRC LMB. MRC Under Oil 96 Well Crystallisation plate developed with Dr. Jan Löwe and colleagues. LCP Kit developed with Professor Gebhard Schertler and Pat Edwards from MRC Cambridge.
• University of Zurich (Protein Crystallisation Center)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSWISSCI XPol LCP developed closely with the Protein Crystallisation Center of the University of Zurich, which has many years of expertise in crystallising membrane proteins. The XPol LCP kit has been specially formulated to improve performance versus standard LCP systems.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Hampton Research: Hampton Research is the leading direct competitor in protein crystallization consumables (sitting drop plates, hanging drop, screening reagents). Both companies target structural biology labs with crystallization plates developed alongside premier research institutions, making product lines and customer base near-identical.
• Molecular Dimensions: Molecular Dimensions (now part of Anatrace/Mobitec) specializes in crystallography screens, plates, and cryo-EM consumables. Direct overlap with SWISSCI's MRC-format plates, crystallization screens, and structural biology workflow consumables.
• MiTeGen: MiTeGen manufactures cryo-EM grids, crystallization tools, and sample handling products for structural biology. Directly comparable to SWISSCI's Cryo-EM Grid Box, crystallization tools, and crystal harvesting/mounting products.
• Formulatrix: Formulatrix provides the Rock Imager series of automated crystal imaging systems and NT8 drop-setting robots used in the same structural biology workflows. SWISSCI LCP products are explicitly compatible with Formulatrix Rock Imagers, evidencing direct interoperability and adjacent competition.
• Douglas Instruments: Douglas Instruments produces crystallization plates (e.g., Oryx, Impax) and related microtools for protein crystallography. Direct peer to SWISSCI's MRC-format sitting drop plates and hanging drop systems in academic crystallography labs.
• Art Robbins Instruments: Art Robbins Instruments makes crystallization automation (e.g., Rock Imager predecessor) and related consumables. Comparable to SWISSCI's instrument side (UVEX imaging) and plate-based workflows for structural biology.
• TTP Labtech: TTP Labtech develops laboratory automation and instruments, including crystallography and sample preparation tools (e.g., mosquito, dragonfly). Comparable to SWISSCI's instrumentation side (UVEX imaging, plate hotel) and broader life science automation footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Corning Life Sciences: Corning Life Sciences produces a broad portfolio of cell culture, assay plates, and lab plasticware serving similar structural biology and life science customers. Comparable to SWISSCI's general labware (assay plates, microtiter plates, deep well plates) but at significantly greater scale and distribution.
• Greiner Bio-One: Greiner Bio-One is a major manufacturer of plastic laboratory consumables (plates, tubes, cell culture) with much broader catalog and global distribution than SWISSCI. Overlaps in microplates, deep well plates, PCR plates, and crystallography plates but operates at much larger scale.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher (via brands such as Nunc, Nalgene, and the broader lab products catalog) is the dominant broad-line incumbent in lab consumables and instrumentation. Adjacent to SWISSCI across crystallography, Cryo-EM, cell culture, and labware categories, with far larger distribution and digital procurement capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 SWISSCI