Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea

What Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea does

Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea Co., Inc. is a South Korea-based cell culture media manufacturer and supplier serving the global biopharmaceutical industry. Originally established in 2012 as Ajinomoto Genexine, the company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. in July 2023 and rebranded to its current name in November 2023 to strengthen its global identity. Operating from a GMP-compliant manufacturing facility in Incheon (Songdo) established in 2014, the company produces chemically defined basal media (BASAL3, BASAL10, BASAL CHO MX), feed media (FEED2, F7), and supplements (AminoSupplement, Glycyl-L-Tyrosine Dihydrate, AAV Production Supplement 1) targeting CHO and HEK293 cell line applications for monoclonal antibody, vaccine, gene therapy, and cell therapy manufacturing.

The company's technical platform is anchored in 30+ years of Ajinomoto Group amino acid research and manufacturing expertise, augmented by proprietary cysteine stabilization technology applied in the F7 feed media, and Digital Twin-based simulation for media component optimization. It also offers contract manufacturing, technical support through the CELLiST Solution Center network (Korea, China, India), the SWITCH PROGRAM for media transition, and custom media development services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and sales occur through authorized distributors and direct channels.

The company pursues a hybrid go-to-market combining direct enterprise field sales with channel partnerships, most notably an exclusive distribution agreement with JSR Corporation covering the US, Brazil, and European markets for BASAL CHO MX and seven additional products. It participates in major industry conferences (BIO KOREA, KOREA PHARM & BIO, BMA, BCMA&CGTWA) and operates digital channels including LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram. End customers are biopharmaceutical manufacturers, and the company has supplied its CELLiST brand across more than 50 countries since 2012. Named strategic relationships include co-development with KBI Biopharma (BASAL CHO MX) and Forge Biologics (AAV Production Supplement 1).

Name

Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea

Legal name

Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea Co., Inc.

Website

https://ajinomotocellistkorea.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ajinomoto Co., Inc. that develops and manufactures chemically defined cell culture media and supplements for global biopharmaceutical manufacturers producing monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, gene therapies, and cell therapies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cell Culture Media

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Cell Processing & Ancillary Materials (media, cytokines, beads, vectors, disposables) (HLAAABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Process Development & Tech Transfer Services (upstream/downstream) (HLAAAKAF), GMP Quality, Validation & Regulatory Support (GMP/CSV/Qualification) (HLAGAGAL)

Keywords

• Cell culture media
• Biopharmaceutical manufacturing
• Chemically defined media
• Amino acid technology
• Viral vector production

Headquarters

HQ city

Incheon

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cell Culture Media Products: Sale of chemically defined basal media, feed media, and supplements for biopharmaceutical manufacturing, including BASAL3, BASAL10, BASAL CHO MX, FEED2, F7, AminoSupplement, Glycyl-L-Tyrosine Dihydrate, and AAV Production Supplement 1. Products are sold in powder form with a shelf life of 3 years.
2. Contract Manufacturing Services: Contract manufacturing services for cell culture media including small scale to commercial scale production, supporting customers from clinical to commercial stages of biopharmaceutical development.
3. Customized Media Development: Custom media development services tailored to specific customer cell lines and process requirements, with development timelines of 6 months or more, supporting the SWITCH PROGRAM offering.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea manufactures and supplies chemically defined cell culture media products under the CELLiST brand for biopharmaceutical manufacturers. Its portfolio includes basal media (BASAL3/3P, BASAL10/10P, BASAL CHO MX), feed media (FEED2, F7), and supplements (AminoSupplement, Glycyl-L-Tyrosine Dihydrate, AAV Production Supplement 1) supporting CHO and HEK293 cell line-based production of monoclonal antibodies, vaccines, gene therapies, and cell therapies. The company also provides contract manufacturing, media customization, the SWITCH PROGRAM media transition service, and technical support through its CELLiST Solution Center network.

Product overview

Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea is a cell culture media development and manufacturing company that offers a comprehensive portfolio of cell culture media products under the CELLiST brand. The product lineup consists of Basal Media (BASAL3/3P, BASAL10/10P, BASAL CHO MX), Feed Media (FEED2, F7), and Supplements (AminoSupplement, Glycyl-L-Tyrosine Dihydrate, AAV Production Supplement 1), along with upcoming HEK293-specific media products. These chemically-defined media products are designed for biopharmaceutical manufacturing applications, supporting cell growth and protein production in CHO and HEK293 cell lines. The company also provides complementary services including Contract Manufacturing, Technical Support through the CELLiST Solution Center (CSC), Fast Track Media Fine-tuning Service, Media Customization, Switch Program for media transition, and Trace Element Analysis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BASAL3/3P Basal media product line for animal cell culture within the CELLiST portfolio, designed for biopharmaceutical manufacturing using CHO cell lines.
• BASAL10/10P Basal media product line for animal cell culture within the CELLiST portfolio, designed for biopharmaceutical manufacturing.
• BASAL CHO MX High-performance cell culture basal media developed in collaboration with KBI Biopharma (USA) and JSR Life Sciences (Japan), based on the CHO-M cell line (Selexis's CHO-K1 based cell line). Suitable for all CHO cell lines with improved culture performance.
• FEED2 Feed media product designed to support target cell growth and productivity while maintaining protein quality and functions throughout the cell culture process.
• CELLiST F7 Innovative feed media for CHO cell lines featuring Ajinomoto Group's proprietary cysteine stabilization technology. Enables high concentrations of cysteine to be supplied stably and continuously to CHO cells, significantly improving performance with single-formulation process addition capability.
• AminoSupplement Media supplement product that helps improve cost efficiency and enhance titer in cell culture experiments while ensuring reliability and consistency of cell culture and research results.
• Glycyl-L-Tyrosine Dihydrate Supplement product for cell culture applications, part of the CELLiST amino acid supplement product line.
• AAV Production Supplement 1 High-functionality media supplement developed jointly with Forge Biologics to improve efficiency in viral vector-based gene therapy manufacturing processes. Achieves 1.3 to 2 times AAV (adeno-associated virus) based viral vector productivity improvement compared to conventional methods.
• Contract Manufacturing Service Contract manufacturing service for cell culture media from small scale to commercial scale production, supporting biopharmaceutical customers from clinical to commercial stages of development.
• Technical Support via CELLiST Solution Center Technical support service delivered through the CELLiST Solution Center (CSC) network providing upstream process-related services including cell culture media screening, scale-up support, protein quality analysis, and custom media development.
• Fast Track Media Fine-tuning Service Fine-tuning service that adjusts media formulations to optimize cell culture performance for specific customer process requirements.
• Media Customization Service Custom media development service tailored to specific customer cell lines and process requirements, with development timelines of 6 months or more.
• SWITCH PROGRAM Media Transition Service Media switching service enabling biopharmaceutical companies to transition from existing cell culture media to CELLiST products. Includes support for cell adaptation, process optimization, and regulatory filing documentation, typically completed within 6 months to 1 year.
• Trace Element Analysis Service Analytical service supporting trace element analysis for cell culture media quality and process optimization.

Quantifiable outcome

• CELLiST AAV Production Supplement 1 improves viral vector productivity by 1.3 to 2 times compared to conventional methods
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Forge Biologics (U.S.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025Joint development partnership with Ajinomoto Group's U.S. subsidiary Forge Biologics to develop CELLiST AAV Production Supplement 1 for enhancing viral vector productivity in gene therapy manufacturing. The collaboration combines Ajinomoto's precise media design technology with Forge's large-scale AAV production capabilities. Research results demonstrating 1.3-2x productivity improvement were presented at the 2025 Japan Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (JSGCT) conference.
• JSR CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 13 May 2024JSR Corporation holds exclusive sales rights for BASAL CHO MX and 7 additional CELLiST products including BASAL3, BASAL10, FEED2, F7, AminoSupplement Cys1, Cys2, and Glycyl-L-Tyrosine Dihydrate in the US, Brazil, and European markets. This partnership significantly expands the global distribution network for Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea's cell culture media products.
• KBI BiopharmacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2024Collaborated with KBI Biopharma (USA) and JSR Life Sciences (Japan) to co-develop BASAL CHO MX, a cell culture medium for CHO-M cell lines based on Selexis' CHO-K1 derived cell line. This trilateral partnership leverages KBI Biopharma's biologics development expertise alongside Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea's media manufacturing capabilities.
• Natural Science (자연과학) and Hamilton GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 June 2022Participated together at BMK 2022 (Biologics Manufacturing Korea) conference. Natural Science supplied laboratory equipment and life science instruments while Hamilton Group provided culture vessel sensor technology, with Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea showcasing CELLiST cell culture media products as part of an integrated solution offering.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CellGenix: CellGenix manufactures GMP-grade cell culture media, cytokines, and reagents for cell and gene therapy manufacturing—directly comparable to CELLiST's emerging HEK293 and AAV supplement product lines.
• Cytiva (HyClone): Cytiva's HyClone brand is a direct competitor offering chemically defined and classical cell culture media (basal and feed) for CHO and HEK293-based biopharmaceutical manufacturing, serving the same global biopharma customer base as Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea.
• FUJIFILM Irvine Scientific: Irvine Scientific manufactures chemically defined media, feeds, and viral vector production media for cell and gene therapy, vaccine, and antibody applications—overlapping CELLiST's portfolio across both CHO and HEK293 use cases.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Gibco): Gibco is the market-leading cell culture media brand for bioprocessing, offering a comprehensive portfolio of basal and feed media, supplements, and process services for antibody, vaccine, and cell/gene therapy manufacturing—directly overlapping CELLiST's product range and customer base.
• Merck KGaA (MilliporeSigma): MilliporeSigma provides cell culture media, feeds, and supplements under the Mobius, EX-CELL, and SAFC brands for biopharmaceutical manufacturing, competing directly with CELLiST across CHO and emerging modality applications.
• Lonza Bioscience: Lonza offers a comprehensive cell culture media portfolio (including the Gibco-comparable media offering) and custom media development services for CHO-based biomanufacturing, making it a primary direct competitor with deeper bioprocessing integration.

Emerging players

• STEMCELL Technologies: STEMCELL Technologies supplies cell culture media and reagents across research and GMP-grade applications for cell therapy and regenerative medicine, with overlapping but earlier-stage offerings compared with CELLiST's commercial-stage biopharma focus.
• Bio-Techne (R&D Systems): Bio-Techne provides cell culture media, supplements, and cytokines for bioprocessing applications, including GMP-grade offerings; comparable to CELLiST's AminoSupplement and Glycyl-L-Tyrosine product categories with broader research footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Corning Life Sciences: Corning supplies cell culture media and bioprocess containers, with media offerings that intersect with CELLiST's portfolio for biopharmaceutical manufacturing; broader in scope including plastics and equipment.
• Sartorius (BIA Separations / Cell Culture Technologies): Sartorius provides upstream bioprocessing solutions including media, bioreactors, and process analytics for biopharma; while broader in scope than CELLiST, its cell culture media and feed offerings directly overlap with the CELLiST portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ajinomotocellistkorea
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ajinomoto-cellist-korea
• Instagraminstagram.com/ajinomotocellistkorea

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Ajinomoto CELLiST Korea