aQuaTox Solutions GmbH

What aQuaTox Solutions GmbH does

aQuaTox Solutions GmbH is a privately held Swiss contract research organization founded in November 2016 as a spin-off of Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology. The company provides in vitro aquatic toxicology testing services using fish cell lines (notably the rainbow trout RTgill-W1 gill line, plus RTgutGC, RTHDF, and RTL-W1) and zebrafish embryos as ethical alternatives to conventional live-fish testing. Its service portfolio is organized into three primary divisions: Chemicals & Products (acute fish toxicity, bioaccumulation, biotransformation, and gene expression analysis under OECD TG249 and OECD TG236), Water Quality (ISO 21115, ISO 15088, and extended 120h FET tests for water and wastewater), and Fish Feed & Health (in vitro nutritional product assessment using multiple rainbow trout cell lines including a 3D intestine model). In April 2026 the company added a Training & Consulting service to help client laboratories implement OECD TG249 in-house.

The company operates a GLP-certified laboratory opened in October 2021 in Winterthur, Switzerland, and is the first service provider globally to offer OECD TG249 under GLP. Its founders personally developed both OECD Test Guideline 249 and ISO Standard 21115, creating a defensible position as the reference laboratory for the standardized methodology. Revenue is generated through professional services: project-based GLP testing contracts for chemicals, water, and feed clients, complemented by hourly-billed consulting and training engagements delivered online or on-site. Distribution is direct (B2B enterprise sales) with no third-party channel partners for primary services; minor cooperation agreements exist with econetta, BioChem Agrar, Aqua Nutrition Services, and contract research organizations for bundled chemical-analysis offerings. Marketing relies on LinkedIn, the company website, industry conferences (including the World Economic Forum in Davos 2020), and recurring webinars with Hesi, NC3Rs, and Eco-NAMs.

Non-dilutive funding has come via the NC3Rs CRACK IT Challenge SAFE programme (Phase 1: CHF 400,000; Phase 2: CHF 700,000) in collaboration with Eawag and Slovenia's National Institute of Biology, supporting R&D into cell-based reproductive toxicity assays. The company has approximately 11 personnel, including 4 founding partners with combined experience exceeding 30 years. Customers are categorically chemical and product manufacturers, water utilities and wastewater treatment plants, and fish feed manufacturers, though no named logos are publicly disclosed. Recognition includes the 2019 Swiss 3RCC 3Rs Award for the founders' research establishing the RTgill-W1 assay from initial design to international standard.

Name

aQuaTox Solutions GmbH

Legal name

aQuaTox Solutions GmbH

Website

https://aquatox-solutions.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

aQuaTox Solutions GmbH is a Swiss GLP-certified contract research organization spun off from Eawag in 2016 that provides in vitro aquatic toxicology testing using fish cell lines and zebrafish embryos, serving chemical companies, water utilities, and fish feed manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

In Vitro Aquatic Toxicology Testing Services

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Toxicology & Safety Assessment CROs (GLP) (HLAGAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

In Vitro Toxicology (Cell-based/Organ-on-chip) (HLAGAFAJ), Laboratory Quality & GLP/GCLP Compliance (HLAGAKAK)

Keywords

• In vitro toxicology
• Aquatic toxicity testing
• Fish cell line assays
• Alternative animal testing
• GLP laboratory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wallisellen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Chemical Testing Services: GLP-certified testing services for chemical acute fish toxicity assessment using RTgill-W1 cell line assay (OECD TG249) and FET test (OECD TG236). Includes bioaccumulation, biotransformation, and gene expression analysis.
2. Water Quality Testing Services: Testing services for water and wastewater samples including ISO 21115, Extended OECD TG236 (120h), and ISO 15088. Also includes gene expression analysis and fish tissue monitoring.
3. Fish Feed & Health Testing: In vitro testing services using various rainbow trout cell lines (RTgutGC, RTHDF, RTL-W1, RTgill-W1) to investigate fish feed and health products without using live fish.
4. Training & Consulting: Consulting and hands-on training services for implementing OECD TG249 RTgill-W1 cell line assay in client laboratories. Delivered via online advisory sessions and on-site support. Billed on hourly basis with additional travel costs for on-site appointments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

aQuaTox Solutions provides GLP-certified in vitro aquatic toxicology testing and consulting using fish cell lines (notably RTgill-W1, RTgutGC, RTHDF, RTL-W1) and zebrafish embryos as ethical, animal-free alternatives to conventional live-fish toxicity tests. The company is the first service provider globally to offer OECD TG249 under GLP, and its services span chemical hazard assessment, water/wastewater quality monitoring, fish feed and health evaluation, and hands-on training/consulting for laboratories implementing the OECD TG249 RTgill-W1 assay.

Product overview

aQuaTox-Solutions offers a portfolio of animal-free alternative testing services using fish cells and fish embryos as ethical alternatives to conventional animal tests. The core products include the OECD TG249 RTgill-W1 cell line assay (for acute fish toxicity), OECD TG236 Fish Embryo Acute Toxicity (FET) Test, and ISO-standardized water quality tests. Services are organized into three divisions: Chemicals & Products (chemical hazard assessment using RTgill-W1 and FET tests), Water Quality (acute and chronic toxicity testing for water/wastewater), and Fish Feed & Health (nutritional product assessment using multiple rainbow trout cell lines). The company also offers Training & Consulting services for OECD TG249 implementation. All laboratory services are available under GLP certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chemicals & Products Testing (OECD TG249 RTgill-W1 and OECD TG236 FET) GLP-certified in vitro acute fish toxicity testing service using the OECD TG249 RTgill-W1 cell line assay and the OECD TG236 Fish Embryo Acute Toxicity (FET) test, offered to chemical and product manufacturers for chemical hazard assessment and regulatory submissions. Includes 24-hour cell viability readouts via three fluorescent indicator dyes for EC50 determination and 96-hour zebrafish embryo apical and sub-lethal observations.
• Water Quality Testing (ISO 21115, ISO 15088, Extended FET) GLP-certified water and wastewater toxicity testing using ISO 21115 (RTgill-W1 cell line assay), ISO 15088 (zebrafish egg acute toxicity test, 48h), and an extended 120h FET protocol adapted for water samples with neurotoxicity and behavioral endpoints, offered to water utilities, wastewater treatment plants, and environmental monitoring organizations.
• Fish Feed & Health Testing In vitro testing services for aquaculture and fish feed manufacturers using multiple rainbow trout cell lines (RTgutGC intestine, RTHDF skin, RTL-W1 liver, RTgill-W1 gill), including a 3D two-compartment intestinal culture system, to assess nutritional products, feed ingredients, and health interventions without using live fish.
• Training & Consulting for OECD TG249 Implementation Consulting and hands-on training service for laboratories implementing the OECD TG249 RTgill-W1 cell line assay, including laboratory planning, fish cell culture set-up, data evaluation, quality control, and trouble-shooting. Delivered via online advisory sessions and on-site appointments, billed hourly with travel costs added for on-site engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Gill cell line assay requires ~3 orders of magnitude less testing material than traditional fish tests
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• Eawag (Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEawag is the spin-off origin of aQuaTox Solutions. The company received Eawag's Spin-off label in 2017. Founders include scientists from Eawag. Ongoing collaboration includes CRACK IT Challenge SAFE project and joint presentations at World Economic Forum in Davos.
• NIB (National Institute of Biology, Slovenia)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating partner in CRACK IT Challenge SAFE Phase 2 alongside Kristin Schirmer's group at Eawag. Developing scalable cell-based tests in combination with computer models for fish reproductive toxicity assessment without animal testing.
• NC3Rs (National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding body for CRACK IT Challenge SAFE (Phase 1: CHF 400k, Phase 2: CHF 700k). Organization focused on replacing and reducing animal testing in research.
• Swiss 3R Competence Centre (Swiss 3RCC)moderateOthersAwarded 2019 3Rs Award to aQuaTox Solutions founders Melanie Fischer and Kristin Schirmer for outstanding research in alternative testing methods.
• econettaminorOthersListed as a cooperation partner on the company's cooperations page, offering synergies for maximum client support.
• BioChemminorOthersListed as a cooperation partner. BioChem Agrar is a company offering agricultural and testing services.
• Aqua Nutrition ServicesminorOthersListed as a cooperation partner, offering synergies for fish nutrition services.
• Contract Research Organisations (chemical analysis)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaboration with well-established contract research organisations specializing in chemical analysis, including GLP services. Used for bundled packages when chemical analysis is desired by clients.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gentronix: UK-based specialist in in vitro genetic toxicology and broader in vitro safety testing under GLP. Comparable niche CRO positioning to aQuaTox, focused on non-animal regulatory assays for chemical safety submissions.
• Smithers: Smithers Viscient (within Smithers) is an environmental and ecotoxicology testing CRO offering fish acute and chronic toxicity studies, aquatic testing, and analytical chemistry services — directly comparable to aQuaTox's GLP aquatic toxicology offering.
• Institute for In Vitro Sciences (IIVS): Non-profit laboratory specializing in in vitro and non-animal alternative testing methods for regulatory and product safety applications, including respiratory and skin sensitization, with broadly overlapping NAMs philosophy and similar GLP-style regulatory testing remit.
• Cyprotex (Watson-Marlow): Specialist in vitro ADME and toxicology CRO providing cell-based assays, biotransformation, and bioaccumulation services under GLP. Directly relevant peer given aQuaTox's bioaccumulation/biotransformation assessment offering for chemical clients.

Broad incumbents

• SGS: World's largest testing, inspection, and certification company offering environmental, agricultural, and product safety testing including aquatic ecotoxicology under GLP – broad incumbent competitor for chemical and water utility clients.
• Inotiv: Research models and CRO services company (formed from Envigo merger) offering regulatory toxicology, environmental safety, and NAMs-aligned services. Broad incumbent with overlapping ecotoxicology and in vitro service lines.
• Eurofins Scientific: Global testing services conglomerate with substantial ecotoxicology, environmental, and product safety testing capabilities. Overlaps with aQuaTox in chemical aquatic toxicity and water testing, but as part of a much wider testing portfolio rather than as a NAMs specialist.
• Charles River Laboratories: Major CRO offering discovery, safety assessment, and manufacturing services with environmental and ecotoxicology capabilities. Competes for chemical safety and regulatory testing budgets but is not a NAMs-specialist in aquatic toxicology.

Others

• Eawag: Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology from which aQuaTox spun off in 2017. Continues to collaborate on R&D (CRACK IT SAFE), provides scientific lineage and credibility, but is not a direct commercial testing competitor – rather a partner and source of methodological standards.
• PETA International Science Consortium: Non-profit that funds and collaborates on the development, validation, and regulatory acceptance of non-animal test methods. Not a direct service competitor but a strategic stakeholder that funnels demand (via collaborations and grants) toward NAMs providers such as aQuaTox.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aquatox-solutions

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 aQuaTox Solutions GmbH