Cellentia

What Cellentia does

Cellentia Inc. is a privately held contract research organization headquartered at 319 Bernardo Ave., Mountain View, California, that provides patient-derived 3D tumor organoid services and a stack of complementary bioassay capabilities to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic cancer research clients. The company's core platform is built on proprietary organoid culture methods that generate physiologically relevant 3D tumor models from primary tumor tissue and from circulating tumor cells (CTCs) isolated from clinical blood samples, with the latter enabled by an undisclosed hospital partnership that supplies patient blood. Beyond organoid culturing, Cellentia offers custom bioassay development and validation (cell-based, immunoassay, molecular, and high-throughput formats), Meso-Scale Discovery (MSD) multiplex biomarker and pharmacodynamic assays, adeno-associated virus (AAV) bioassays for gene therapy programs including immunogenicity and neutralization testing, custom ELISA development, PBMC isolation and blood processing, and qPCR-based mycoplasma detection covering 300+ species with a 3-day turnaround.

The business model combines professional services revenue (project-based bioassay and organoid culturing contracts, quote-based pricing via website contact and email) with one-time catalog sales of established patient-derived 3D tumor organoid lines purchasable through a dedicated purchase email. The go-to-market is sales-led and direct, with awareness built through LinkedIn, a company blog, and scientific poster presentations at AACR conferences (2024 AACR, 2024 AACR Liquid Biopsy, 2025 AACR Functional Liquid Biopsy) and the Stanford Drug Discovery Symposium 2025. Cellentia serves a horizontal segment of drug discovery and translational oncology buyers, with primary customers being pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and secondary customers being academic cancer researchers, operating exclusively within the United States. Leadership is concentrated: the company is led by six-plus Ph.D.-credentialed executives, including CEO and cofounder Dr. Shian-Jiun (SJ) Shih (formerly Director and Site Lead at Merck Research Laboratories), SVP of Business Development Dr. Patty Kiang (five polymeric surface coating patents, prior Genentech), and VP Yuker Wang (previously drove $20M+ revenue at Personalis).

Name

Cellentia

Legal name

Cellentia Inc.

Website

https://cellentiabio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cellentia is a Mountain View-based contract research organization that provides patient-derived 3D tumor organoid lines and a complementary bioassay stack (MSD, ELISA, AAV, PBMC, mycoplasma) to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and academic oncology clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Research Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Cell-Based & Potency Assays (Bioassays) (HLAGADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Contract research services
• Organoid bioassays
• Tumor organoid models
• Biomarker assay development
• Preclinical drug screening

Headquarters

HQ city

Foster City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Bioassay Services (CRO): Custom bioassay development, validation, and testing services provided to pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients. Services include MSD assays, ELISA, AAV bioassays, mycoplasma testing, and PBMC isolation. Revenue generated through project-based service contracts with per-project or per-assay pricing.
2. Organoid Line Sales: Sale of patient-derived 3D tumor organoid lines to researchers for purchase. Organoid lines are available for research use and can be paired with custom culture, expansion, and assay development services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cellentia is a contract research organization that sells patient-derived 3D tumor organoid lines and provides a comprehensive suite of bioassay and analytical services. Offerings include organoid culturing, custom bioassay development and validation, AAV bioassays, MSD-based biomarker assays, custom ELISA development, PBMC isolation, and qPCR-based mycoplasma testing for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients engaged in drug discovery and translational oncology research.

Product overview

Cellentia is a specialized contract research organization offering a comprehensive suite of bioassay and analytical services centered on organoid research and drug development. The core offerings include patient-derived 3D tumor organoid lines available for purchase, organoid culturing services, and integrated downstream assay development. These are complemented by specialized bioassay services including Custom Bioassay Development & Validation, AAV Bioassay Services, Meso-Scale Discovery (MSD) Assay Services, Custom ELISA Development, PBMC Isolation & Blood Processing, and Mycoplasma Testing. The company's platform provides physiologically relevant 3D tumor models from primary tumor tissue and circulating tumor cells, supporting drug screening, translational oncology research, biomarker discovery, and precision medicine development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Organoid Culturing Services End-to-end organoid research services including establishment, culture, and maintenance of patient-derived organoid lines from circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and primary tumor tissue, with customized downstream assay development for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.
• Patient-Derived Tumor Organoid Lines Patient-derived 3D tumor organoid lines available for purchase, including models derived from circulating tumor cells and primary tumor tissue, supporting translational research and drug discovery for researchers and pharmaceutical companies.
• Custom Bioassay Development & Validation Services Design, optimization, and validation of custom bioassays spanning cell-based assays, high-sensitivity immunoassays, molecular biology assays, and high-throughput screening formats for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.
• AAV Bioassay Services Comprehensive AAV-based assay services including pre-existing immunogenicity testing, biodistribution studies, and neutralization assays for gene therapy development programs.
• Meso-Scale Discovery (MSD) Assay Services MSD-based assays for biomarker discovery, pharmacodynamic studies, immune profiling, including multiplex cytokine detection and custom panel development for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.
• Custom ELISA Development Services End-to-end custom ELISA development and validation services including pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic studies, immunogenicity assessment, and drug screening for pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients.
• PBMC Isolation & Blood Processing Services High-quality PBMC isolation and blood processing services using validated density gradient protocols for consistent cell yields and maximum viability for research and clinical support applications.
• Mycoplasma Testing Service qPCR-based mycoplasma detection service detecting 300+ common mycoplasma species with a limit of detection of 10 copies/test and a turnaround time within 3 days of sample delivery for biopharmaceutical and research clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Organoids have been successfully engrafted in mice, growing into sizeable tumors for direct comparison between organoid and animal studies, strengthening translational reliability

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hospital Partnership (specific name not disclosed)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCellentia has a hospital partnership that provides access to clinical blood samples from patients with specific cancer types. This collaboration enables the company to request blood samples for circulating tumor cell (CTC) isolation and organoid derivation, offering a unique source of biological material for its tumor modeling platform and client research programs.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WuXi AppTec: A large global CRO/CDMO offering bioanalytical, biomarker, and cell-based assay services to pharma and biotech. Comparable to Cellentia's MSD/ELISA and cell-based bioassay services but at much greater scale and with broader preclinical-to-clinical continuity.
• Molecular Devices (Danaher): A Danaher-owned life sciences instrumentation and services provider with bioassay and 3D cell culture capabilities. Overlaps with Cellentia's bioassay and organoid screening services, though it serves customers primarily through instruments and platform sales rather than custom CRO projects.
• ATCC: A leading biological materials resource and standards organization distributing cell lines, organoid models, and authenticated reagents. Comparable to Cellentia's organoid line sales and cell-based services, though ATCC primarily catalogs and distributes existing models rather than developing proprietary patient-derived lines.
• Charles River Laboratories: A large global CRO with extensive bioanalytical, cell-based assay, and safety assessment services. Provides overlapping bioassay and biomarker capabilities (MSD/ELISA, cell-based assays) that compete with Cellentia's offerings, but at materially greater scale and global reach.
• Eurofins Scientific: A global bioanalytical CRO network with extensive immunoassay, biomarker, and cell-based testing services across pharma and biotech. Comparable to Cellentia's MSD/ELISA/mycoplasma testing menus but operating at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Direct peers

• Crown Bioscience: A leading oncology-focused CRO offering patient-derived xenograft (PDX), organoid, and ex vivo services to pharma and biotech. Directly comparable to Cellentia's patient-derived tumor organoid culturing and bioassay offerings, and competes for the same translational oncology research budgets.
• HUB Organoids: A specialized organoid technology company that provides patient-derived organoid models and related services to researchers and pharma. Direct overlap with Cellentia's organoid line sales and culturing services, particularly for oncology and translational drug discovery.

Emerging players

• Personalis: A molecular diagnostics company with significant overlap in Cellentia's leadership alumni (VP Yuker Wang). Comparable in translational assay development and biomarker-focused oncology services, though Personalis focuses on genomic/MRD assays rather than organoid models.
• Cellaria Biosciences: A niche CRO focused on patient-derived cancer cell models, including 3D spheroid and organoid platforms, for pharma drug discovery. Closely comparable in scale and offering to Cellentia's patient-derived tumor organoid services.
• Reaction Biology: A US-based CRO offering custom bioassay, cell-based assay, and biophysical services to pharma and biotech. Comparable boutique-scale peer for Cellentia's custom bioassay and ELISA services, particularly for oncology and immunology programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cellentia-bio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Cellentia