iPSC research is on the rise with more than 14,701 publications released about the cell type on PubMed.gov, the world’s leading database of scientific publications. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are differentiated cells that are reprogrammed back into an embryonic-like state. To understand the competitive nature of the iPSC research products market, it is important to consider the degree of competition that has entered the market since the discovery of the cell type in 2006.
Leading iPSC Research Companies
There are now more than 40 companies offering iPSC research products. The change in the number of companies offering iPSC research products increased substantially from 2013 to 2014, because there were 31 companies offering iPSC research products in 2013, and that number increased to 40 by 2014. In 2015, Pluriomics was a notable newcomer to the iPSC products scene. By 2017, Pluriomics and Axiogenesis merged to become Ncardia.
Other industry acquisitions that merged providers of iPSC research products include Thermo Fisher Scientific’s acquisition of Life Technologies Corporation on February 3, 2014, and ReproCELL’s acquisition of Stemgent, Inc., on September 9, 2014.
Leading companies specializing in iPSC research products include:
- Ncardia
- ReproCELL
- Axol Bioscience
- Cellular Dynamics International (CDI), which was acquired by FUJIFILM Holdings for $307 million in March 2015
In September 2017, Axiogenesis AG and Pluriomics B.V. combined forces to create Ncardia, a global authority in cardiac and neural applications of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
ReproCELL was established in 2009 as a venture company originating from the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University and was the first company to launch a commercial iPSC product. It released a human iPSC-derived cardiomyocyte product, called “ReproCario.”
While Axol Bioscience was founded in 2012, it has grown substantially over the past four years. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, Axol Bioscience specializes in human cell culture, providing iPSC-derived cells and iPSC-specific cell culture products and is now a well-known provider of iPSC research products.
Cellular Dynamics International (CDI) established its foothold on the iPSC industry very early, as it was founded in 2004 by Dr. James Thomson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2007, Dr. Thomson derived iPSC lines from human somatic cells for the first time in 2007. CDI currently holds 800+ patents, giving it a competitive position within the stem cell marketplace.
Companies Selling iPSC Research Products
Below is a list of companies selling iPSC research products, along with a short description of the type of products offered by each.
Table. Companies Offering iPSC Research Products
| Company | Website | Types of iPSC Research Products |
| ABM | http://www.abmgood.com | ABM offers a Tri-Lineage iPSC Multiplex PCR Kit (Human), among other iPSC products. |
| Add Gene | http://www.addgene.org | Add Gene offers plasmids for iPSC reprogramming. |
| Affymetrix (eBioscience) | http://www.ebioscience.com | Affymetrix offers a product that enables highly efficient reprogramming of somatic cells into iPSCs. |
| Allele Biotechnology | http://www.allelebiotech.com | Allele Biotechnology offers various viral tools for iPSC induction. |
| AlStem Bio | http://www.alstembio.com | Alstem Bio offers iPSC reprogramming kits. |
| Applied StemCell | http://www.appliedstemcell.com | Applied StemCell offers a diverse range of iPSC products. |
| ArunA Biomedical | http://www.arunabiomedical.com | ArunA Biomedical offers viPS™ Vector Kit components, which are frozen viral particles with no serum or antibiotics. |
| ATCC | http://www.atcc.org | ATCC offers a diverse range of iPSC samples for study. |
| Axol Bioscience | https://www.axolbio.com/ | Axol Bioscience specializes in human cell culture, providing iPSC-derived cells and iPSC-specific cell culture products. |
| BD Biosciences | http://www.bdbiosciences.com | BD Biosciences offers a variety of iPSC products, including the BD Stemflow™ Human iPSC Sorting and Analysis Kit, pluripotent stem cell markers (for ESCs and iPSCs), & more. |
| BioCat | http://www.biocat.com | BioCat offers iPSC expression vectors, reprogramming systems, and more. |
| Beckman Coulter | www.beckmancoulter.com | Beckman Coulter offers a novel multiplex gene expression assay for iPSCs that allows for rapid identification of iPSCs, among other products. |
| Cell Signaling Technology | http://www.cellsignal.com | Cell Signaling Technology offers a variety of media and reagents for iPSC reprogramming. |
| CellBioLabs | www.cellbiolabs.com | CellBioLabs produces iPSCs with viral vectors containing stem cell factors. |
| Cellgenix | http://www.cellgenix.com | Cellgenix offers a diverse range of iPSC products. |
| Cellular Dynamics International (Acquired by FUJIFILM Holdings Corp.) | http://www.cellulardynamics.com | Cellular Dynamics International offers iCell Products that include iPSC-derived human heart cells, human iPSC-derived neurons, human iPSC-derived hepatocytes, and more. |
| Corning, Inc. | http://www.corning.com | Corning offers iPSC reprogramming and expansion tools. |
| Creative Bioarray | http://www.creative-bioarray.com/ | Creative Bioarray offers several dozen QualiCell®, which are human iPSC samples that have been expanded and characterized. |
| EMD Millipore (“Merck Millipore” outside the U.S. and Canada) | http://www.millipore.com | EMD Millipore provides a diverse spread of tools, including an iPSC reprogramming kit, as well as iPSC-derived neural progenitors, an iPSC induction enhancer, and more. |
| Genecopoeia | http://www.genecopoeia.com | Genecopoeia offers lentivirus particles, cDNA clones, and shRNA clones for iPSC research. |
| Genetex | http://www.genetex.com | Genetex offers iPSC antibody panels, an Easy-iPSC minicircle DNA vector (which is a simple non-viral solution for reprogramming differentiated stem cells), a small molecule cocktail for enhancing iPSC reprogramming efficiency, and more. |
| GenTarget Inc. | http://www.gentarget.com | GenTarget offers a pre-made lentivirus for inducing pluripotent stem cells, as well as related iPSC products. |
| Global Stem | http://www.globalstem.com | Global Stem offers products that include iPSC culture reagents and transfection reagents, as well as human iPSC-derived neural stem cells. |
| Hamilton Company | http://www.hamiltoncompany.com | The Hamilton Company offers the BioLevitator™, a 3D cell culture system that is both an incubator and a centrifuge. |
| InvivoGen | http://www.invivogen.com | InvivoGen offers more than a dozen products related to iPSC production (coding sequences in expression plasmids). |
| Lonza | http://www.lonza.com | Lonza offers Nucleofector™ Kits for Stem Cells, a range of primary cell types that are used to generate iPSCs and related products for iPSC generation. |
| Mello Biotech | http://www.mellobiotech.com | Mello Biotech offers products for reprogramming of mouse and human cells to an induced pluripotent state using mature microRNAs. |
| Miltenyi Biotec | http://www.miltenyibiotec.com | Miltenyi Biotec offers a variety of reagents and kits for sorting of embryonic stem and induced pluripotent stem cells. |
| Ncardia | http://www.ncardia.com | Ncardia was formed by the merger of Axiogenesis and Pluriomics. It offers hiPSC drug discovery and development tools, with a focus on cardiovascular and neural safety. |
| Peprotech | http://peprotech.castlellc.com | Peprotech offers Human ESC/iPSC Characterization Kits. |
| PromoCell | http://www.promocell.com | PromoCell offers stem cell culture products specialized for use with human iPSCs and ESCs. |
| Qiagen | http://www.qiagen.com | Qiagen offers iPSC PCR arrays, iPSC expression plasmids, and more. |
| R&D Systems | http://www.rndsystems.com | R&D Systems offers a diverse range of products to support iPSC research, including iPSC-qualified growth factors, transcription factors, differentiation markers, conditioned media, feeder cells, and more. |
| ReproCELL, Inc. | http://www.reprocell.com | ReproCELL offers a diverse range of iPSC reagents, including both feeder-dependent and feeder-free cell culture products, as well as iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, hepatocytes, neurons. |
| System Biosciences, Inc. (SBI) | http://www.systembio.com | SBI offers iPSC reprogramming factors and iPSC vectors, such as the PiggyBac Mouse 4-in-1 iPSC Vector. |
| Sigma Aldrich | http://www.sigmaaldrich.com | Sigma Aldrich features reprogramming viruses for iPSC generation (Stemgent® Reprogramming Lentivirus), as well as iPSC antibodies, growth factors, and more. |
| STEMCELL Technologies | http://www.stemcell.com | STEMCELL Technologies offers the most widely published defined, feeder-free maintenance medium for human iPSCs, called mTeSR™1. It also offers a range of specialized cell culture media optimized for the differentiation and cryopreservation of iPSCs. |
| StemCells Inc. | http://www.stemcellsinc.com | StemCells Inc. offers a defined, serum- and feeder-free medium for the derivation and long-term maintenance of human iPSCs (called iSTEM medium), and related products. |
| Stemgent | http://www.stemgent.com | Stemgent offers reprogramming lentiviruses for iPSC. |
| Takara Bio | www.takarabio.com | Takara Bio offers iPSCs for non-clinical basic research and directed differentiation. |
| Thermo Fisher Scientific | http://www.thermofisher.com | Thermo Fischer Scientific features HyClone HyCell-STEM and HyCell-STEM-FF stem cell culture media, designed to optimize the expansion rate of human iPSCs per passage for cell culture applications, as well as related products for the iPSC workflow. |
To learn more about the iPSC market, view the “Global Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell (iPSC) Industry Report.”
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