Qkine was founded in 2016 by scientists Catherine Elton and Marko Hyvönen. Their motivation was simple: to become the source of the highest quality growth factors available and add a dose of growth factor innovation. Qkine began as a spin-out company from Marko’s biochemistry lab at the University of Cambridge. Marko had been providing growth factors to the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute for over a decade, helping to establish stem cell culture protocols with global impact. As researchers moved around the world, they wanted to keep using Marko’s proteins. He combined forces with Catherine Elton to establish Qkine and do more to help the stem cell sector. Five years on, we have a growing catalogue of products and a network of superb collaborators, customers and distributors.

Qkine was founded on a set of core values that continue to shape how we operate now and into the future. Above all we are here to support our customers, to assist them in reaching their scientific aims, and to ensure they are never let down by unreliable growth factors.

• We started with core technology to make exceptionally pure Activin A; now we offer 35 essential growth factors for stem cell and organoid culture and our R&D team are working hard to add more.
• 30% of our product portfolio are unique – such as the first true animal-free TGFβ1 and tag-free thermostable FGF2-G3.
• Our new pioneering protein range makes the most of academic protein engineering, so inventive science doesn’t languish in the back of the freezer.

We wouldn’t be where we are today without the support of all our amazing customers and collaborators! Qkine started because we recognised that the quality of protein reagents could be improved, and we know the effect this can have on research. We are proud to set a new benchmark for protein purity and we love hearing positive feedback from the scientists who choose Qkine!

As our way of saying thank you for choosing Qkine for your growth factors, our customers will receive free shipping on all of our products until the end of January.

We also have small gifts for our UK customers as we’ve sadly not met as many people in person this year. Take a break from growing cells and grow a sensitive plant Mimosa pudica! If you would like to join our lab #mymimosa growathon, and are based in the UK, please request a seed and growing pack on our website.  Please tweet us with your progress @qkinebio #mymimosa – there may be a prize!

We will be continuing to celebrate our anniversary throughout the year, to keep up to date with all the anniversary promotions please sign up to receive our newsletter.