Pep talk - August 2026
Nine-point Qkine Quality Commitment
Raising the standard in bioactive protein manufacturing and innovation
Qkine is committed to manufacturing bioactive proteins of the highest quality to enhance scientific outcomes and improve reproducibility.
Our robust animal-free manufacturing platform, along with rigorous quality control procedures, ensures exceptional bioactivity and consistent performance from lot to lot, guaranteeing outstanding performance in your applications. We proactively leverage our expertise in manufacturing and protein engineering to develop unique, optimized proteins designed to address fundamental biological, translational and scalability challenges.
We never compromise on the purity and bioactivity of our proteins. To ensure full reproducibility and enhance scientific outcomes, all our growth factors and cytokines adhere to the Nine-point Qkine Quality Commitment.
1. Certified animal origin-free with full traceability
2. Manufactured within our ISO 9001:2015-certified facility with stringent in-process control measures
3. Rigorously tested for accurate protein recovery from vials
4. Subject to quantitative bioactivity analysis with integrated lot-to-lot reproducibility criteria
5. Proven to have industry-leading protein purity levels
6. Subject to comprehensive identity analysis for structurally complex bioactive proteins
7. Assayed to ensure industry-leading low endotoxin levels
9. From concept to manufacture, our proteins are designed to be the best
Human Specific Research Community North - Launch Event
Established to connect scientists across the North who share an interest in advancing human-specific research, the Human Specific Research Community North will provide a space for researchers to meet, connect, and build meaningful collaborations whilst ensuring their priorities and experiences are represented within the wider Human Specific Research Community.
Launch Event
Thursday 3 September 2026 | 10am – 4pm | Norcroft Centre, University of Bradford | Free to attend
The North has a long history of innovation and practical problem-solving. The Human Specific Research Community North launch event will bring together researchers from across the region to spark knowledge exchange, inspire collaboration, and drive innovation in human-specific research – laying the foundations for a connected and engaged regional community.
The Impact Factor
Dragon's Den-style pitches hoping to secure a Regional Community Grant of up to £6000 at the launch event. Our Senior Product Manager, Dr Liz Stewart will be the Commercial Dragon, assessing the value of the project, who needs it and why, using her scientific and commercial expertise to analyze the product strategy from development to market success.
Growth factors and cytokines for organoid research
Organoids are 3D assemblies of cells, containing multiple cell types, arranged in a similar structure to the modeled tissue, but on a micro-scale. Organoids can represent a more physiologically relevant model of tissues than 2D and mono-culture systems.
As organoids recapitulate tissue-specific features, they are used in the study of tissue development and maintenance, stem cell characteristics, cellular interactions, precision medicine, disease modelling and drug discovery. Due to long periods in culture, it is important that all growth factors for organoid culture give highly consistent biological activity.
Organoids are key new approach methodologies (NAMs), working towards the replacement of animal models and refining translational models to be more human relevant.
Qkine animal origin-free expression system allows production of uniquely animal origin-free proteins, supporting the reduction and replacement of animals and animal products in organoid research.
Qkine growth factors for organoids
Did you miss?
Qkine to distribute Media City Scientific’s transformational chemically defined, animal-free fetal bovine serum (FBS) replacement
This month we announced that Qkine will begin global distribution of Media City Scientific’s FRS™ Pioneer, a chemically-defined, animal replacement solution to support routine cell culture in traditional basal media.
Qkine Joins Organoid COMMONS to Advance Standardization and Scalability in Human-Relevant Models
Qkine has officially joined the Organoid COMMONS. As a member of this industry-first consortium, Qkine will collaborate with fellow pioneers to establish the manufacturing standards and standardized frameworks necessary to accelerate the adoption of organoid technologies in drug discovery and clinical research.
RoosterBio and Qkine Partner to Deliver a Single-Source Platform of Cells, Media, and Growth Factors to U.S. Customers
RoosterBio, a leading supplier of cellular starting materials, bioprocess media, and advanced therapy manufacturing solutions for hMSCs, iPSCs, and exosome therapeutic developers, is to distribute Qkine high-purity, animal origin-free recombinant growth factors, cytokines, and complex bioactive proteins. Under the agreement, customers in the United States can now order Qkine’s full range of translation-friendly research use only (RUO) growth factors and cytokines directly from RoosterBio.
What's new?
FRS™ Pioneer – Fetal bovine serum replacement
The first member of our FRS family, FRS™ Pioneer is a chemically defined, animal origin free alternative to fetal bovine serum (FBS) for broad-spectrum cell culture.
FRS™ Pioneer can be added to cell culture media in place of FBS to culture or cryopreserve cells without the use of any animal components or serum (i.e. 100 ml of FRS™ Pioneer is equivalent to 100 ml of FBS). This allows for reproducible cell culture and provides a cleaner background. For primary cells, retain 1% FBS or supplement with additional growth factors to achieve full serum replacement.
GECKO™ – adherence solution (animal-free)
GECKO™ is a chemically defined, animal component free mix of adhesion factors to support adherent cell culture. Fetal bovine serum (FBS) contains a complex mixture of adhesion-promoting factors that enable attachment on standard tissue culture plastic. When culturing cells in serum-free or chemically defined media, these adhesion cues are often no longer present. As a result, many adherent cell types require an explicit surface strategy to support attachment, spreading, and early survival.
GECKO™ has been validated as a defined, animal-free coating which supports a broad range of adherent cell types.
Ready-CEPT® cell viability supplement
Defined Bioscience’s Ready-CEPT® 1000x cocktail is a defined formulation designed for improved stem cell survival and growth during routine passaging, cryopreservation, and freeze-thaw recovery. Ready-CEPT is a single-vial cocktail of chroman-1 (a ROCK inhibitor), emricasan (a pan-caspase inhibitor), polyamines (putrescine, spermine, and spermidine; polycations for cell growth support), and trans-ISRIB (an ISR inhibitor).
Ready-CEPT is provided as a 1000x cocktail in a DMSO/water mixture, all using animal origin-free componentry.
Application note
Thermostable FGF2-G3 supports muscle stem cell expansion at ten-fold lower concentration in fully animal-free, chemically-defined conditions
FRS™ Pioneer is a fully chemically defined, animal-origin-free serum replacement formulated for broad cell type compatibility and lot-to-lot consistency. While FRS Pioneer is conventionally used for 100% replacement of FBS for the culture of standard immortalized cell lines, here we evaluate FRS™ Pioneer supplemented with Qkine growth factors FGF-2 and TGF-β1 (Qk010) as a serum replacement for skeletal muscle stem cells (MuSC) culture. We compare the performance of standard FGF-2 (Qk025, Qk027) and thermostable FGF2-G3 (Qk052, Qk053), demonstrating equivalent expansion at a ten-fold reduction in working concentration of the thermostable variants.
Product highlight
Recombinant human DKK-1 protein (Qk068)
Dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK-1) is a key player in the Wnt signaling pathway and regulates embryonic development, tissue balance, and diseases, including cancer. DKK-1 is a member of the DKK protein family and acts as a potent Wnt pathway antagonist. In cell culture, DKK-1 is pivotal for controlling cell fate, self-renewal, and differentiation by inhibiting the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway through LRP5/6 co-receptors. DKK-1 has been widely used in various applications including guiding stem cell differentiation, particularly in neural and osteogenic pathways, and mimicking dysregulated Wnt signaling seen in cancers.
Qkine recombinant DKK-1 protein is the first entirely animal origin-free bioactive recombinant human DKK-1 protein for highly reproducible results and compatible with chemically-defined stem cell media.
Quantitative luciferase reporter assay shows equivalent bioactivity of Qkine AOF DKK-1 and mammalian-expressed DKK-1. HEK293T cells were treated in triplicate with a serial dilution of DKK-1 and a standard concentration of Wnt-3a for 24 hours. Active DKK-1 inhibits Wnt-3a activation of the Wnt-3a pathway. (A) Equivalent bioactivity of Qkine AOF DKK-1 (Qk068, green) and Peprotech (120-30) mammalian-expressed DKK-1 (Supplier B, black). (b) No biological activity was determined using ProSpec (PRO-1566) bacterially expressed DKK-1 (Supplier C, blue). Please note: the supplier does not provide information on the biological activity of this protein.
Recent publications
Neural Crest-Derived Stem Cell Secretomes and Extracellular Vesicles Disrupt Glioblastoma through Dual-Pathway Inflammatory Rebalancing
Asadpour A, Ozsoy N, Napier L et al. Stem Cell Reviews and Reports, July 2026
Researchers demonstrate the first evidence of dual NF-κB/IRF3 pathway rebalancing by NCSC-derived products in glioblastoma. The simultaneous suppression of tumor-promoting inflammation whilst enhancing anti-tumor immune signaling represents a novel therapeutic paradigm that addresses multiple resistance mechanisms simultaneously. This strategy redefines stem cell-based therapy for glioblastoma by integrating immunomodulation with chemosensitization in a single, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-compatible product.
Glycine: The missing link between carbohydrate and xenobiotic metabolism in the maturing human hepatocyte
Combinatorial and Inducible CRISPRa/i Enables Canalized hiPSC Forward Programming and Iterative Refinement via Single-Cell Genomics
All our growth factors are manufactured within a stringent quality framework, ensuring high-quality proteins that maintain robust, reproducible, and physiologically relevant stem cell and organoid cultures that adhere to our Nine-point Quality Commitment.
Upcoming Events
- Human Specific Research Community North Launch Event | 3 September | Bradford, UK
- Human Development: Stem Cells, Models, Embryos | 7-9 September 2026 | University of Warwick, UK
- PluriCon 2026 | 17 September 2026 | Seattle, WA
- ODC26 Seoul | 17-18 September 2026 | Pangyo, South Korea
- Gastruloids & Embryoids Workshop 2026 | 21-22 September 2026 | Cambridge, UK
We'd always love to meet you at any event, contact [email protected] to make an appointment.
What’s next?
Qkine are committed to producing the most high quality and bioactive growth factors and cytokines, coming soon to our extensive portfolio:
- Recombinant human IL-21 protein (Qk129) - Expected Autumn 2026
- Recombinant human GDF-8 (myostatin) protein (Qk124) - Expected Autumn 2026
- Recombinant human BMP-7 protein (Qk028) - Expected Autumn 2026
- Recombinant human activin AC protein (Qk128) - Expected Autumn 2026
If you wish to be notified when proteins are released, contact us [email protected]