Pep talk - September 2026
Qkine to supply validated small molecules to support stem cell workflows
Selective and potent small molecule inhibitors are powerful tools in stem cell research. Small molecules can increase pluripotency, improve or direct differentiation or increase cell survival.
Qkine small molecules are highly pure and validated in stem cell culture and differentiation protocols to confidently complete your stem cell differentiation workflow.
🧪CHIR99021 (Qk1101) - GSK-3 inhibitor, increases Wnt signaling(opens in new tab)
🧪LY294002 (Qk1102) - PI3K inhibitor(opens in new tab)
🧪SB431542 (Qk1103) - ALK receptor/TGF-β pathway inhibitor(opens in new tab)
🧪Y-27632 dihydrochloride (Qk1104) - ROCK inhibitor(opens in new tab)
Qkine small molecules can now be purchased alongside our high purity growth factors, cytokines and differentiation kits, more to come!(opens in new tab)
Qkine secures £1.5 million investment to accelerate stem cell innovation
CPI Enterprises and EverQuest Capital Partners have co-invested alongside Parkwalk and EMV Capital plc in a £1.6 million funding round for Qkine, underscoring their shared commitment to backing high-potential UK life sciences businesses developing innovative technologies with global commercial impact.
The additional investment will support the Qkine's continued growth as we expand production of high-purity, animal-origin-free growth factors, cytokines and complex proteins that are helping improve the reproducibility, scalability and performance of stem cell research and advanced cell therapies.
The investment will help Qkine expand R&D, manufacturing capabilities and its global reach.
WORD+2027 #FluorescenceFriday Competition
YOUR SCIENCE. YOUR IMAGE. ON DISPLAY AT WORD+2027
Enter this free competition for the chance to win a ticket to WORD+2027 including travel!
Share your most striking fluorescence image and you could see your science showcased at WORD+2027, up to 20 finalists will have their images professionally showcased in the WORD+2027 Art Gallery. Every finalist will receive a complimentary WORD+2027 cinema attendance ticket if they don't already hold a WORD+2027 ticket, the overall winner will also have their travel reimbursed.
Submit your fluorescence image online, finalists will be selected through online voting and the overall winner will be chosen by WORD+2027 attendees in person.
📅 Entries close: 15 January 2027
📣 Finalists announced: 1 February 2027
Join the WORC.Community today - The Organoid, Organ-on-a-Chip, MPS & NAM Research Community
Access free resources:
- NAM technologies
- Funding
- Training
- Protocols and papers
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Live Webinar: From bench to batch: Building reproducible cell and gene therapy workflows with GMP-ready reagents
Join Qkine and BioLife for our live webinar: From bench to batch: Building reproducible cell and gene therapy workflows with GMP-ready reagents.
Date: Wednesday, 23rd September
Time: 11 am EDT/ 4pm BST
We will take you through the importance of cytokine quality control in ensuring reproducible and regulatory-ready cell therapy workflows along with the benefits of closed system technologies for decreasing risk and cost.
Media City Scientific FRS Pioneer and GECKO now in stock in the UK!
After pilot shipping from their home base in Australia, Media City products are now available to ship from Qkine labs in the UK, reducing shipping charges and making FRS Pioneer fully animal free FBS replacement available to the rest of the world.
View and buy Media City Scientific products online
Did you miss?
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.
Product highlight
Recombinant human activin A protein (Qk001)
Activin A is a TGF-β family growth factor regulating embryonic development, cell proliferation, differentiation, and immune responses. Activin A is frequently used to maintain pluripotency in induced pluripotent and embryonic stem cell cultures. It is also used in many stem cell differentiation protocols, including endoderm lineage differentiation and further maturation into hepatocyte and pancreatic cells.
Qkine activin A has been tested in many applications, including differentiation into retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). RPE is a polarized monolayer of cells that provides essential functions to the light-sensitive photoreceptors in the retina. Differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into functionally relevant RPE cells provides an important model for the study of RPE function and disease mechanisms.
Qkine activin A can be used to create functionally differentiated retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE). (A) Light microscope image of a retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) monolayer differentiated from hiPSC using Qkine human activin A (Qk001) (B) Stained with DAPI (blue) and RPE markers ZO1 (green) and BEST1 (red).
Images provided by Srishti Silvano and Cerys Manning, University of Manchester
Free sample - activin A or activin A PLUS™
Qkine actively supports stem cell and organoid research by manufacturing highly bioactive and animal-free recombinant proteins that will benefit your research with increased efficiency in both your budget and the reproducibility of your cell cultures.
We are so confident you’ll love our products we’re offering a 50 μg activin A or activin A PLUS™ sample for free!*
Complete the form before the 30th September 2026 to request your free sample.
What's new?
CHIR99021 (Qk1101)
CHIR99021 is a potent inhibitor of the serine/threonine kinase glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3. GSK-3 is a key inhibitor of the Wnt pathway, an import regulatory mechanism in stem cell biology, inhibition of GSK-3 with CHIR99021 activates Wnt promoting stem cell maintenance and differentiation. In cell culture, CHIR99021 is used to stimulate neural and cardiac differentiation in pluripotent stem cells, it can also promote self-renewal in embryonic stem cells (ESCs).
Qkine CHIR99021 (Qk1101) is highly pure and validated in iPSC differentiation into definitive endoderm.
LY294002 (Qk1102)
LY294002 is a broad-spectrum inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks). PI3K is a major regulator of cell proliferation, survival, motility and metabolism. LY294002 can be using in stem cell media to reduce proliferation and self-renewal, promoting differentiation.
Qkine LY294002 (Qk1102) is highly pure and validated in iPSC differentiation into endoderm and mesoderm lineages.
SB431542 (Qk1103)
SB431542 is a potent and selective inhibitor of ALK4, ALK5 and ALK7 receptors which activate the TGF-β/activin/nodal pathway. This pathway is essential for maintaining pluripotency in embryonic (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). In cell culture, SB431542 can be used for induced differentiation of ESC and iPSC into mesenchymal lineages, cardiac and neural differentiation.
Qkine SB431542 (Qk1103) is highly pure and validated in iPSC differentiation into ectoderm.
Application note
Animal-free, defined culture system preserving chondrogenic phenotype: FRS™ Pioneer and animal origin-free TGF-β1
FRS™ Pioneer (Media City Scientific) is a fully chemically defined, AOF serum replacement formulated for broad cell type compatibility and lot-to-lot consistency. While FRS Pioneer is standardly used for 100% replacement of FBS in the culture of immortalized cell lines.
In this application note, we evaluate FRS™ Pioneer supplemented with Qkine TGF-β1 PLUS™ (Qk010) and FGF-2 (Qk025) as a serum replacement for primary chondrocyte culture. We demonstrate that a fully defined system can match FBS-supplemented expansion while maintaining chondrogenic morphology.
Recent publications
Human iPSC-derived bone marrow organoids with integrated hematopoietic and T cell supportive niches
Lee J, Kawasaki T, Tabata L et al. Stem Cell Research & Therapy, August 2026
The authors present an integrated bone marrow organoid platform which provides a physiologically relevant system for studying human hematopoietic development and immune cell differentiation and offers a scalable foundation for regenerative medicine and immunotherapy applications.
TWEAK/Fn14 Signaling Modulates Goblet Cell-Associated Mucin Responses in Mouse Small Intestinal Epithelial Organoids
NELLY enables patient-centric drug prioritization through interpretable drug-conditioned gene weighting
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
- PluriCon 2026 | 16-17 September 2026 | Seattle, WA, USA
- ODC26 Seoul | 17-18 September 2026 | Pangyo, South Korea
- Gastruloids & Embryoids Workshop 2026 | 21-22 September 2026 | Cambridge, UK
- Berlin Organoid Symposium - 2nd Edition | 6-7 October 2026 | Berlin, Germany
- 17th Dutch Stem Cell Meeting | 9 October 2026 | Utrecht, The Netherlands
- iPSC 20th Anniversary Symposium | 20-22 October 2026 | Kyoto, Japan
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 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]