Quanterix

Market position

Quanterix positions itself as a provider of ultra-sensitive, clinically rigorous biomarker measurement spanning both liquid and tissue modalities, claiming over 2,300 instruments deployed globally and more than 6,800 peer-reviewed publications using its technology. Flagship Pioneering describes the company as digitizing biomarker analysis to advance precision health; the inknowvation registry lists it as a publicly traded company with 250–500 employees and 15–19 IP holdings.

Company materials emphasize detection of proteins at concentrations about 1,000 times lower than conventional immunoassays, absolute pg/mL quantification rather than arbitrary units, <10% CVs across matrices, CLIA-ready assays and standardized spatial panels, and the ability to track the same biomarker across blood, CSF and tissue by combining Simoa liquid assays with Akoya spatial proteomics in one company.

Technology

The Simoa (Single Molecule Array) platform performs digital, bead-based sandwich immunoassays with fluorescent enzymatic readout in femtoliter wells, enabling single-molecule-level quantification of protein biomarkers in serum, plasma, CSF and other matrices. Instruments include HD-X (fully automated bead-based), SP-X (planar array multiplex) and SR-X (compact benchtop). Assay content covers neurology markers such as NfL, p-Tau 217, brain-derived Tau and YKL-40, cytokine multiplex panels (e.g., Cytokine 4-Plex Advantage PLUS, IL-17A, IFN-α multi-subtype at femtogram sensitivity), and other therapeutic areas. Through Akoya, the company adds high-plex spatial proteomics at single-cell resolution via PhenoCycler and PhenoImager (including PhenoImager HT 2.0) systems and PhenoCode panels for discovery, validation and companion diagnostic development.

Go-to-market

Quanterix provides direct sales and service in North America and several European countries, with global availability of products and services through distributor partners, supported by field application scientists and engineers. The company cites partnerships with 20 top-20 pharma companies, CROs and diagnostics labs, and supports adoption through peer-reviewed publications, an annual Accelerator Grant Program, scientific conference presence (e.g., ECTRIMS) and educational content such as brochures, webinars and blogs.

Academic and industry researchers, pharmaceutical and biotech companies, CROs, clinical trial sponsors, CLIA and diagnostics laboratories, and clinicians using blood-based tests, across neurology, oncology, immunology/inflammation, cardiology and infectious disease.

Geography

Headquartered in Massachusetts, US; the about-us page lists 900 Middlesex Turnpike, Building 1, Billerica, MA 01821, while an SBIR registry records an earlier address at 113 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, MA 02421. Direct sales and service cover North America and several European countries, with distributor coverage globally.

History

Quanterix was founded in 2007, formerly doing business as Digital Genomics Inc, with David R. Walt as scientific founder and Flagship Pioneering listing Doug Cole on the founding team. It received NIH SBIR awards from 2008 through 2013 and a strategic investment from In-Q-Tel announced in January 2012. The company trades on Nasdaq as QTRX. In November 2019 Siemens Healthineers entered a license and supply arrangement for access to Quanterix's Nf-L antibodies. In January 2025 Quanterix announced an agreement to acquire spatial biology company Akoya Biosciences in an all-stock deal (0.318 Quanterix shares per Akoya share, a 19% premium to Akoya's Nov. 14, 2024 price) that would have left Quanterix holders with ~70% of the combined company; the terms were amended in May 2025 and the deal closed on July 8, 2025 with roughly 7.76–7.8 million Quanterix shares issued plus about $20 million in cash, leaving Quanterix shareholders with ~84% and Akoya shareholders ~16%.

Risks & controversies

The Akoya acquisition was contested: some of Quanterix's largest shareholders opposed it, arguing it would accelerate cash burn and shift the business toward pharma services and away from diagnostics. Quanterix shares fell 20% on the day the deal was announced and were down 46% from the Jan. 8, 2025 close as of the deal's closing. Investment firm Kent Lake, holding a 7.7% stake, criticized the amended agreement, noting that issuing fewer shares allowed the transaction to proceed without a shareholder vote. In May 2025 Akoya disclosed an unsolicited acquisition bid from an unnamed party, creating uncertainty around the deal. An SBIR registry lists the company's SBIR program status as inactive.