Definitions of available industry sectors and subsectors
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Below you find the definitions of the sectors and subsectors used in the database categorization system.
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| Biotechnology - Therapeutics and Diagnostics | top |
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Biotechnology companies are those that employ living organisms or biological substances for
the development of products and services with applications in numerous fields such as waste
management, food processing, agriculture and pharmaceutics. Companies categorized as Biotechnology-Therapeutics
and Diagnostics are those whose core business is the application of biotechnology to the discovery and
development of novel therapeutic compounds and probe molecules for applications in medicine. The other
two main Biotechnology categories in the Biotechgate database are Biotechnology - R&D
Services and Biotechnology - Other.
Antibodies: Companies whose primary research area is the production of antibodies for therapeutic and/or diagnostic purposes.
Antibody-drug conjugates: Companies whose primary research area is the development of antibodies linked to a biologically active cytotoxic payload or drug.
Anti-infectives: Companies whose primary research area is anti-infective compounds such as antibiotics.
Biosimilars: Companies whose primary research area is biosimilars, also called follow-on biologics, which are officially approved new versions of existing biopharmaceutical products.
Cell therapy: Companies that specialize in the replacement of diseased cells and tissues with a healthy cellular material.
Drug delivery: Companies that specialize in developing compounds that deliver or improve the delivery of medicines to targeted areas in the body.
Gene therapy: Companies that specialize in the treatment of a disease by introducing a new gene into a cell through the use of recombinant DNA technology. The new gene may be used to replace a function that is missing because of a defective gene or to treat a genetic disorder.
Generics: Companies whose primary research area is generic medicines which are drugs that are chemically equivalent to a particular medicine, innovated by another company, on which the patent has since expired.
Immunotherapy: Companies developing drugs to treat a disease by activating or suppressing the immune system.
Microbiome: Companies active in the development of therapies related to a microbiota (the entire collection of microorganisms in a specific niche, such as the human gut).
Molecular diagnostics: Companies developing new probe molecules whose focus is the discovery and validation of molecules for detection and analysis purposes (e.g. biomarkers), rather than the invention of new medical devices.
Natural Compounds: Companies using substances produced by a living organism that is found in nature. Natural products can also be prepared by chemical synthesis and can include cannabinoids and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) products if clinical trials and standard regulatory pathways apply.
Nucleic acid drugs: Companies that specialize in developing nucleic acids that act as drugs for inhibiting gene expression or protein synthesis.
Peptides: Companies that specialize in developing peptide based drugs.
Proteins: Companies that specialize in developing protein based drugs.
Small molecules: Companies that specialize in developing small molecule compounds.
Stem cells: Companies that specialize in the use of stem cells as a therapeutic or to repair specific tissues or to grow organs.
Vaccines: Companies whose primary research area is the development of vaccines either for disease therapy or prevention.
Other: Therapeutic biotechnology companies specialized in an area not mentioned above.
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Notes for categorization Companies that should be categorized as Biotech-therapeutics and diagnostics include those that:
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Biotechnology - R&D Services |
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Companies that fall under the Biotechnology - R&D Services category are those that provide support services such as product development services, analytical services, screening, contract manufacturing and contract R&D to the biotechnology industry.
Analytical services: Companies that provide analytical services e.g. spectroscopy, chromatography, pharmacodynamic assessments or environmental analysis.
Biochips: Companies that produce biochips for other companies to use in their development process.
Bioelectronics: Companies that develop information processing systems and devices based on biological materials, for other companies to use them in their development process.
Bioinformatics: Companies that provided bioinformatics services such as the analysis of biological information using computers and statistical techniques.
Cell culture: Companies that culture cells for other companies to use in their development process.
CMO (Contract Manufacturing Organization): Companies that take over the manufacturing responsibilities for another company.
CRO (Contract Research Organization): Companies that conduct research for other companies on a contract basis.
Diagnostic instrumentation: Companies that develop diagnostic tests and kits but do not develop new diagnostic molecules.
Diagnostic services: Companies that carry out diagnostic tests for other companies.
Drug delivery: Companies that research and develop methods of drug delivery for other companies.
Fill & finish: Companies that provide fill and finish services.
Genomics: Companies that study and define nucleotide sequences, including genes, regulatory sequences, and noncoding DNA segments, for other companies; also, companies running gene banks.
Proteomics: Companies that identify and modify proteins, for other companies to use in their development process; also, companies running antibody and other protein banks.
Screening: Companies that screen potential therapeutic compounds for other companies by performing various tests and assays.
Synthesis services: Companies that synthesize molecules for other companies.
Other: Companies that provide other support services to biotechnology companies.
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Notes for categorization Some companies may have both a drug development and a service component; generally, if the majority of the company's employees work in R&D then the company should not be categorized as a service company even if they have a service component.
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Biotechnology - Other |
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Companies that fall under the Biotechnology - Other category are all of those that apply the concepts of biotechnology (using living organisms or biological substances for the development of products and services) to areas other than drug development for medical use. Examples of areas covered under Biotechnology - Other are Agrobio companies, cosmetic companies, environmental companies, food technology companies, industrial biotechnology companies, nutraceutical companies and veterinary companies.
AgBio: Companies that apply the principles of biotechnology to agricultural uses such as the production of pesticides or extension of fruit and vegetable shelf life.
Cosmetics: Companies that apply the principles of biotechnology to the production of cosmetics.
Environmental: Companies that apply the principles of biotechnology to the protection and restoration of the environment through processes such as waste water treatment and clean energy production.
Food: Companies that apply the principles of biotechnology to the production and processing of food.
Industrial Biotechnology: Companies that apply the principles of biotechnology to industrial processes, e.g. by using biomolecules instead of chemicals.
Nutraceuticals: Companies that develop natural products for a therapeutic purpose.
Veterinary: Companies whose primary product area is centered on the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries of animals, particularly domestic animals.
Other: Companies that apply the principles of biotechnology in an area not mentioned above that does not involve therapeutic medicine or the provision of a service.
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Notes for categorization Companies should fulfill all of the criteria for biotechnology-therapeutic companies however be concerned not with medical research for human use but with agro biology, cosmetics, the environment, food technology, industrial biotechnology, nutraceuticals or veterinary medicine.
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Pharma (fully integrated) |
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Fully integrated Pharma companies are commercial enterprises that research, develop, produce and sell drugs and other medicines. In today's economy, these enterprises are usually large companies that deal both in branded and generic compounds and rely, at least partially, on smaller biotechnology companies for in-licensing of novel compounds for their pipelines.
Antibodies: Companies whose primary product area is the production of antibodies for therapeutic and/or diagnostic purposes.
Antibody-drug conjugates: Companies whose primary research area is the development of antibodies linked to a biologically active cytotoxic payload or drug.
Anti-infectives: Companies whose primary product area is anti-infective compounds such as antibiotics.
Biosimilars: Companies whose primary product area is biosimilars, also called follow-on biologics, which are officially approved new versions of existing biopharmaceutical products.
Cell therapy: Companies that specialize in the replacement of diseased cells and tissues with a healthy cellular material.
Drug delivery: Companies that specialize in developing compounds that deliver or improve the delivery of medicines to targeted areas in the body.
Gene therapy: Companies that specialize in the treatment of a disease by introducing a new gene into a cell through the use of recombinant DNA technology. The new gene may be used to replace a function that is missing because of a defective gene or to treat a genetic disorder.
Generics: Companies whose primary product area is generic medicines which are drugs that are chemically equivalent to a particular medicine, innovated by another company, on which the patent has since expired.
Immunotherapy: Companies developing drugs to treat a disease by activating or suppressing the immune system.
Microbiome: Companies active in the development of therapies related to a microbiota (the entire collection of microorganisms in a specific niche, such as the human gut).
Molecular diagnostics: Companies developing new probe molecules whose focus is the discovery and validation of molecules for detection and analysis purposes (e.g. biomarkers), rather than the invention of new medical devices.
Natural Compounds: Companies using substances produced by a living organism that is found in nature. Natural products can also be prepared by chemical synthesis and can include cannabinoids and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) products if clinical trials and standard regulatory pathways apply.
Nucleic acid drugs: Companies that specialize in developing nucleic acids that act as drugs for inhibiting gene expression or protein synthesis.
Peptides: Companies that specialize in developing peptide based drugs.
Proteins: Companies that specialize in developing protein based drugs.
Small molecules: Companies that specialize in developing small molecule compounds.
Stem cells: Companies that specialize in the use of stem cells as a therapeutic or to repair specific tissues or to grow organs.
Vaccines: Companies whose primary activity is the development of vaccines either for disease therapy or prevention.
Other: Pharmaceutical companies specialized in an area not mentioned above.
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Notes for categorization Pharma (fully integrated) companies are usually much larger than biotechnology companies and generate positive revenues.Companies that should be categorized as pharmaceutical include those that:
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Medical Technology |
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Medical technology companies are involved in the research, development, production and marketing of systems and devices for medical applications (i.e. to treat or diagnose diseases or medical conditions) in humans and animals.
Active implantable devices: Companies whose primary area of research is medical devices invented to be introduced into the human body and remain there after the procedure that rely for its functioning on a source of electrical energy or any source of power other than that directly generated by the human body or gravity, e.g. cardiac pacemakers, cochlear implants, nerve stimulators.
Anesthetic and respiratory devices: Companies whose primary area of research is anesthetic and respiratory devices, e.g. oxygen masks, anesthetic vaporizers, nebulizers or inhalers.
Biomaterials: Companies whose primary area of research is substances that have been engineered to interact with biological systems for a medical purpose.
Coatings: Companies that produce coatings for medication or devices.
Delivery devices: Companies whose primary area of research is devices for the delivery of therapeutics to target areas of the body, e.g. vaginal rings, syringes or infusion pumps.
Dental devices: Companies whose primary area of research is devices intended to treat or reconstruct dental tissue, e.g. reusable dental instruments, implants, etc.
Diagnostic and therapeutic radiation devices: Companies that produce medical devices that utilize radiation.
Diagnostic devices: Companies whose primary area of research is non-radiation devices intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions; the category excludes molecular diagnostics.
Electro mechanical medical devices: Companies whose primary area of research is electro mechanical medical devices.
Hospital Hardware: Companies that engineer and produce hospital hardware, e.g. hospital beds, cubicles, examination/operation tables, etc.
Imaging: Companies whose primary area of research is technologies for visualization of body parts, tissues, or organs, for use in clinical diagnosis, treatment and disease monitoring.
Non-active implantable devices: Companies whose primary area of research is devices invented to be introduced into the human body and stay there after the procedure that must not have an integral power source, e.g. coronary stents or joint replacements.
Ophthalmic and optical devices: Companies who develop and produce devices for the diagnosis and treatment for eye disorders, e.g. glasses, contact lenses, intraocular lenses, implants, lasers or ophthalmology surgical instruments.
Regenerative Medicine: Companies whose primary area of research is devices applied in the process of replacing, engineering or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function, e.g. devices for stem cell administration.
Reusable instruments: Companies that produce reusable instruments for medical use, e.g. surgical instruments.
Single use devices: Companies whose primary area of research is single use medical devices, e.g. needles, syringes, applicators, catheters.
Technical aids for disabled persons: Companies that produce technical aids for disabled persons such as prosthesis, hearing aids, colostomy bags or orthoses.
Wound Care: Companies whose primary area of research is devices for wound care such as dressings or fasteners.
Other: Companies that engineer and produce other medical devices.
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Digital Health |
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Companies in this category provide healthcare services or products based on information and communications technologies.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Digital Health companies that are applying artificial intelligence to their products or services.
Doctor Networks: Companies providing online communication platforms for physicians.
Electronic Medical Record / Electronic Health Record: Companies providing software products which support physicians and medical practices including electronic claims management engines.
Health & Wellness (IoT): Companies developing health related devices that can connect and exchange data with other devices, such as personal fitness wearables.
Health Services Search: Companies providing information on health services locations and offerings.
Healthcare Mobile Communication: Companies providing mobile marketing and communication tools for the healthcare sector.
Medical Big Data & analytics: Companies involved in the gathering, storage and exploitation of medical big data.
Mobile Fitness / Health Apps: Companies providing mobile fitness and health apps.
Online Health Communities: Communities and forums focused on health education.
Patient Engagement: Companies offering patient self-management solutions.
Payments & Insurance: Companies engaged in health-related online financial services.
Population Health Management: Organizations involved in corporate wellness and public health initiatives.
Remote Monitoring: Companies that provide technologies for monitoring of patients outside of conventional clinical settings, e.g. blood pressure monitors, cardiac monitors, data storing glucometers and digital weighing scales.
Telehealth: Companies providing health-related consultations via telecommunications.
Predictive Analytics: Companies providing health-related analytical services including clinical decision support, readmission prevention, adverse event avoidance, chronic disease management and patient matching.
Other: Other Digital Health companies, not covered by any of the categories above.
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Investors |
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The investor category includes all types of financing sources for life sciences companies. This includes bank funds, public funds, venture capital funds, business angels, corporate investors, institutional investors, private investors, family offices and foundations.
Bank fund: An investment fund owned by a bank.
Business angel: A private investor who invests directly into entrepreneurial companies for equity and provides both finance and business expertise.
Corporate investor: a company that invests in and acquires control of other companies.
Foundation: An organization supporting newly created companies through financing/grants and possibly in kind as well.
Institutional investor: A financial institution such as a bank, mutual fund, insurance company, or pension fund that purchases securities in large quantities.
Leasing: Companies providing financing through leasing for equipment and other assets.
Private investor / family offices: An individual or a private investment company, usually held by a wealthy family, that makes a private investment directly into a company.
Public fund: A publicly listed investment fund.
Venture Capital Fund: A special form of private equity fund, established in the form of a trust or a company, which focuses its investments into companies which are in their early stages of growth.
Other: Other potential sources of financing for life science companies.
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Notes for categorization This category does not include fundraising companies, which do not provide their own capital as the institution must have funds available.
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Professional Services and Consulting |
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Companies in this category provide consulting and services to the life sciences sector in areas such as deal arrangement, event organization, finance, marketing, law, sales, translation, valuation and others.
Business Development: Companies that provide consulting and services in the area of business development; such as finding and assisting with licensing deals.
Communication & PR/IR: Companies that provide consulting and services in the area of communication and public relations; such as writing press releases and handling investor relations.
Deal arranger: Companies that aid in deal arrangement between other companies.
Drug Development Consulting: Companies that provide services and consulting in the area of drug development, regulatory and clinical affairs.
Due diligence: Companies that perform due diligence for other companies.
Event organization: Companies that organize events for other companies.
Financial services: Companies providing fundraising and financial consulting services.
Human Resources Services: Companies that manage human resources duties such as hiring for other companies.
Information provider: Companies that research and provide relevant information to other companies.
IT Services: Companies that provide IT services for other companies.
Legal Services: Companies that provide legal services and advice on to other companies on various matters such as contracts, lawsuits and insurance.
Management consulting: Companies that provide management consulting to other companies in various areas such as strategy and value chain management.
Market access: Companies that provide services to facilitate market entry into specific markets.
Market research: Companies that provide market research services.
Operations/Health & safety/Purchasing: Companies that provide services in the areas of operations, health & safety as well as purchasing.
Patents & trademarks: Companies that provide services and consulting in the area of patents and trademarks.
Property management/Real estate: Companies that manage the property and real estate of other companies.
Regulatory Affairs: Companies providing consulting services to life science companies on matters related to compliance with government laws and regulations regarding the development, approval, marketing and licensing of their products.
Reimbursement & pricing: Companies that provide consulting services on the topic of pricing and reimbursement.
Sales & marketing: Companies that provide sales and marketing support.
Technology Transfer: Companies that support the transfer of technology from universities or research institutes to the industry.
Translation services: Companies that perform language translation.
Valuation: Companies that perform independent valuations of companies wanting to know their value prior to seeking a licensing agreement or further funding.
Other: Other service or consulting providers in the life science industry.
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Public / Non-Profit Organizations / Medical Facilities |
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This category includes government-owned institutions as well as companies that operate on a not-for-profit basis such as foundations, hospitals and research institutes.
Foundation: A non-profit organization that conducts charitable activities or provides funding for the charitable activities of other companies.
Governmental organization: An organization entirely owned or managed by the government.
Hospital: an institution where sick or injured are given medical or surgical care.
Industry Association: An organization representing the professional, trade or commercial interests of its members.
Institute: An organization founded to promote a specific cause such as a research organization created to perform research on specific topics.
Private clinic: A privately owned facility, often associated with a hospital, established for the purpose of diagnosing and caring for outpatients.
Research Facility: An entity that operates on a fee-for-service scheme, and is either a scientific infrastructure or a technology platform offering access to; sophisticated equipment, training and experimental advice and entire workflows for sample preparation and analysis.
Science / Technology Park: A development, usually initiated by the government, comprising of highly specified office and laboratory space designed to encourage localization of high technology companies.
University: A higher education institution with teaching and research facilities that awards degrees at bachelor's, master's and doctorate levels.
Other: Any other public or nonprofit organization associated with the life sciences.
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Supplier & Engineering |
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Suppliers include companies that provide materials, components, products and goods to other companies, and companies that distribute products of another company to its customers. Engineering companies are those that design, manufacture, and operate structures, machines, processes, and systems.
APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) and excipients: Companies that manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) or excipients.
Chemicals: Companies that manufacture or engineer chemicals.
Distributors: Companies that distribute products for another company.
Electronics: Companies that manufacture or engineer electronics.
Instrumentation: Companies that provide laboratory and production measurement instruments, e.g. thermometers.
Laboratory consumables and reagents: Companies that manufacture or engineer consumable products for life science laboratories, e.g. disposable pipettes and pipette tips, disposable test tubes, buffers, reagents.
Laboratory engineering: Companies that plan and build laboratories and install the required equipment.
Laboratory equipment: Companies that manufacture or engineer laboratory equipment.
Medical devices: Companies that distribute medical devices but do not develop them themselves.
Packaging & Labeling: Companies that provide packaging and labeling.
Precision mechanics: Companies that manufacture precision parts.
Production engineering: Companies that engineer production areas.
Software: Companies that provide life science-related software.
Synthetic materials: Companies that provide synthetic materials such as special plastics or synthetic rubbers.
Other: Any other companies acting as a supplier or engineer for life science companies.
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Media |
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Media companies disseminate information to targeted audiences through newscasts, newspapers, on-line publications, television and radio.
News agency: An organization that collects and disseminates news to subscribers such as newspapers, periodicals and newscasters.
Newspaper: A publication, usually issued daily or weekly, containing current news, editorials, and featured articles on various topics as well as assorted advertising.
Online Publication: A publication such as a newspaper or magazine that is distributed over the internet.
Trade Press: Specialist publications aimed at audiences in particular industries or business sectors.
TV & Radio: Channels for distributing video and audio information to the public.
Other: Any other organization focused on gathering and distributing information.
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