Advancing Scalable Reproducible Cell Therapy and Advanced Cell Culture Workflows

New heat-stable and hyperactive proteins across the fibroblast growth factor and interleukin cytokine families expand the R&D Systems™ AI-Engineered Designer Protein portfolio
AI-guided protein design supports improved consistency, performance and scalability in complex cell culture workflows
Engineered signaling proteins help address key challenges in scaling cell therapy from discovery through manufacturing

MINNEAPOLIS, July 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ:TECH), a global provider of life science tools, reagents, and diagnostic products, today announced the launch of new additions to its R&D Systems™ AI-Engineered Designer Protein portfolio, designed to improve reproducibility and performance across advanced cell culture and cell therapy development workflows.

The R&D Systems AI-Engineered Designer Protein platform enables the design and creation of new protein-based solutions to help researchers overcome current variability and scalability challenges in advanced cell culture by improving the stability and activity of critical reagents.

By improving protein performance characteristics such as heat stability, activity, and solubility, Bio-Techne helps researchers achieve consistent results and scalable workflows from discovery through therapeutic development. These improvements are critical as cell therapies and organoid systems move toward clinical and commercial scale, where minor variations in cell signaling inputs can significantly impact outcomes.

These additions build on Bio-Techne's strategy to develop a comprehensive portfolio of next-generation signaling technologies, following an earlier expansion of the R&D Systems AI-Engineered Design Protein portfolio. Together, these innovations, including hyperactive cytokines, heat-stable growth factors, and signaling pathway agonists, support stem cell culture, organoid development, and regenerative medicine workflows by enabling more controlled, reproducible systems across the continuum from basic research through process development and scaled-up manufacturing.

Early adopters of R&D Systems AI-Engineered Designer Proteins are already seeing measurable gains in cell expansion and overall workflow performance across demanding applications:

"Many patient-derived Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL) samples fail during initial outgrowth due to insufficient cell expansion," said Dr Branden Moriarity, Associate Professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University of Minnesota. "IL-2 Heat Stable Agonist Protein provides a promising proliferation advantage to TIL samples and also provides clear operational advantages that would reduce the cost of goods for TIL therapies."

This real-world feedback underscores the broader potential of the R&D Systems AI-Engineered Designer Protein platform. With its latest expansion to include additional cytokines and growth factors, the platform is designed to enable more consistent, scalable, and cost-efficient advanced cell culture workflows.

"As cell therapy advances from early research into clinical and commercial manufacturing, achieving consistency, robustness, and scalability across increasingly complex workflows is critical," said Will Geist, President of Bio-Techne's Protein Science Segment. "Our AI-Engineered Designer Proteins are designed to overcome these challenges by delivering enhanced stability, activity, and performance—enabling more reproducible results and supporting seamless scale-up from discovery through production."

The newly launched proteins include:

FGF-4 Heat Stable – Designed to support pluripotent stem cell maintenance, embryonic development research, and differentiation workflows requiring sustained growth factor activity.
FGF-7 Heat Stable – Engineered to support epithelial and tissue regeneration workflows, including advanced 3D culture systems and organoid expansion that require sustained stability at elevated temperatures.
FGF-8b Heat Stable – Optimized for developmental biology, organoid modeling, and regenerative medicine applications where precise morphogenic signaling is critical.
IL-3 Heat Stable – Designed to support hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell expansion and differentiation across early-stage and lineage-committed cell populations requiring sustained cytokine stability in culture.
IL-15 Hyperactive – Engineered to drive increased expansion of NK cells and T cells, supporting cell therapy workflows and immunotherapy research, where enhanced signaling strength and persistence are vital.

The expansion of the AI-Engineered Designer Protein portfolio reinforces Bio-Techne's leadership in developing high-performance signaling molecules for advanced biological systems. These innovations support organoid culture, stem cell differentiation, and cell therapy manufacturing; areas where reproducible scale-up from discovery to production is increasingly a requirement for success.

For more information about the AI-Engineered Designer Protein portfolio, visit the R&D Systems website.

ABOUT BIO-TECHNE

Bio-Techne Corporation (NASDAQ:TECH) is a global life sciences company headquartered in Minnesota, celebrating 50 years of empowering scientific and diagnostic communities to reach better answers. The company provides high-quality reagents, analytical instruments, and precision diagnostics. Its portfolio is organized into three customer-focused brands: R&D Systems™, Bio-Techne Spatial™, and Bio-Techne Diagnostics™, reflecting the scientific journey from discovery to translational research to clinical decision-making. Bio-Techne operates in 34 locations worldwide and employs more than 3000 people. In fiscal year 2025, the company generated over $1.2 billion in net sales. Its more than 500,000 products are used globally by academic researchers, biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and clinical diagnostic laboratories.

For more information on Bio-Techne and its brands, please visit www.bio-techne.com or follow the company on social media at LinkedIn and X.

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SOURCE Bio-Techne Corporation