Cell Microsystems Inc.

Cell Microsystems Inc., a Durham, North Carolina–based manufacturer of specialized biomedical research equipment, operates exclusively as a prime contractor on federal equipment procurements and research grants. The company manufactures and sells microfluidic and cell-culture systems—principally its proprietary CellRaft technology platform and BioFlux shear flow systems—to the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and the Food and Drug Administration. Cell Microsystems competes across both set-aside and full-and-open procurements; recent purchase orders split between Total Small Business set-asides and unrestricted awards.

Cell Microsystems' customer base concentrates heavily within the Department of Health and Human Services. The top five funding agencies account for 78% of recent awards by count and 97% by combined potential value. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (6 awards, $2.1 million combined potential value), the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (6 awards), and the National Institute of Health (5 awards) dominate activity by award frequency; the National Cancer Institute (2 awards, $4.3 million) and CDC Pittsburgh (1 award, $250 thousand) anchor the dollars. The portfolio spans thirteen distinct federal customer agencies but reflects a clear concentration in NIH institutes supporting cancer research, infectious disease, genomics, and drug development.

Capability work spans research equipment sales and protocol-development grants. Representative examples include a $149,987 Total Small Business purchase order from USDA Agricultural Research Service in August 2024 for a CellRaft system with installation and training to support genetically engineered cell research; a $249,662 firm fixed-price procurement from CDC Pittsburgh in September 2023 for cell lines supporting biomedical research; and a $52,550 Total Small Business purchase order from FDA in July 2026 for a BioFlux 200+ flexible shear flow system for platelet and red blood cell evaluation. Cell Microsystems also received an $149,987 National Institute of General Medical Sciences Phase I grant (award date August 1, 2021, completion July 31, 2023) as prime recipient to develop improved induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming and CRISPR gene editing workflows using CellRaft technology.

Activity shows high volatility and recent decline. The vendor completed two awards in 2020, four in 2021, one in 2023, three in 2024, and one in 2026. Combined potential value across all 27 awards sits at $7.2 million, though obligated dollars total $21.9 million (303% of potential value), reflecting reclassing of small equipment and cell-line procurements through obligated spend. Service Contract Inventory data shows $1.4 million in invoiced revenue across 5.6 FTEs in FY2022, declining to $222 thousand and 0.3 FTEs in FY2023, with no SCI-reported activity in FY2024; SCI captures only service contracts above the $150,000 threshold and excludes products and goods, so these figures understate total federal revenue. Government-paid rates on SCI-reportable service contracts run a median of $225.42 per hour, with senior labor pricing through roughly $324 per hour. Only one award faces recompete inside the next twenty-four months (combined potential value $53 thousand).