Why does an endotoxin-free growth factor matter for my cell culture?

Endotoxins trigger pro-inflammatory responses that interfere with stem cell proliferation, differentiation, and downstream assay accuracy. Conventional bacterial-expression systems introduce endotoxin as a production by-product; post-production cleanup reduces but does not eliminate the risk. ISOkine® proteins are produced in a plant host that does not use bacteria or animal cells, making them endotoxin-free by design, not by filtration. ISOkine® comes in at <0.01 EU/µg.

Can ISOkine® supply scale from research quantities to larger pre-clinical work?

Yes. ISOkine® proteins are available for both research-scale and larger-scale cell culture applications. ORF Genetics has been producing the ISOkine® line since 2007; the Orfeus barley-seed platform supports scale-up without reformulation or product change. Talk to a scientist about your volume requirements.

What documentation do you provide? Can I use ISOkine® in a clinical-grade workflow?

Every lot ships with a Certificate of Analysis (CoA), a Safety Data Sheet (SDS), a product datasheet, and a Certificate of Origin. ISOkine® proteins are animal- and serum-free, void of antibiotics, with low pyrogenic activity, making them compatible with defined-condition protocols for pre-clinical and early clinical development. ORF Genetics is ISO 9001:2015 certified and on the road to GMP certification.

How is ISOkine® different from growth factors from R&D Systems, Qkine, or PeproTech?

The key difference is the production host. ISOkine® proteins are produced in bioengineered barley, not in E. coli or mammalian cell lines. This plant host eliminates animal-derived contamination by design, produces proteins with native eukaryotic folding, and enables a cost structure that is a fraction of conventional pricing. The production system has been running for over 18 years, providing consistent quality data across that track record.

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Stem cell & regenerative research

Consistent, animal-free growth factors for cell culture you can trust

ISOkine® provides >95% pure, endotoxin-free recombinant proteins for stem cell culture, organoids, and regenerative medicine. Consistent batch-to-batch quality, reliable supply, at a fraction of conventional cost.

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ISO 9001 certified · 25 years of molecular farming

Trusted by research teams worldwide

ISO 9001:2015

Certified quality system

>95%

Purity, endotoxin-free

25 years

Of molecular farming since 2001

Animal-free

Serum-free, antibiotic-free

The research problem

Variability and biorisk should not define your results

Batch variability stalls your work.

When purity and bioactivity shift between lots, you re-validate, repeat experiments, and delay transfers to the next stage. Re-validation time is the hidden cost of inconsistent growth factors.

Endotoxin contamination undermines sensitive assays.

Animal-derived and bacterially expressed proteins carry endotoxin risk. For stem cell and organoid culture, even low levels skew proliferation, differentiation, and downstream data.

Animal-derived inputs block clinical transition.

Serum and animal-component inputs introduce variables you cannot define. Moving from pre-clinical to clinical-grade protocols demands defined, animal-free conditions, and every month of delay has a cost.

Why ISOkine

Defined conditions you can build a protocol on

Tell us your application and we'll recommend the right factors.

Batch-to-batch reproducibility, by design

ISOkine® proteins are produced in a controlled barley-seed expression system with each batch tested for biological activity. You get a CoA with every lot. Validate once and scale with confidence, with no requalification overhead.

Endotoxin-free from the source

A plant host bypasses animal cells and bacterial fermentation entirely, the two most common sources of endotoxin contamination. ISOkine® proteins come in at <0.01 EU/µg, with low pyrogenic and pro-inflammatory activity. Your assay results reflect your biology, not your reagents.

Animal-free, serum-free, fully defined

ISOkine® proteins are animal- and serum-free, void of antibiotics. The native eukaryotic folding from barley-seed production gives you high bioactivity with a biorisk profile that holds from your bench protocol through to clinical applications.

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ISOkine® Premium

Growth factors built for the most sensitive cell culture

Bioactivity equivalent to or higher than conventional proteins

ISOkine® proteins are produced using the native eukaryotic folding and glycosylation machinery of barley cells, giving them a conformation and activity profile comparable or superior to mammalian-expressed alternatives. Used in both pre-clinical research and large-scale cell cultures. Bioactivity data is included with every batch.

Human and mouse growth factors for your specific application

The ISOkine® catalog covers the growth factors and cytokines most used in stem cell research, organoid production, and regenerative medicine: EGF, FGF basic, LIF, SCF, IGF-1 LR3, PDGF-BB, Noggin, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, GDNF, G-CSF, M-CSF, Flt3-L, VEGF-165, IFN-gamma, TNF-alpha, and more, in human and mouse. Request a datasheet for any factor.

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Reliable supply from a 25-year-old production platform

ORF Genetics has been producing ISOkine® growth factors since 2007. The Orfeus barley-seed platform runs in a geothermal-powered greenhouse in Iceland, decoupled from animal supply chains. ISO 9001:2015 certified. Datasheets, CoA, and SDS documents are available for every lot. On the road to GMP.

Explore the technology

From application to delivery, in three steps

Getting started

Step 1

Find the factors for your protocol

Tell us your application: stem cell line, organoid type, media requirements, species. Browse the ISOkine® catalog or talk to one of our scientists to identify the right growth factors for your system.

Step 2

Request a quote or sample

Quote-based ordering, no account needed. Datasheets, SDS, and CoA documents are available for every factor. Request a quote today.

Step 3

Scale with consistent supply

ISOkine® proteins are available in research quantities and for larger-scale applications. The same lot-tested quality holds as you move from early research through pre-clinical work.