Revvity to acquire Human Cell Design, expanding human cell models for metabolic disease research
Acquisition strengthens Revvity’s position in human-relevant life sciences tools for next-generation GLP-1 and GPCR-targeting therapies for metabolic drug discovery
15 Sept 2026
Revvity has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Human Cell Design (HCD), a France-based biotechnology company specializing in human cell models and preclinical research solutions for diabetes, obesity and other metabolic diseases.
Expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and required regulatory approvals, the acquisition will add HCD’s human pancreatic beta cell models to Revvity’s Life Sciences portfolio to support drug discovery, screening and preclinical research, including work on GLP-1 and other metabolic disease therapies.
Expanding human-relevant drug discovery solutions
“HCD brings differentiated human cell models that complement Revvity’s broad portfolio of technologies supporting drug discovery and development,” said Prahlad Singh, president and CEO of Revvity. “As researchers continue to seek more human-relevant approaches to understanding biology, combining high-quality cell models with our capabilities in screening, detection, automation and analysis creates an opportunity to provide customers with more integrated solutions.”
HCD’s flagship EndoC-βH5 human pancreatic beta cell model is designed to give researchers a human-relevant system for studying beta cell physiology and function in diabetes and obesity research.
The company also provides specialized media and reagents, preclinical research services and its proprietary NatLine cell-line development platform. NatLine supports the development of functionally consistent human cell models.
“Human Cell Design was founded on the belief that better human models can help transform the way medicines are discovered and developed,” said Guillaume Costecalde, founder and president of Human Cell Design. “Joining Revvity is expected to allow us to bring our human cell models and NatLine technology to a broader global customer base while supporting the development of new physiologically relevant cell models.”
Integrating cell models with detection and analysis technologies
The planned combination aligns HCD’s human cell models with Revvity’s detection and cell analysis portfolio. EndoC-βH5 cells are well suited for use with Revvity’s HTRF™ and AlphaLISA™ assays to measure pharmacological readouts such as cAMP and insulin.
The cells can also be used with pHSense™ technology for receptor internalization studies and ATPlite™ assays for cell viability and proliferation analysis. These detection and analysis capabilities are expected to extend to Revvity’s high-content screening platform and increasingly sophisticated methods for interpreting complex cellular data.
As wet-lab validation becomes increasingly important in supporting AI-enhanced science, human-relevant cell models provide a foundation for testing and confirming AI-generated insights.
Supporting regenerative medicine and cell-based therapies
HCD’s technology has applications beyond early-stage drug discovery. These include research supporting regenerative medicine approaches for Type 1 diabetes and quality control activities as cell-based therapies advance toward commercialization.
Following completion of the acquisition, the combined solutions are expected to help customers across multiple stages of therapeutic research and development.
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Why is Revvity acquiring Human Cell Design?
Revvity plans to acquire France-based Human Cell Design to add human pancreatic beta cell models, specialized reagents, preclinical services and the NatLine platform to its Life Sciences portfolio. The acquisition is intended to support human-relevant drug discovery, screening and preclinical research for diabetes, obesity, GLP-1 therapies and other metabolic diseases.
How will HCD’s EndoC-βH5 cells integrate with Revvity’s technologies?
HCD’s EndoC-βH5 human pancreatic beta cells can work with Revvity’s HTRF™ and AlphaLISA™ assays to measure cAMP and insulin. They can also support receptor internalization studies using pHSense™ technology and cell viability and proliferation analysis with ATPlite™ assays, alongside Revvity’s high-content screening and cellular data analysis capabilities.
When will Revvity’s acquisition of Human Cell Design close?
The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and required regulatory approvals. Additional transaction terms were not disclosed. After completion, the combined solutions are expected to support therapeutic research and development, regenerative medicine research for Type 1 diabetes, and quality control for cell-based therapies.