From fully bespoke cell engineering to rapid standardised expression cell lines and ready-to-use cell products, RoukenBio can align with your timeline, complexity, and scientific goals. Whether you need premium custom cell engineering, a rapid overexpression cell line with your target antigen, or an off-the-shelf product, our cell engineering offering is designed to help you get to the right answer.
One cell engineering ecosystem. Three ways to access the right solution.
Scientist-led. Fully bespoke.
Bespoke cell engineering for complex or non-standard programmes. Fully tailored design with advanced engineering, functional validation and dedicated scientific support.
Best for complex biologyInducible systems, gene editing, reporter lines and moreScientist-led from design to deliveryCollaborative and consultative approachComprehensive validationExpanded QC and rigorous functional testing
Rapid. Reliable. Targeted.
Fast-track development of cell lines with your target antigen. Ideal for straightforward overexpression or reporter applications with a defined scope.
Best for rapid expression needsOverexpression, reporter cell lines and constitutive expressionFast turnaround2–4 weeks once plasmid is made availableQuality assuredRobust QC for reliable, reproducible performance
Validated. Available. Ready to use.
Off-the-shelf assay-ready cell lines and immune cell banks. Fully validated and ready to integrate into your experimental workflow today.
Best for immediate needsAssay-ready cell lines and premium immune cell bank productsPre-validated productsConsistent experimental performance you can trustAvailable nowFast and reliable shipping directly to your lab facilityNot sure which route fits your project?
Tell us what you need and we'll help route you to the right solution.
Our cell engineering toolkit
Our suite of proven cell engineering technologies can be combined and customised to build the right cellular system for your therapeutic modality.
Single, or dual-inducible cell lines
Control target expression across a wide, finely titratable dynamic range with Rouken’s proprietary IndEx-2 technology. Single- or dual-inducible systems enable expression of one or two proteins, with independent control using orthogonal promoter and small-molecule inducer combinations. Custom cell lines can be developed in a range of cellular backgrounds, enabling expression level to be directly correlated with functional response.
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Engineered signalling readouts for cell-based bioassays
Custom reporter cell lines designed around the biology and readout your assay requires. Bioluminescent or fluorescent reporters can be coupled to pathway-responsive elements to measure pathway activation or inhibition, or to constitutive promoters for cell identification and tracking. We can support reporter system design from early candidate screening through to potency and lot-release applications.
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Stable expression designed to reflect the biology
Generate stable cell lines expressing your target at a defined, biologically relevant level. Using expression attenuation approaches, we can engineer constitutive expression across selected target densities, including levels designed to reflect those observed in healthy or diseased tissues. This enables more biologically relevant evaluation of therapeutic activity without relying on an inducible system.
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Custom primary immune cell and T-cell engineering
Engineer primary immune cells expressing your selected gene or protein of interest. Our team has extensive experience designing and developing 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and T cell receptor (TCR) constructs for the generation of CAR-T and TCR-T cells. We have established protocols for the generation, transduction, and expansion of primary alpha beta (αβ) and gamma delta (γδ) T cells and can create Jurkat CAR-T and TCR-T cell variants. We combine cell engineering with immunology expertise to develop fit-for-purpose models across T cells, NK cells, macrophages, monocytes and other immune cell types.
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Rapid, stable, site-specific cell engineering
Rouken’s proprietary LocIn platform enables targeted integration into a defined genomic landing pad, removing the need for conventional single-cell subcloning. A two-step selection strategy first selects for successful integration and then removes non-targeted platform cells, enabling 100% re-targeting of the selected population. Ready-to-use HEK293 and CHO-K1 platform cell lines can be re-targeted with plasmid DNA in as little as 12 days.
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Custom constitutive target expression
Generate stable recombinant cell lines with constitutive expression of your gene or protein of interest. Select the cellular genetic background and target, and our cell engineering team can guide promoter selection, construct design and other engineering choices to create a model suited to your application. Custom development is complemented by a growing collection of pre-developed target-expressing cell lines.
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Knock in, knock out and precision edits
Create bespoke gene-edited cell models using our licence-free nuclease-based genome editing technology. Projects include generation of bespoke knockouts, knock-ins and defined sequence changes, with the editing strategy designed around your biological question. Gene-edited backgrounds can also be combined with our inducible, constitutive and reporter engineering approaches to create more complex cellular models.
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Target antigen expression and receptor density can influence therapeutic binding, signalling, cell activation and ultimately functional response.
Rouken’s proprietary IndEx-2 inducible expression technology enables target expression to be precisely controlled across a wide dynamic range within the same engineered cell system. Unlike conventional constitutive expression models, IndEx-2 allows you to investigate how changing the abundance of a target changes the biology.
With single- and dual-inducible formats, expression of one or two proteins can be independently titrated, enabling more sophisticated models of target density, co-expression and expression-dependent therapeutic activity.
Explore the science behind IndEx-2, how the technology works, and how it can be applied to build more informative cell-based models.
Discover IndEx-2 technology →Where a transgene integrates can influence its expression, creating variability between independently generated cell lines and making direct comparisons more difficult.
Rouken’s proprietary LocIn technology uses a defined genomic landing pad and site-specific integration to place new genetic material at the same genomic location. A unique two-step selection strategy selects successfully integrated cells and removes non-targeted platform cells, enabling 100% re-targeting of the selected population without conventional single-cell subcloning.
With ready-to-use HEK293 and CHO-K1 platform cell lines, LocIn can generate stable, re-targeted cell populations in as little as 12 days. The same platform can also be repeatedly re-targeted with different genes or variants, creating highly comparable isogenic cell models for screening and biological research.
Explore the science behind LocIn, its two-step selection system, and how targeted integration can make stable cell line generation faster and more consistent.
Discover LocIn technology →RoukenBio combines extensive cell engineering experience with deep immunology, molecular biology and assay development expertise. We work with the same teams that run your assays, helping customers generate stable, reproducible and biologically relevant systems for therapeutic discovery and development.
From rapid overexpression projects to bespoke inducible, reporter and gene-edited assay-ready cell lines, our scientists help define the most appropriate engineering route based on your biological question, project complexity and downstream workflow.
Our tiered service model gives you flexible access to the right level of support; from off-the-shelf RoukenCells products, through to premium bespoke cell engineering programmes requiring scientific design, expanded QC and functional validation.
Compare our routes
Use the table guide to explore the key differences between our three service pathways. Our experts can help you choose the right solution for your cell engineering project.
| Bespoke Cell Engineering | Cell Line Express | Off-The-Shelf Cell Products | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | Fully customisable cell line engineering service | Rapid stable cell line generation powered by LocIn | Pre-developed cell models and cell products ready to order |
| Best for | Complex models requiring customised design, engineering and validation | When you need a custom target-expressing cell line, fast | When a model matching your requirements already exists |
| Engineering options |
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| Cell background | Immortalised cell lines and primary immune cells | HEK293 or CHO-K1 LocIn platform cells | Product-dependent |
| Customisation | Highest | Targeted | None required |
| Timeline | Project-dependent | From 2 weeks | Ready to order |
| Price | Bespoke quotation | From £4,990 | From £1,999 |
| Quality Control | Custom QC package aligned to your application | Defined QC package* | Sterility and mycoplasma tested |
| Deliverables & support | Scientific design consultation & troubleshooting; custom cell bank; final study report; CoA. | 2 cell line vials; CoA. | Cell line vial; CoA. |
| Accessed via |
Fully customisable cell line engineering service
Complex models requiring customised design, engineering and validation
Immortalised cell lines and primary immune cells
Highest
Engineering strategy designed around your requirements
Project-dependent
Bespoke quotation
Custom QC package aligned to your application
Scientific design consultation & troubleshooting; custom cell bank; final study report; CoA.
Rapid stable cell line generation powered by LocIn
When you need a custom target-expressing cell line, fast
HEK293 or CHO-K1 LocIn platform cells
Targeted
Select your gene/target within the LocIn platform
From 2 weeks
From £4,990
Defined QC package*
2 cell line vials; CoA.
Pre-developed cell models and cell products ready to order
When a model matching your requirements already exists
Product-dependent
None required
Select from available products
Ready to order
From £1,999
Sterility and mycoplasma tested
Cell line vial; CoA.
Want to know more about RoukenCells and its growing cell product catalogue?
Encompassing all of the engineering technologies available at Rouken, RoukenCells offers pre-developed, off the shelf cell lines (stable, inducible and reporter) and immune cell banks. These are assay-ready cell lines and immune cells for in-house assay workflows.
