Meteor Biotech opens US office on UCLA campus to support biomedical research partners in North America

US facility will give cancer researchers and drug developers in immunology and neurology hands-on access to Meteor’s next-generation spatial cell sorting technology, SLACS

Seoul, South Korea, June 10, 2025 – Meteor Biotech, a specialized spatial omics technology company producing region-targeted cell sorting devices for advanced biomedical research, today announces the opening of a US office, its first international investment.

Meteor Biotech’s new facility, located at the California NanoSystems Institute – a preeminent interdisciplinary research center at UCLA (University California, Los Angeles), is designed to give researchers and drug developers across a wide range of fields — including oncology, neurology, immunology and biomarker discovery — enhanced access to Meteor’s proprietary spatial cell sorter powered by SLACS (Spatially-Resolved Laser-Activated Cell Sorting) technology.

SLACS is the first system to enable active, precision-targeted analysis and isolation of cells within tissue sections. Previously, researchers only had the option of profiling entire tissue sections, limiting the investigation of the unique features of cells. SLACS changes the paradigm in spatial omics, providing highly advanced capabilities for deeper cell analysis. It allows researchers to locate, sort and retrieve specific cells with exceptional speed and accuracy, enabling detailed exploration of tissue microenvironments at single-cell resolution and supporting the development of more targeted, effective therapies.

“Establishing our first US office at UCLA, home to a large concentration of leading research institutions, biotechnology companies and innovation hubs, marks a strategic leap forward for Meteor Biotech,” said Dr. Amos Lee, co-founder and CEO of Meteor Biotech. “The US is the biggest funder for biomedical research and leader in technology adoption and market demand. This, coupled with the growing recognition of spatial biology’s potential in cancer research, neurology, immunology and drug development, makes it the right time for Meteor Biotech to establish a local presence. We look forward to engaging in longer-term collaborations with US partners, who already include prestigious sites and universities, and in supporting their endeavors to find new cures.” 

Academic scientists and drug developers will be able to visit this facility to conduct hands-on trials, demonstrations and pilot studies, gaining local access to state-of-the-art spatial omics and single-cell analysis, areas undergoing rapid global expansion and in which the US leads the field. Biomedical research in the US is primarily supported through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in the order of $48bn in 2025.

Facility at UCLA: demonstration and support hub for researchers across US

The new office will initially function as a demonstration and support hub, offering on-site trials, customer training, pilot studies and collaboration discussions. It will serve as a base for expanding customer relationships and supporting business development across the US. No production or manufacturing activities are planned at this location at this stage; it will be primarily a customer-facing and business development site.

At the start, one dedicated staff member based at UCLA will manage customer engagement and demonstration activities. Local hiring is planned as the office becomes established and customer demand grows. While no fixed timeline or headcount is set, future hires may include field application specialists, sales representatives and technical support staff.

“While no additional sites are yet confirmed, we are gearing up to accelerate wider global adoption of our spatial cell sorting technology, with Europe identified as the next strategic area following broader US market penetration,” added Dr. Lee.

About Meteor Biotech

Meteor Biotech is a specialized spatial omics technology company producing region-targeted cell sorting devices for advanced bioresearch analysis, including genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics. A spin-off from Seoul National University and leveraging over a decade of research and engineering, Meteor developed its proprietary platform technology, SLACS (Spatially-Resolved Laser-Activated Cell Sorting), with which it has pioneered the world’s first spatial cell sorter, CosmoSort. CosmoSort enables researchers to sort specific regions of interest from tissue sections with high spatial precision, supporting a wide range of applications in cancer biology, immunology and neuroscience, among others. By empowering scientists to both observe and retrieve spatially defined cells, CosmoSort transforms static imaging into dynamic discovery — enabling researchers to translate spatial insights into deeper, more actionable biological understanding.

Founded in 2022, Meteor Biotech has raised over $60M in funding, predominantly in grants. The company, headquartered in South Korea, currently commercializes CosmoSort, an award-winning device, in Asia and North America, with plans to expand into Europe.

www.meteorbiotech.com