Pelago Bioscience AB was founded in 2013 by CEO Michael Dabrowski following the publication of the original CETSA methodology in Science (2013), which introduced a means of measuring direct drug–target interaction under physiologically native cellular conditions — a capability that was not previously accessible through conventional biochemical assay formats. The company is headquartered at Scheeles väg 1, Solna, Sweden, in proximity to the Karolinska Institutet research ecosystem, and operates laboratory and office facilities from that location.

Pelago holds the commercial rights to CETSA® and has built its entire service portfolio around this technology, positioning itself as the definitive specialist provider for cell-based target engagement assays in drug discovery. Over more than a decade of operation, the company has delivered more than 750 CETSA projects, generated over 800 scientific references annually, and served more than 350 customers including companies across the top 10 global pharmaceutical organisations by revenue. Services are accessible directly and through Scientist.com and Science Exchange.

In June 2026, Pelago Bioscience completed the acquisition of RG Discovery, a chemistry-focused drug discovery CRO, forming an integrated early discovery partner capable of delivering both biology and chemistry services under a combined offering — a strategic step that meaningfully extends Pelago’s scope beyond its CETSA-centred model.

Key Products and Services

CETSA® Technology

The Cellular Thermal Shift Assay (CETSA®) measures the thermal stabilisation of a target protein upon compound binding directly within living cells, providing direct, biologically relevant evidence of target engagement in the native cellular environment. Unlike biochemical binding assays conducted in purified protein systems, CETSA generates data that reflects the complexity of the intracellular milieu — including competing interactions, post-translational modifications, and endogenous binding partners — making it a more translationally meaningful readout for early drug discovery decisions.

Service Lines

• Unbiased Profiling (Proteome-Wide) — mass spectrometry-coupled CETSA applied across the entire proteome to identify how a compound interacts with proteins globally, without requiring prior knowledge of the target; enables unbiased target identification, mechanism-of-action determination, and off-target liability assessment at a system-wide level
• Unbiased Profiling (Selectivity Profiling) — proteome-wide CETSA applied specifically to rank and compare compound selectivity across the proteome; used to identify and prioritise compounds with the most favourable on-target versus off-target engagement profiles within a chemical series
• Targeted Profiling — focused CETSA assays designed to confirm target engagement against a specific, predefined protein; used for hit confirmation, potency ranking, compound comparison, and translational studies in relevant cell lines or primary cells

Drug Discovery Phase Applications

• Target Discovery — identification of tractable targets from phenotypic screens; target deconvolution to assign molecular mechanism to biologically active compounds
• Lead Generation — primary screening, hit confirmation, and potency ranking of compound libraries against defined targets in cellular context
• Lead Optimisation — compound ranking, selectivity profiling, mechanism-of-action studies, and translational studies comparing engagement across human and preclinical species cell lines
• Preclinical Studies — in vivo target engagement assessment in animal tissues, biomarker discovery, and translational studies supporting IND-enabling decisions

Pelago Bioscience occupies a singular position in the drug discovery CRO landscape as the exclusive commercial operator of CETSA® — a proprietary technology that has become an established and widely published methodology for validating drug–target engagement in cellular systems. Its track record of over 750 projects and 350+ customers, including the majority of large pharmaceutical companies, reflects both the scientific credibility and the operational maturity of the platform. The ability to measure target engagement directly in cells, rather than inferring it from biochemical systems, addresses a recognised gap in conventional assay paradigms where compounds that appear active in purified protein assays frequently fail to engage their targets in a cellular context — contributing to preclinical attrition. Pelago’s June 2026 acquisition of RG Discovery marks a strategic inflection point, adding synthetic chemistry and medicinal chemistry capability to the company’s predominantly biology-focused portfolio, and positioning the combined entity to serve sponsors seeking a more integrated early-discovery partner spanning target identification through to lead optimisation across both biology and chemistry workstreams.