About Us

In every field of research, the pace of progress depends on finding ways to do what has never been done before. That’s why you need a chemistry partner ready to match you scientist for scientist, challenge for challenge and goal for goal to deliver new research solutions to accelerate progress. That’s why you need Avanti Research.

Whether you’re doing fundamental biology research to understand lipid metabolism, using diagnostic tools to discover underlying biomarkers of disease, or developing the next-generation of drug delivery systems for safe, effective and targeted drug delivery, Avanti Research is your research partner.

Years of experience

Unique Products

Customer Publications

Our Vision

Our Purpose

Croda formulates its purpose as 'Smart science to improve lives™'. As a Croda brand, Avanti Research empowers this purpose by developing essential tools for researchers and building strong relationships to push science forward. We blend our expertise, passion and entrepreneurial spirit to deliver the specialized research products needed to drive groundbreaking biochemistry research and advance the next-generation of pharmaceutical delivery systems.


Discover the difference

Our Difference

What sets us apart is our people and our ability to partner with you from concept to commercialization.

It all starts with our team. We're a group of passionate, highly skilled professionals with expertise in synthetic and analytical chemistry. We're not just about meeting high purity standards—we’re about setting them. But that's not all. We're driven by a genuine passion for using our expertise to support your goals. With us, you’re not just getting the highest quality products—you’re also getting unmatched service every step of the way.

And that's only the beginning. When you're ready to take your project from concept to the clinic, the Croda Pharma GMP team is here to make it happen. You will have access to scale-up manufacturing, regulatory and quality experts who work closely with the Avanti Research team to ensure your project moves forward seamlessly. With us, you get a partner that understands your needs and can bring your vision to life, from concept to commercial launch.


Our Research Markets

Avanti Research supports a wide range of research applications across life sciences. Our portfolio is made up primarily of lipids and lipid research tools but stay tuned for new and expanding product ranges!

Fundamental Research

  • Biochemistry
  • Cellular and molecular biology
  • Lipid-protein interactions
  • Membrane biophysics

Diagnostics and Lipidomics

  • Disease biomarker discovery
  • Lipid profiling
  • Lipid signaling
  • Structural lipidomics

Pharmaceutical Research

  • Adjuvant systems
  • Nucleic acid delivery
  • Protein delivery
  • Small molecule drug delivery
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Our History

  • Timeline

    1967

    Founded in 1967 in Richmond, Virginia by Dr. Walter A. Shaw, Avanti Polar Lipids originated from Dr. Shaw’s own need for highly purified egg phosphatidylcholine. The excess material was evaluated and purchased by Grand Island Biological Company (GIBCO), and Avanti was born. His vision was to provide scientists with the highest quality lipids available to eliminate the uncertainty of questionable reagents.

  • Avanti relocation

    1973

    In 1973, Avanti moved operations to Pelham, Alabama.

  • GMP

    1985

    Avanti was originally founded to provide high purity lipid reagents for biomedical research and worked exclusively in this space until 1985 when Burroughs Wellcome requested material suitable for a drug product they were developing. Avanti then worked together with Burroughs Wellcome to initiate GMP manufacturing.

  • 1990

    In 1990, operations were moved to the current site in Alabaster, Alabama, and Avanti successfully supplied API material for the commercial launch of Exosurf. Watch the short clip to learn more!

  • Lipid maps

    2003

    In 2003, Avanti began supporting the LipidMAPS consortium through development of mass-spectrometry standards for lipid quantitation. This initiative was just the beginning.

  • New Analytical

    2008

    In 2008, Avanti continued to expand its facilities with the completion of a new analytical laboratory for quality control.

  • New GMP Facility

    2012

    In 2012, Avanti opened its current cGMP manufacturing facility.

  • 50 year anniversary

    2017

    We celebrated 50 years of Avanti!

  • Millipore

    2018

    Avanti entered into a global alliance partnership with MilliporeSigma/Merck for the exclusive distribution of research products internationally.

  • CRODA

    2020

    Avanti Polar Lipids was acquired by Croda International Plc. to expand life sciences products, pharmaceutical services and cGMP production capabilities for biotechnology, pharmaceutical and life science research customers globally. Through this acquisition, we were collectively able to supply the lipid components needed for clinical trials and the commercial launch of the Covid-19 vaccine.

  • 2022

    Croda’s core specialty excipient portfolio combines with the lipid delivery systems of Avanti Polar Lipids and the company’s adjuvant systems under one business to become Croda Pharma.

  • Untitled design 41

    2024

    In 2024, we launched Avanti Research, Croda's brand of research-use-only (RUO) products. The Avanti Research brand represents a portfolio focused on researchers and a vision to continue expanding beyond lipids to empower Smart science to improve lives™.