The Top 100 Cited Research Proteins: 2026 Analysis
5
Min Read
In this blog:
- MilliporeSigma, Thermo Scientific and New England Biolabs supplied the top cited research proteins of the past year
- Molecular cloning enzymes, cell culture reagents and growth factors were commonly referenced in the literature
- Download data on the Top 100 Research Proteins for your own analysis and to see where you rank!
CiteAb collects information on product use in the scientific literature, curating an industry-leading life science reagent database that powers data services for suppliers & pharma companies, and a search platform to help scientists find the right products, faster.
Welcome to CiteAb’s Top 100 series for 2026!
In this blog, we’re digging into the Top 100 Cited Research Proteins in scientific publications over the past year, and which companies supply them. We’ll also be sharing an analysis into the product-level trend data.
Data & Methodology
Using our patent-protected text mining tech, we have collected information on nearly 1.5 million research protein products – covering cytokines, enzymes, growth factors and much more – from over 300 suppliers.
We specifically focus on citation counts: a measure of how frequently a product appears in peer-reviewed, published research. This data helps researchers see what their peers are reaching for, and gives suppliers a leading indicator of future demand as well as insight into past research activity.
This analysis draws on the past year’s worth of data, across all suppliers, ranking products by citation count.
The Protein Suppliers a Supporting Significant Volume of Research
12 different suppliers appeared across the Top 100 this year – evidence that the market remains competitive.
Topping the rankings this year was MilliporeSigma, with a third of the most referenced research proteins.
We recently commented on the acquisition of Bio-Techne by Merck – MilliporeSigma is the North American life science business of Merck. Although Bio-Techne doesn’t appear in the Top 100 Protein list itself, they lead in the growth factor area. They rank as the second most cited supplier, with a strong focus in this space from their R&D Systems brand. MilliporeSigma’s dominance in the Top 100 Protein list overall suggests complementary synergies between the two portfolios.
Thermo Scientific takes second spot, with 22 of the top 100 products. However, if we add Thermo Scientific’s share to PeproTech’s, the growth factor specialist they acquired in 2021, the combined entity takes the top spot.
New England Biolabs rounds out the top three by product count. They specialise in enzymes for genomics research, with a strong focus on restriction enzymes. Given the number of reagents for molecular cloning in the top 100, the company rank strongly.
Solarbio sat just outside the top 5 – claiming 6th place with two cell culture reagents in the rankings. Whilst this is a smaller footprint, it is a reminder that mid-sized, value-focused suppliers can still carve out citation share at the top of the market.
We also noted products from Worthington Biochemicals, Vector Laboratories and R&D Systems ranking just outside the Top 100 in this year’s analysis. We will be watching their growth to see if they can break into the list in the future.
The Top Cited Research Proteins Leading the Market
Molecular cloning enzymes lead
Topping the top 100 Cited Research Protein list this year was T4 DNA Ligase from New England Biolabs.
Many molecular cloning enzymes, such as this ligase, featured prominently in the top 100 list. Other examples included:
- Restriction enzymes: such as EcoRI and BamHI
- Nucleases, such as DNase I
- Polymerases, such as Q5® High-Fidelity DNA Polymerase
Cell culture reagents and growth factors rank strongly
Cell culture reagents also had a strong showing in the Top 100, a reflection of how foundational they are to lab work across the globe.
Fetal Bovine Serum and Normal Donkey Serum from Thermo Scientific, Millipore Sigma and Jackon ImmunoResearch landed in the Top 10, and FBS in various forms showed up 11 times in the Top 100 list.
Growth Factors and Cytokines also made a notable appearance in the Top 100, with FGF, EGF and IL-2 all appearing in the top 20.
CRISPR reagents break in the mainstream
We noticed that the gene editing tool Alt-R S.p. Cas9 Nuclease VS3 from IDT appeared in the Top 100 list this year. This is a core reagent used in IDT’s CRISPR-Cas9 system for genome editing.
This inclusion is perhaps not surprising given how rapidly CRISPR reagents have moved from a more specialised niche to a mainstream tool – cited widely enough to rank alongside decades-old staples like restriction enzymes and DNA ligases.
Want product-level trend data beyond the Top 100? Reach out to our team about our full market data services.
Wrap-Up and Data Download
By unpacking which protein products are capturing the most interest right now, and the companies’ supplying them, teams can gain actionable insight into trends in the industry, and how they’re ranking. You can download the full Top 100 rankings below.
Dr Andrew Chalmers, CEO of CiteAb, commented on the analysis:
“Looking at our Top 100 Cited Protein report, the inclusion of CRISPR reagents is an interesting development – and one we’ll be looking to track in our data moving forward. The sustained presence of fundamental tools for research gives a useful benchmarking tool for suppliers not currently in the list, and validation for those that do that they’re supporting a significant number of researchers around the world.”
Finally, don’t forget that you can dig into more Top 100 Reports by following one of the links below:
- Top 100 Life Science Instruments Report
- Top 100 Bioactive Small Molecules Report
- Top 100 Life Science Kits & Assays Report
- Top 100 Cell Lines Report
- Top 100 Research Antibody Report
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FAQs
We create the Top 100 rankings by analysing our database reagent use, limiting scope to protein reagents. Products are ranked by their share of citations across the past year to produce the final Top 100.
This analysis is published annually. Previously we have focused on the Top 100 Growth Factors. You can find last year’s edition here.
Sales figures are for each individual company, while citation data captures the entire market. Researchers frequently cite proteins during early-stage work, and they also lean on citations when deciding what to purchase.
Citation data shows precisely how researchers are putting proteins to use, and where the next wave of interest is heading. That gives product teams valuable insights when building pipelines or sharpening catalogues, enables benchmarking across the entire market, and more informed sales and marketing efforts.
