QuTEM opens West Coast satellite lab with OHSU in Portland

QuTEM has teamed with Oregon Health & Science University’s Multiscale Microscopy Core to give cell and gene therapy developers on the West Coast a local path for transmission electron microscopy analysis. The Portland site is QuTEM’s second U.S. satellite lab and is designed to speed R&D sample analysis while keeping results aligned with the company’s GMP workflow.

Why it matters: - West Coast developers of cell and gene therapies can now use a local site for TEM analysis instead of shipping samples across the country or overseas. - Shorter transport should reduce exposure to temperature swings, handling issues, customs delays and courier risk. - The Portland lab gives QuTEM two U.S. satellite sites, which adds capacity and resilience for time-sensitive programs.

What happened: - QuTEM AB announced a collaboration with the Multiscale Microscopy Core at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. - The OHSU site is QuTEM’s second U.S. satellite laboratory, following Boston. - The Portland lab is open for new U.S. projects.

The details: - Clients send R&D-stage samples directly to the MMC in Portland. - The MMC operates a Biosafety Level 2 laboratory, matching the range of samples QuTEM handles at its Stockholm headquarters. - The site can accept adeno-associated virus, lentiviral and other viral vectors, lipid nanoparticles, and other nanoparticle-based products. - OHSU microscopy scientists perform sample preparation and TEM imaging using QuTEM protocols. - Image data is transferred securely to QuTEM in Stockholm for analysis. - QuTEM analysts use Gridsee, the company’s proprietary image analysis software, to measure critical quality attributes such as particle morphology, size distribution, integrity and aggregation. - For AAV samples, Gridsee also quantifies empty, partially filled, full and overfilled capsids. - Clients can receive an R&D analysis report or work with QuTEM on broader R&D studies. - QuTEM says the same equipment, protocols and software are used across the satellite and Stockholm sites so results remain comparable as programs move toward GMP. - The collaboration runs under OHSU’s core service model, with QuTEM using MMC instruments and expert staff on a fee-for-service basis. - QuTEM keeps control over data analysis, quality review and reporting in Stockholm. - The company said the model lets it expand U.S. capacity quickly and flexibly. - Both U.S. sites offer the same range of R&D analyses available in Stockholm. - Developers can contact QuTEM at more information for West Coast lab services or GMP release planning. - QuTEM also operates a satellite laboratory in Boston. - QuTEM is based in Stockholm and provides GMP-certified TEM services and quality control analysis of nanoparticles. - The company serves biopharmaceutical developers working on AAV, LNP and other viral vector-based therapies. - QuTEM says its team has almost twenty years of electron microscopy experience. - The company combines latest-generation instruments with Gridsee and validated methods to deliver data from early research through GMP release. - The MMC at OHSU provides academic and commercial users with access to electron microscopy platforms, consultation, specimen preparation, imaging and analysis services. - The MMC was established in 2013 and is housed in OHSU’s Robertson Life Sciences Building. - Its instruments include a Glacios cryo-transmission electron microscope, a Talos 120C G2 transmission electron microscope, two Helios FIB-SEM systems and an Apreo Volume Scope serial block face SEM.

Between the lines: - The Portland launch extends QuTEM’s Boston model to another major U.S. biotech corridor, suggesting the company is building a distributed network around where advanced therapy work is concentrated. - Keeping analysis centralized in Stockholm while moving sample prep and imaging closer to customers may help QuTEM scale without giving up methodological control. - The setup also creates a bridge from early R&D to GMP release testing, which can matter for developers trying to keep analytical methods consistent across development stages.

What’s next: - QuTEM plans to use the Portland site for new U.S. projects and support developers working toward GMP release testing. - The company expects the dual-satellite setup in Boston and Portland to support time-sensitive programs with more domestic capacity. - West Coast developers can route AAV, LNP, viral vector and nanoparticle samples through the Portland lab as the collaboration ramps up.