QuTEM AB has partnered with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) to establish a new laboratory in Portland, Oregon, marking the company’s second U.S. satellite location. This collaboration with OHSU’s Multiscale Microscopy Core (MMC) aims to expand QuTEM’s analytical services for cell and gene therapy developers on the West Coast, offering specialized transmission electron microscopy (TEM) capabilities.
Located in Portland, the new facility follows the operational model of QuTEM’s Boston site, which was launched earlier this year. The Portland laboratory will enable clients to submit development-stage samples domestically, reducing the need for cross-country or international shipments. This expansion is expected to streamline sample processing and improve timelines for biotech companies along the West Coast, including those in Seattle, the San Francisco Bay Area, and San Diego.
QuTEM AB, headquartered in Stockholm, provides Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-certified TEM services and nanoparticle quality control analysis. Its services support various stages of product development, from early research and development to technology transfer and GMP release testing. The new Portland facility, operating a Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) laboratory, can handle samples such as Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV), lentiviral and other viral vectors, lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), and additional nanoparticle-based products.
OHSU microscopy scientists at the facility will conduct sample preparation and TEM imaging using QuTEM’s protocols. The image data will be securely transferred to QuTEM’s Stockholm headquarters, where analysts will utilize the company’s proprietary Gridsee software to evaluate Critical Quality Attributes (CQAs) like particle morphology, size distribution, integrity, and aggregation. For AAV samples, the analysis includes measuring capsid proportions.
QuTEM CEO Josefina Nilsson stated that the expansion was driven by regional clients’ requests for access to a local laboratory model similar to the one in Boston. She highlighted that the Portland collaboration ensures analytical quality without compromising development speed. The partnership operates under OHSU’s core service model, with QuTEM using the MMC’s equipment and personnel on a fee-for-service basis. QuTEM retains responsibility for image analysis and quality review, maintaining consistency through standardized equipment, protocols, and software.
The Portland laboratory is now open to new U.S. projects, offering research and development analysis and support for programs moving toward GMP release testing. Developers interested in utilizing QuTEM’s services can contact the company through their website or email.
About QuTEM
QuTEM AB is a Stockholm-based provider of GMP-certified TEM services and quality control analysis of nanoparticles. It serves biopharmaceutical companies developing AAV, LNP and other viral vector-based therapies. The QuTEM team builds on almost twenty years of hands-on electron microscopy experience. It combines latest-generation instruments with Gridsee, its in-house image analysis software, and validated methods to deliver objective, reproducible data from early research through GMP release. With satellite laboratories in Boston and Portland, QuTEM supports developers in Europe and across the United States.
About the OHSU Multiscale Microscopy Core
The Multiscale Microscopy Core (MMC) at Oregon Health & Science University provides academic and commercial users with access to advanced electron microscopy platforms, together with project consultation, specimen preparation, imaging and analysis services. The core was established in 2013 and is housed in the OHSU’s Robertson Life Sciences Building in Portland, Oregon. Its instruments include a Glacios cryo-transmission electron microscope, a Talos 120C G2 transmission electron microscope, a Helios UC5 Focused Ion Beam scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) with cryo capabilities, a Helios G3 FIB-SEM and an Apreo Volume Scope Serial Block face SEM. The MMC is a member of the OHSU University Shared Resource Cores.
Jingyi Zhang
QUTEM AB
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