QuTEM expands access to the US market through collaboration with Boston University

Katalysen portfolio company QuTEM has announced a new collaboration with the Boston University Cryogenic Electron Microscopy Core Facility, creating a practical new route for American gene therapy developers to access QuTEM’s advanced analytical services locally in the United States.

For companies working with Adeno-Associated Virus, or AAV, this matters for a simple reason: speed and reliability are critical. By enabling samples to be handled in Boston rather than shipped across the Atlantic, the new setup reduces turnaround times, removes customs-related friction, and creates additional operational resilience for time-sensitive research and development programs.

Under the collaboration, US-based clients send their R&D-stage AAV samples directly to the Boston University facility. There, scientists follow QuTEM’s standardized procedures for sample preparation and TEM imaging using the same microscopy equipment as in QuTEM’s primary laboratories in Stockholm. The resulting images are then securely transferred to QuTEM in Sweden, where they are analyzed using the company’s proprietary Gridsee software.

This means that clients can access QuTEM’s analytical capabilities closer to home, while still receiving the same quality of data and maintaining continuity with future work carried out in Europe.

According to QuTEM CEO Josefina Nilsson, the use of identical microscopy equipment at both sites is an important advantage. It removes the technical uncertainty that can otherwise arise when workflows are expanded across geographies, and helps ensure that early-stage R&D data translates smoothly as clients move toward GMP-compliant processes.

The collaboration, announced on March 10, 2026, follows a successful initial project and marks the launch of a fully operational satellite setup for the US market. With the Boston University lab now actively accepting new clients, QuTEM is strengthening its position as a specialist partner to gene therapy developers on both sides of the Atlantic.

For Katalysen, this development is another example of how portfolio companies can create value by combining deep technical expertise with practical commercial expansion. In QuTEM’s case, it is about making a highly specialized offering easier to access in one of the world’s most important markets for gene therapy development.

Full story: https://nationaltoday.com/us/ma/boston/news/2026/03/10/qutem-collaborates-with-boston-university-to-bring-advanced-quality-control-analysis-to-american-gene-therapy-developers/