The market-leading manufacturer of cryo-EM sample supports is investing in new high-tech facilities to meet continuing growth in demand.
Quantifoil headquarters, Großlöbichau, Thüringen, Germany (10 November 2022) – The mayor of Großlöbichau, Anja Isserstedt-Theilig, has attended a ground-breaking ceremony for a new state-of-the-art laboaratory complex for Quantifoil, part of SPT Labtech. The new building will allow the leading manufacturer of electron microscopy sample supports for life sciences to meet continued rapid increases in demand. The new research and development laboratories will also support Quantifoil’s innovation and confirm its position as market leader.
Plans to develop the new facilities were triggered by the sustained exponential growth in the use of cryo-electron microscopy and its expansion into drug discovery following the award of a Nobel Prize in 2017. Continued innovation in the field led to Quantifoil’s recent announcement of the commercialisation of HexAuFoil®, its most advanced product to date. The new building will ensure the company can meet requirements from pharmaceutical companies, biotechs and the academic sector. Due for completion in 2023, the development will include high-tech laboratories and a clean room as well as incorporating industry-leading ecological standards.
“The development of Quantifoil’s Großlöbichau base is a crucial step to ensure we meet the demands of the life science industry for at least the next 10 years” said Kay Pfennighaus, Managing Director. “This new facility is the foundation of our strategy to increase production and innovate for this growing market.” The architect, Ralf Bathke, commented “It has been a pleasure to work with Quantifoil on this exciting project. I am delighted to have been able to deliver a design that meets the demanding specifications required for a high-tech laboratory with a sustainable ethos that ensures the building’s continued utility in the years to come”.
The market for electron microscopy continues to show strong growth, driven by rapidly increasing interest from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector due to improvements in throughput and reproducibility. Quantifoil has been producing sample supports for the cryoEM community for more than 20 years, and has contributed to technological improvements with market-leading products such as UltrAuFoil® and its shortly to be released new development, HexAuFoil®.
