ATEM Structural Discovery
ATEM Structural Discovery is a German cryo-EM contract research organization that provides AI-powered quantitative structural biology and GMP-certified analytical services to pharmaceutical and biotech clients developing LNP, AAV, antibody, and protein therapeutics.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersRemscheid, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ATEM Structural Discovery does
ATEM Structural Discovery (ATEM SD GmbH) is a German contract research organization founded in 2017 by Dr. Karl Bertram and Daniel Winkler, operating from Remscheid, North Rhine-Westphalia. The company provides cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) based analytical and 3D structural biology services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients, with a portfolio of five core offerings: lipid nanoparticle (LNP) characterization, high-throughput 3D epitope mapping, GMP-certified TEM viral particle characterization, 3D protein structure determination, and adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector characterization. Its technical platform integrates state-of-the-art electron microscopy hardware with proprietary AI/machine learning algorithms — most notably a neural network for automated LNP particle annotation that achieves 96.3% classification accuracy and sub-1nm precision — transforming cryo-EM from a qualitative imaging technique into a quantitative analytical method.
The company operates a GMP-certified testing facility in Remscheid (with operational support through a partnership at Charles River Laboratories' Erkrath site) and serves enterprise pharma/biotech clients across multiple verticals including drug delivery, gene therapy, antibody discovery, and structural biology. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services with tiered packages (R&D, Full Quantitative, Advanced Quantitative) and quote-based pricing, distributed primarily through direct enterprise scientific consultation and the Charles River strategic partnership (announced October 2021, lab operational Q2 2023). Compliance certifications include GMP registration, ICH Q2 validated analytical methods, and 21 CFR Part 11 digital data handling, positioning ATEM to support regulatory submissions and batch release testing for nanoparticle drug products, viral vectors, and biologics.
ATEM remains a small, founder-owned private company (1-10 employees) with no disclosed external institutional investment. Its growth strategy centers on expanding the GMP-certified service catalog (including AAV software certification in progress), deepening the Charles River channel relationship for global CRO distribution, and leveraging scientific publications in Cell, Nature, and Science for thought leadership. The company's commercial footprint is described as global, though primary operations are concentrated in Germany with EMEA focus.
ATEM Structural Discovery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ATEM Structural Discovery
- Legal name
- ATEM SD GmbH
- Website
- https://atem.bio
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ATEM Structural Discovery is a German cryo-EM contract research organization that provides AI-powered quantitative structural biology and GMP-certified analytical services to pharmaceutical and biotech clients developing LNP, AAV, antibody, and protein therapeutics.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ATEM Structural Discovery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cryo-EM Contract Research Services
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Protein Interaction & Structural Biology Platforms (cryo-EM, X-ray, NMR, biophysics) (HLAAAIAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- AI/ML-Enabled Biologic Discovery Platforms (computational design, in silico screening) (HLAAAIAE), Drug Discovery (Target ID/Validation & Hit Discovery) (HLAIALAA), Cheminformatics & Molecular Modeling / CADD (HLAGAJAE)
Keywords
Where ATEM Structural Discovery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Remscheid
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
ATEM Structural Discovery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Contract Research Services - LNP Characterization: Project-based cryo-EM analysis services for lipid nanoparticle characterization, offered in tiered packages (R&D, Full Quantitative, Advanced Quantitative) with varying particle counts and turnaround times
- Contract Research Services - GMP TEM: GMP-certified transmission electron microscopy services for viral particle characterization, cell line characterization, and bulk harvest analysis, provided in collaboration with Charles River Laboratories
- Contract Research Services - 3D Epitope Mapping: High-throughput 3D epitope mapping services delivering structural insights for antibody development, with intermediate and high-resolution options and fixed turnaround times
- Contract Research Services - 3D Structure Determination: Protein 3D structure determination services using cryo-EM, with pilot study, optimization, and full structure determination phases
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | R&D Package - Early R&D and exploratory studies |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Full Quantitative Package - Process optimization and comparability studies |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Advanced Quantitative Package - Critical quality assessments and regulatory submissions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Intermediate Resolution Epitope Mapping |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | High Resolution Epitope Mapping |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | AAV Characterization |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
ATEM Structural Discovery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ATEM Structural Discovery provides contract research services using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) integrated with proprietary AI/machine learning software. It delivers quantitative, high-resolution 3D structural analyses of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), AAV gene therapy vectors, antibody-antigen complexes (epitope mapping), and protein structures for pharmaceutical and biotech drug development and quality control.
Product overview
ATEM Structural Discovery offers a unified cryo-EM platform providing analytical and 3D structure solutions for the pharmaceutical industry. The core offering consists of five integrated services: LNP Characterization (AI-powered quantitative morphology analysis), High-throughput 3D Epitope Mapping (antibody-antigen complex visualization), GMP TEM Viral Particle Characterization (regulatory-compliant retroviral testing), 3D Protein Structure Determination (end-to-end structural biology), and AAV Characterization (gene therapy vector analysis). The platform combines proprietary AI/machine learning algorithms with cryo-electron microscopy to deliver high-resolution, quantitative insights for drug discovery and quality control.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use ATEM Structural Discovery
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
ATEM Structural Discovery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature5 records
ATEM Structural Discovery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Charles River LaboratoriescoreStrategic partnership for GMP TEM Viral Particle Characterization services. ATEM operates a GMP-certified cryo-EM/TEM testing facility in Germany, providing ATEM's cryo-EM services to Charles River's diverse global client base. The collaboration combines ATEM's cryo-EM technology with Charles River's established GMP facility in Erkrath, Germany. Announced October 2021, with lab opening in Q2 2023. ATEM described as a strategic partner on their website.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ATEM Structural Discovery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- GenScript: Global biotech services provider with peptide/protein production, antibody engineering, and cell therapy capabilities. Adjacent peer with overlapping pharma/biotech buyer base and structural biology-adjacent offerings.
- Charles River Laboratories: Global CRO that is both ATEM's strategic partner and a broader incumbent offering end-to-end preclinical services. Overlaps with ATEM on GMP TEM viral particle characterization but at vastly larger scale and portfolio breadth.
- Evotec: Large European CRO/CDMO with structural biology and integrated drug discovery capabilities. Comparable as a broad drug-discovery services incumbent that intersects with ATEM's structural biology and antibody development offerings.
- Catalent: Global CDMO with cell and gene therapy services including viral vector characterization. Compares to ATEM's AAV and gene therapy characterization work, though at much larger manufacturing scale and broader service portfolio.
Others
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Manufacturer of the cryo-EM instruments (e.g., Glacios, Krios) and related software that ATEM and its competitors depend on. Adjacent ecosystem participant whose product roadmap and pricing directly influence ATEM's capex and competitiveness.
Emerging players
- Schrödinger: Computational drug discovery platform combining physics-based simulation with ML. Comparable to ATEM's computational/AI angle in structural biology and the converging trend toward AI-augmented drug design; serves overlapping pharma R&D buyers.
- Recursion Pharmaceuticals: AI-driven drug discovery company using high-throughput experimental and computational platforms. Comparable to ATEM in the broader AI-for-biologics narrative, though oriented toward phenotypic screening rather than structural biology services.
Direct peers
- NanoImaging Services: US-based cryo-EM contract research organization providing structural biology and characterization services to pharma/biotech. Directly comparable to ATEM as a pure-play cryo-EM service provider targeting antibody, gene therapy, and nanoparticle characterization.
- SARomics Biostructures: Sweden-based structural biology CRO specializing in cryo-EM, NMR, and X-ray services for early-stage drug discovery. Comparable to ATEM as a specialized structural biology service provider serving pharma/biotech R&D teams.
- Proteros biostructures: Germany-based structural biology CRO offering cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, and biophysics services for drug discovery. Highly comparable to ATEM on technology stack (cryo-EM structural biology), target customer (pharma R&D), and geographic footprint.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ATEM Structural Discovery social profiles
Digital presenceATEM Structural Discovery compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
ATEM Structural Discovery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ATEM Structural Discovery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
ATEM Structural Discovery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ATEM Structural Discovery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ATEM Structural Discovery
What does ATEM Structural Discovery do?
ATEM Structural Discovery provides contract research services using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) integrated with proprietary AI/machine learning software. It delivers quantitative, high-resolution 3D structural analyses of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), AAV gene therapy vectors, antibody-antigen complexes (epitope mapping), and protein structures for pharmaceutical and biotech drug development and quality control.
Is ATEM Structural Discovery a public or private company?
ATEM Structural Discovery is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ATEM Structural Discovery founded?
ATEM Structural Discovery was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ATEM Structural Discovery based?
ATEM Structural Discovery is headquartered in Remscheid, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does ATEM Structural Discovery make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Contract Research Services - LNP Characterization is the primary driver. The others are contract Research Services - GMP TEM, contract Research Services - 3D Epitope Mapping and contract Research Services - 3D Structure Determination.
Who are ATEM Structural Discovery's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are GenScript, Charles River Laboratories, Evotec and Catalent. Thermo Fisher Scientific is listed as an others. Emerging players are Schrödinger and Recursion Pharmaceuticals. Direct peers are NanoImaging Services, SARomics Biostructures and Proteros biostructures.
Does ATEM Structural Discovery have an API?
No public API is recorded for ATEM Structural Discovery.
What industry is ATEM Structural Discovery in?
ATEM Structural Discovery's product category is Cryo-EM Contract Research Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAIAH, Protein Interaction & Structural Biology Platforms (cryo-EM, X-ray, NMR, biophysics), with a secondary code of HLAAAIAE, AI/ML-Enabled Biologic Discovery Platforms (computational design, in silico screening). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 8731.