Shuimu BioSciences is a Chinese start-up focusing on cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM), a technique that involves firing beams of electrons at flash-frozen specimens to capture thousands of images. The images are then used to reconstruct precise three-dimensional structures and dynamics of biomolecules, such as proteins. Cryo-EM represented “the most advanced tool for humanity’s understanding of the underlying microscopic structures of life”, CEO Allen Guo said, noting that the technology had long been “entirely monopolized” by overseas firms like U.S.-based Thermo Fisher Scientific. Since achieving breakthroughs in 2013 and 2020, Cryo-EM technology has become an increasingly vital tool in drug discovery. A single machine costs millions of U.S. dollars. Shuimu’s self-developed Cryo-EM machine marked China’s entry into the field, Guo said.
Founded in 2017 in Beijing, Shuimu BioSciences originated from a partnership agreement between Tsinghua University, the Beijing municipal government and Thermo Fisher to establish a Chinese Cryo-EM drug discovery institute. That initiative stalled after U.S. President Donald Trump initiated a technology war against China during his first term. To keep its business going and expand in the future, Shuimu had to develop its own Cryo-EM machines. “If it weren’t for this situation, we wouldn’t have considered developing it ourselves. It wouldn’t have been necessary, as we could have kept buying.” Earlier this year, Shuimu received its first commercial order – from an undisclosed Chinese university – for its Totem Cryo-EM machine, which features about 50% domestically sourced hardware. The Totem 300 model offers 300 kilovolts of voltage and matches the resolution of overseas counterparts.
Shuimu’s machine is priced from CNY35 million to CNY46.6 million, depending on specifications and customization, while a top Cryo-EM machine from Thermo Fisher can cost up to USD8 million. The company aims to achieve “substantial breakthroughs” in supply-chain localization within five years, with a goal of shipping over 1,000 units of the Totem, including future models, in China within six years. Shuimu hopes to differentiate itself from foreign competitors by combining Cryo-EM technology with artificial intelligence, significantly reducing the time required for data analysis and tasks such as protein structure modeling. The firm operates Smart, a Cryo-EM AI computing platform supported by ByteDance’s cloud computing platform, the South China Morning Post reports.
