Cryo-EM & Mass Spec Facilities Near San Diego
San Diego is a powerhouse for structural biology, anchored by Scripps Research, UC San Diego, and the Salk Institute with multiple Titan Krios systems.
Research Institutions Within 40 Miles
Every institution below is in this directory with an instrument list verified against the facility's own published equipment page. Nearest first.
FairJourney Biologics
San Diego, CA · 0 mi
NanoImaging Services
San Diego, CA · 0 mi
Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
La Jolla, CA · 11 mi
La Jolla Institute for Immunology
La Jolla, CA · 11 mi
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA · 12 mi
Salk Institute
La Jolla, CA · 13 mi
Scripps Research
La Jolla, CA · 13 mi
Microscopes Installed Near San Diego
Counted across the institutions above, from their published instrument lists.
TEM
Titan Krios
5 units at 4 institutions
TEM
Glacios
4 units at 1 institution
TEM
Krios 5
2 units at 1 institution
FIB-SEM
Aquilos
1 unit at 1 institution
TEM
Talos Arctica
1 unit at 1 institution
TEM
Talos L120C
1 unit at 1 institution
TEM
Tecnai T12
1 unit at 1 institution
TEM
Titan Halo 80-300
1 unit at 1 institution
Cryo-EM Cost 2026
Internal, external and industry rates for Krios and Glacios time from facilities' published rate sheets, and what a Krios costs to buy.
Read the pricing guide →How to Access Cryo-EM as an External User
Step-by-step guide to applying for access at facilities near San Diego: fee structures, training, and what to expect.
Read the access guide →Private providers that run samples
Companies that run cryo-EM as a paid service: you ship a sample, they prepare grids and collect data, and several also process it.
- Creative Biostructure ↗
Shirley, NY
Private providerDirectory page - FairJourney Biologics ↗
San Diego, CA
Private providerDirectory page - Helix Biostructures ↗
Indianapolis, IN
Private providerDirectory page - NanoImaging Services ↗
San Diego, CA
Private providerDirectory page - NovAliX ↗
Strasbourg, France
Private providerDirectory page - Proteros Biostructures ↗
Martinsried, Germany
Private providerDirectory page - Selvita (Cryo-EM Services) ↗
Cambridge, MA
Private providerDirectory page - Thermo Fisher Cryo-EM Drug Discovery Center ↗
South San Francisco, CA
Private providerDirectory page
Contact providers directly. We don't broker quotes or pass on your details.
About Cryo-EM & Structural Biology Near San Diego
San Diego's Torrey Pines Mesa is home to one of the highest concentrations of structural biology expertise in the world. Scripps Research operates a Titan Krios for its Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, though it publishes no public instrument list. UC San Diego's cryo-EM facility runs a Titan Krios G3 and a Titan Krios G4 plus a Tundra screening microscope and a chameleon plunger, and Sanford Burnham Prebys operates a Titan Krios with a Gatan K3 at posted external rates. The Salk Institute's core is a conventional and volume EM facility; its cryo-EM instruments belong to individual labs. The region's strong biotech sector, including companies in the La Jolla and Sorrento Valley corridors, drives significant industry demand for cryo-EM services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I do cryo-EM in San Diego?
Scripps Research, UC San Diego, the Salk Institute, and Sanford Burnham Prebys all operate cryo-EM facilities in the San Diego area. Most are clustered around the Torrey Pines Mesa in La Jolla.
Does Scripps Research accept external cryo-EM users?
UC San Diego and Sanford Burnham Prebys both accept external users at published or quoted rates. Scripps Research's cryo-EM instruments are run for its structural biology department and the institute publishes no external access policy for them; its Microscopy Core, which accepts outside users, has a 120 kV Talos L120C rather than a Krios.
What cryo-EM equipment is available in San Diego?
San Diego facilities collectively operate several Titan Krios systems (UC San Diego has a G3 and a G4, Sanford Burnham Prebys and Scripps one each, and the CRO FairJourney Biologics installed two Krios 5 systems in 2026), plus Tundra and Tecnai T12 screening microscopes, Vitrobots and a chameleon for sample preparation.