EMBO and FEBS announced Elly Tanaka of the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna BioCenter, Austria, as the recipient of the FEBS | EMBO Women in Science Award 2020. The
Nordic Life Science
NLS News
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet are part of a consortium granted almost 66 million euros by the European Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and other parties. The funds will be used to
Exact Therapeutics announces that its shares have been admitted to trading on Oslo Stock Exchange’s Merkur Market under the ticker EXTX-ME with first day of trading 14 July 2020, following
An award winning innovative helmet technology, detecting cancer from breath, self-luminous cancer tissue and hospital health monitoring – examples of recent medtech progress in the Nordic region. Sweden: Innovative helmet
Jonas Hansson is a Venture Partner at HealthCap, a European venture capital firm investing exclusively and globally in life sciences. What kind of companies are you and your colleagues focusing
Novo Nordisk has announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has approved Rybelsus (oral semaglutide), the first and only oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) in
Business development in a clinical stage vaccine company is constantly changing, intellectually challenging and meaningful job that pushes developments in society. Caspar Foghsgaard is Director of Business Development at the
Finnish Combinostics is aiming to expand its platform for early detection of neurodegeneration into new markets and sees an increasing demand for technologies such as theirs. Combinostics was founded in
Radforsk has granted seven research projects a total amount of MNOK 1,25 to further develop exciting research projects within photodynamic treatment (PDT) and photochemical internalization (PCI). Radforsk is an evergreen
Gesynta Pharma has successfully raised SEK 190 million in one of the largest private biotech placements of the year in the Nordics. The placement was led by European life science
In the research project NEUROPA Oulu researchers utilize recent progress in photonics, neuroscience and medicine to develop a non-invasive means of modulating specific neural pathways in the brain. The ultimate
Neuroscientists and stem cell researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a research model that allows studying human hippocampal neurons, the brain cells primarily affected by Alzheimer’s disease pathology.
Last fall Young Academies from the Nordic and the Baltic countries published a joint statement on gender equality in academia with the aim to engage the new generation of researchers.
Pfizer has announced the initiation of four Phase 3 clinical trials within its current pipeline of investigational vaccines. “The start of four Phase 3 studies across our portfolio of investigational
The COVID-19 pandemic
Interim results from the ongoing Phase I/II COV001 trial, led by Oxford University, showed that AZD1222 was tolerated and generated robust immune responses against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in all evaluated
A new material developed by researchers at Chalmers that can kill bacteria has now shown early promise in de-activation of viruses, including certain coronaviruses. The material is now being evaluated
BioNTech and Pfizer has announced initial data from their ongoing German Phase 1/2, open-label, non-randomized, non-placebo-controlled, dose-escalation trial, that is part of the global mRNA-based vaccine program against SARS-CoV-2. The
Since 2014, Ville Paavilainen’s laboratory at the University of Helsinki has been investigating a molecule, which now shows promise in targeting the new coronavirus. This work could lead to development
Pfizer and BioNTech has announced preliminary data from the most advanced of four investigational vaccine candidates from their BNT162 mRNA-based vaccine program, Project Lightspeed, against SARS-CoV-2. The BNT162 program is
Research from Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital shows that many people with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 demonstrate T-cell-mediated immunity to the new coronavirus, even if they have not tested
Baricitinib, a drug against rheumatoid arthritis, could potentially be repurposed to treat patients with COVID-19, according to an international study conducted by among others researchers at Karolinska Institutet. Baricitinib is
Drug and device development
The Swedish life science industry organization SwedenBIO has released its Drug Discovery and Development Pipeline report, highlighting the state of the Swedish pharmaceutical drug R&D pipeline. The report also provides insights
Interim results from the ongoing Phase I/II COV001 trial, led by Oxford University, showed that AZD1222 was tolerated and generated robust immune responses against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in all evaluated
Full results from the positive Phase III ETHOS trial showed AstraZeneca’s triple-combination therapy Breztri Aerosphere (budesonide/glycopyrronium/formoterol fumarate) demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in the rate of moderate or severe exacerbations
GeNeuro enrolls first patient in temelimab Phase 2 multiple sclerosis trial in collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet’s Academic Specialist Center (ASC). The one-year single center trial is planned to enrol
Nordic Nanovector will amend the trial protocol for its PARADIGME trial to broaden the inclusion criteria and expand the pool of eligible patients with the aim of increasing the present
Profile
Barbro Ehnbom has successfully promoted women in their careers, not least within life sciences, and she is herself a living example of the changes she has pushed for.
In a new job
6 keys to successful work from home as the coronavirus spreads. Many life science companies follow authorities’ recommendations and are sending employees home to work remotely in order to diminish
The Board of Directors has appointed Marty J Duvall as Chief Executive Officer, CEO, and Jakob Lindberg assumes the role as Chief Scientific Officer, CSO. Jakob Lindberg has been CEO
Professor Outi Vaarala has been appointed Senior Vice President for Research and Development and member of the Executive Management Board of the Orion Group, as of 1 June 2020. Vaarala
Careers
Ann-Britt Önnered and Linda Jervelius manage Quality Assurance at a microbiology laboratory and share their insights about maintaining a secure and hygienic laboratory environment, a crucial part of lab life.
Read the latest issue of our magazine!
No 02 2020 // This issue includes a special report on the Nordic life science industry’s efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. It also includes a profile interview with Darja Isaksson, Director General of Vinnova, who has a mission of innovation through public-private co-creation and social and economic sustainability.
The Nobel Prize
Professor Honjo did not set out to find a cure for cancer but he is glad he did not give up and believes cancer immunotherapy will be the Number One
When your passion and lifelong work are the same. Great things can happen. Just ask James Allison.
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for ther pioneering work in cancer immunotheraphy.
“Immunotherapy can be combined with almost anything; you can combine it with chemotherapy or radiation as long as you do it right. The benefits of immunotherapy are several; the best one is that once T cells see something different about the cancer cell and attack the cancer, they can be re-activated [if the cancer reoccurs.]” – James Allison
Upcoming events
You can’t get a drug to market without a clinical trial. You can’t run a clinical trial without product supply. The Clinical Trial Supply Forum will feature three jam packed
The event focuses on development and manufacturing of high quality biologic drugs and vaccines. This is a biologic drugs and vaccines conference in the Nordic region that will bring together
The 26th annual BIO-Europe event is the largest biotechnology partnering conference held in Europe. Over 4,400 global decision makers from biotechnology, pharma and finance annually attend BIO-Europe to identify new
NLSDays is the largest Nordic partnering conference dedicated to the life science industry. The 2020 event has been postponed until the 2021 event, April 20-21 2021, in Malmö Since its
Our region is filled with life science activity. We take a closer look at what´s going on in our Nordic cities when it comes to life science efforts, progress and challenges.
In focus – Nordic cities
Nordic Life Science
The latest clinical trials
Interim results from the ongoing Phase I/II COV001 trial, led by Oxford University, showed that AZD1222 was tolerated and generated robust immune responses against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in all evaluated
Full results from the positive Phase III ETHOS trial showed AstraZeneca’s triple-combination therapy Breztri Aerosphere (budesonide/glycopyrronium/formoterol fumarate) demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in the rate of moderate or severe exacerbations
GeNeuro enrolls first patient in temelimab Phase 2 multiple sclerosis trial in collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet’s Academic Specialist Center (ASC). The one-year single center trial is planned to enrol
Nordic Nanovector will amend the trial protocol for its PARADIGME trial to broaden the inclusion criteria and expand the pool of eligible patients with the aim of increasing the present
Random Walk Imaging (RWI) has announced positive data from a study in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients using the company’s scanning method and software protocol. Data from the study, which was
Gesynta Pharma reports positive Phase I results with its lead candidate GS-248 for microvascular disease. Results from the completed First-in-Human clinical study with GS-248 for the treatment of microvascular disease
Novo Nordisk announced results from a phase 2 clinical trial of investigational insulin icodec, a once-weekly basal insulin analogue. In the trial, adults with type 2 diabetes randomised to once-weekly
Oncopeptides has announced that the full top-line results from the phase 2 HORIZON study, evaluating intravenous melflufen in combination with dexamethasone in patients with relapsed refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), have
Immunicum has announced that the sixth patient has completed the safety period in the ongoing Phase Ib/II ILIAD combination trial with ilixadencel, the company’s cell-based, off-the-shelf immune primer for the
The latest research news from the Nordic region
Science Article
EMBO and FEBS announced Elly Tanaka of the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Vienna BioCenter, Austria, as the recipient of the FEBS | EMBO Women in Science Award 2020. The
Radforsk has granted seven research projects a total amount of MNOK 1,25 to further develop exciting research projects within photodynamic treatment (PDT) and photochemical internalization (PCI). Radforsk is an evergreen
In the research project NEUROPA Oulu researchers utilize recent progress in photonics, neuroscience and medicine to develop a non-invasive means of modulating specific neural pathways in the brain. The ultimate
Neuroscientists and stem cell researchers at Lund University in Sweden have developed a research model that allows studying human hippocampal neurons, the brain cells primarily affected by Alzheimer’s disease pathology.
Last fall Young Academies from the Nordic and the Baltic countries published a joint statement on gender equality in academia with the aim to engage the new generation of researchers.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded Birgitta Henriques Normark the Torsten Söderberg Academy Professorial Chair in Medicine – a SEK 10 million grant over a period of five
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