The initiative will link the innovation ecosystems and accelerate the development and commercialization of therapeutic oligonucleotides, the collaborators state.

“Sweden, Denmark, and the Nordic region as a whole should strengthen their collaboration in life science and other deep tech sectors to build on the region’s strengths. By combining complementary strengths such as expertise, industrial capacity, specialist clinics, and investor networks, structural conditions are being created that smaller nations struggle to achieve on their own,” says Jens Nielsen, CEO of BioInnovation Institute.

“For more research-based innovations to grow and reach the market, strong innovation environments and well-functioning business support are essential. This is an important part of the work to strengthen West Sweden’s competitiveness in life science, in line with the Agenda for West Swedish Life Science”, says Madeleine Jonsson, Chair of the Environment and Regional Development Committee, Region Västra Götaland, Sweden.

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Oligos – The medicines of the future?

What if we could silence certain genes to treat a wide range of medical conditions, from genetic conditions to infectious diseases, and even cancer? It may sound like science fiction, but for some rare diseases it’s already a reality through the use of oligonucleotide therapeutics, sometimes referred to as the medicines of the future.

OligoSynergy

GUV and BII will collaborate through the funded OligoSynergy project to accelerate the commercialization of research on therapeutic oligonucleotides, a niche field that requires a joint effort. Over the past decade, several groundbreaking technologies for disease treatment have been developed, with therapeutic oligonucleotides being one such area. These are based on short, synthetic DNA or RNA molecules that can control gene expression with high precision, thereby enabling treatment of previously difficult-to-treat diseases.

The OligoSynergy project is led by GUV, with Eduarde Rohner serving as project manager. The project targets early-stage companies in the preclinical and early clinical phases and aims to support the development, validation, and commercialization of their technologies, products, and services.

“With access to capital, companies can pursue business development and studies in parallel, efficiently and with high quality. Capital is thus not only a prerequisite for development, but also a strategic tool for faster commercialization,” says Klementina Österberg, CEO of GU Ventures.