SwedenBIO awards this prize annually to a life science company that has excelled during the year and has contributed to societal benefits that underline the importance of a successful life science industry in Sweden.

This year’s nominations for the SwedenBIO Award show the diversity that exists in Swedish life science. Swedish life science companies are taking ground, not only through pioneering research and innovations, but through smart business models at the forefront and with a joint responsibility for meeting our health challenges.

The winner of the 2021 award will be announced, in collaboration with HealthCap, on December 8th during the SwedenBIO Summit at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm.

Antaros Medical

Antaros Medical was founded in 2014 by four entrepreneurs with extensive backgrounds in science and drug development as well as a shared commitment to defying convention. Their mission was to utilize innovative imaging to provide critical evidence-based decision support for pharma companies in clinical development phase. Today, the company has established itself  as a strategic development partner to the pharmaceutical industry. It combines groundbreaking imaging with profound experience of drug development and a deep knowledge in disease mechanisms.

BICO

Founded in 2016, BICO (formerly CELLINK) is a leading bio convergence company. By combining different technologies, such as robotics, artificial intelligence, computer science, and 3D bioprinting with biology, the company enables our customers to improve people’s health and lives for the better. With a focus on the application areas of bioprinting, multiomics, cell line development, and diagnostics, the company develops and markets innovative technologies that enable researchers in the life sciences to culture cells in 3D, perform high-throughput drug screening and print human tissues and organs for the medical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. The Group’s instruments in the field amounts to 25,000, including all the top 20 pharmaceutical companies, are being used in more than 65 countries, and have been cited in more than 9,500 publications. BICO is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.

Read more: Interview – Erik Gatenholm, CEO, CELLINK

Read more: BICO ranked top-three fastest-growing technology company in Sweden

Genovis

The Genovis Group consists of Genovis AB, Sweden, and the wholly owned subsidiary Genovis Inc., USA. The company has aprox. 2,600 shareholders and the company’s shares are listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market. Find more information at  Investor Relations. Genovis’ business concept is to offer customers in the biopharmaceutical and research industries tools that facilitate and save time in the development of new treatment methods and diagnostics. Through the acquisition of QED Bioscience in 2020 the product portfolio has expanded to include antibodies and reagents for use in research, biological drug development and diagnostic assays.

Valneva

Valneva is a specialty vaccine company focused on the development and commercialization of prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases with significant unmet medical need. Our vision is to contribute to a world in which no one dies or suffers from a vaccine-preventable disease. Valneva Sweden, currently manufacturing the cholera vaccine DUKORAL, has also prepared to perform part of the production of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine, VLA2001. Valneva’s manufacturing site in Solna, Sweden, already has an aseptic filling line in place and is now working on building another to increase capacity. The company is in ongoing discussions with regional and national authorities to garner support for the development and production of VLA2001, as well as Valneva’s role in boosting Sweden’s resilience against future pandemics.

Read more: Boosting Sweden’s resilience against future pandemics

Read more: Valneva Sweden prepares for production of COVID-19 vaccines

Xbrane Biopharma

Xbrane Biopharma AB is a biotechnology company that develops biosimilars, ie. follow-up drugs on subsequently approved biological drugs that can be introduced at a lower price after the patent expires for the original drug. Xbrane has a patented platform technology that provides a lower production cost for biolological drugs compared with competing systems. Xbrane has a team with the expertise to take biosimilars from the cell line to approval with extensive collective experience from drug development. Xbrane has its head office and development lab on Campus Solna, just outside Stockholm. Xbrane has been listed on Nasdaq Stockholm since September 2019.

Read more: Biosimilars: Opportunities & Challenges

Read more: Xbrane announces new business goals

 

Previous winners

Read more: Calliditas is the winner of the 2020 SwedenBIO Award

Read more: The winner of the SwedenBIO Award 2019

Read more: BioArctic is the winner of the SwedenBIO Award 2018

Read more: Oncopeptides wins SwedenBIO Award 2017

Photo: iStock