SweTree Technologies is expanding. The company is currently seeking two new employees to complete a world-unique pilot for the industrial production of spruce seedlings using Somatic Embryogenesis (SE) technology.
”By 2025, the plan is to start building a factory capable of producing 20 million seedlings per year, and we’re now strengthening our team to prepare for this next phase”, says CEO Christofer Réhn.
Helén Fält, CEO of UBI-supported QureTech Bio AB, is busier than ever.
Pernilla Wikström, Professor at the Department of Medical Biosciences at Umeå universitet, and one of the founders and owners of UBI-supported Phenotype Diagnostics, has received 10 million Swedish kronor from the Cancer Research Foundation in Northern Sweden (Cancerforskningsfonden i Norrland) for her research on prostate cancer.
Restoring natural ecosystems in mining disturbed landscapes is a crucial yet complex process. A groundbreaking Swedish initiative, which employs moss to accelerate this restoration, is now being heralded as a potential game changer for the global mining industry.
“If it turns out as well as expected, it could set a new standard for the mining industry”, says VAST’s CEO, Matt Baida, about the Vinnova and mining industry financed project, initiated by Daniel Pacurar, Founder and Executive Chairman of Boreal Orchards AB, and featuring four major mining companies, VAST AB and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU).
The Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) is set to significantly expand its operations in Umeå this spring after announcing plans to hire around 20 new employees to the CBRN Defence and Security department.
“We’ve got growing pains! There is an increased need to strengthen the defence research due to the changing global security situation and politics regarding national defence policies”, says Susanne W Lindström, Head of the Chemical Threat and Effect Assessments Unit in Umeå.
The “Beat-PFAS” project aims to develop an effective solution for removing and destroying PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from contaminated soil and water. The Umeå based company SpinChem AB is set to play a crucial role in this initiative, funded by Formas, a Swedish government research council dedicated to sustainable development, with a grant of SEK 19.9 million.
Umeå’s life science sector took an important step forward this spring when Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI) established a new Quality Assurance (QA) network. The network, which brings together representatives from some 15 companies, focuses on sharing experiences and strategies to deal with the increasingly complex quality requirements facing the industry.
“We have grown from nine to eleven employees. It feels like a significant milestone for us to pass ten employees”, says Niklas Norgren, VP and Managing Director at UmanDiagnostics.
Swedish MedTech company Mucocort plans to launch a mucosal self-absorbing patch for pain relief in people suffering from aphthous stomatitis (mouth ulcers). The interest in Mucocort patch technology has increased after the approval of a European patent. Further, the Mucocort AB minority stakeholder Aurena Laboratories steps up with additional capital and increases its ownership.
Umeå-based Medicvent has been awarded a new prestigious assignment to deliver central systems for waste gas/diathermy and its unique double mask system used in anesthesia to Högsbo Regional Hospital, which will be inaugurated in Gothenburg in 2024.
“It is a modern, innovative hospital that wants to be at the very forefront of healthcare. It’s fantastic that we’ve got the opportunity to work with a client like this”, says Erik Lindström, CEO of Medicvent.
In June, Lipigon Pharmaceuticals signed a development and licensing agreement worth nearly SEK 1 billion. Today, the Umeå-based company has relocated to a newly renovated 250 square meter facility tailored to their needs. Lipigon’s CEO, Stefan K. Nilsson, views these achievements as “pivotal strides in the company’s ongoing journey of growth and innovation.”
Umeå’s life science industry continues its rapid expansion with news that technology consulting company Prevas is looking to hire a Business Unit Manager for its new offices in the city.
“There is a growing market for life science in Umeå that we want to be a part of”, says Majid Meshkintorreh, Prevas’ Norrland Regional Manager.
The AstraZeneca Exchange Nordic mentorship program provides expert advice to Nordic life science startups and entrepreneurs. For Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI) the program has proven to be an invaluable tool for the startups it coaches – offering a range of advice from market and needs analysis to more specific technical questions.
“It’s fantastic that we have the opportunity to tap into all the expertise available within AstraZeneca”, says Tobias Tovedal, a Business Coach at UBI.
Thomas Busch has taken over as Chairman of the Board at Swedish biotech company HiloProbe AB at what he calls “an exciting time” for the thriving business.
“We are now ready to transition from a research company to actively marketing and selling our ColoNode biomarker test ”, he says.
The UBI case NanoBio Select@ expands the team with laboratory assistant Iqra Nasir and senior engineer Nicolas Boulanger.
As the summer holidays draw to a close, Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI) is already busy getting back to work. On Thursday and Friday this week UBI Business Coach Pia Keyser will be at the Wasa Future Festival in Finland to talk about the life science collaboration in the Kvarken region.
Lipigon Pharmaceuticals from Umeå is celebrating the signing of a development and license agreement for its clinical-stage drug candidate Lipisense® with Leaderna Therapeutics worth an estimated USD 91 million.
“We are delighted with this agreement and look forward to working with Leaderna on the future development of Lipisense®”, says Stefan K Nilsson, CEO of Lipigon. The new agreement specifically involves the development and licensing of the drug in Greater China.
Umeå University, has in collaboration with HiloProbe AB completed the first part of a new clinical study of its ColoNode biomarker test, which provides further important evidence for the product ColoNode’s benefits and usefulness in colon cancer.
“The results look promising”, says Lina Olsson, CEO of Hiloprobe AB
Umeå Biotech Incubator has been granted SEK 14 millions for the ERDF project “Life science city”, which will further develop the life science industry in the region 2024-2026.
”It feels gratifying that we get to build on our long-term goal”, says UBI’s Operations coordinator, Peter Jacobsson.