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.
He has been a vital part of Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI) since its inception in 2003. But now, after 42 years of service in the biotech industry, it is time for respected research engineer Assar Bäckman to retire.
“My work has been hugely varied, and over the years I have learned a great deal. I usually have an emergency solution to most things if needed”, says Assar.
Jennie Ekbeck completed her final day as CEO of Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI) last week. Experienced business coach Peter Jacobsson will now lead the business until a permanent replacement is appointed.
The Umeå Biotech Incubator-backed ‘Shades of Green’ project, developed by Boreal Orchards, has created a moss that can be used on buildings, infrastructure and for the regeneration of nature. Now founder Daniel Pacurar is collaborating on a new development project with RISE Processum AB and Ecohelix to maximize moss establishment with the help of by-products from the paper pulp industry.
Jennie Ekbeck, CEO of Umeå Biotech Incubator, has been awarded an honorary doctorate for 2023 at the Faculty of Science and Technology at Umeå University.
“I want research to benefit people, that is my driving force,” she says.
Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI) has won the Regio Stars Västerbotten 2023 award for its ‘Life Science Motorn 2.0’ regional fund project in the category “A region with localized sustainable business development”.
“It feels amazing that our project is being recognized and praised”, says UBI’s outgoing CEO, Jennie Ekbeck, who was the project manager behind the ‘Life Science Motorn 2.0’.
Life science consulting company Orderly People has announced it will base one of its consultants in Umeå after the summer.
“There is a vibrant life science industry in Umeå which we want to be a part of”, says Orderly People’s founder and co-owner, Maria Jansson.
Umeå based HiloProbe AB has entered a partnership with the major international company Biocartis Group NV. This is a strategically important step for HiloProbe in their aim to reach out globally with its colorectal cancer test-product, ColoNode®.
“We are very happy to start a collaboration and a long-term relationship with Biocartis, which strengthens our focus on colorectal cancer thanks to Biocartis’ established sales and distribution network across many countries”, Lina Olsson, CEO of HiloProbe, says.
Umeå-based biopharmaceutical company Omnio AB, which is currently awaiting efficacy data from preclinical wound studies using recombinant plasminogen, has recently appointed an internationally experienced board of directors charged with taking the company forward.
“Our new board’s network and experience will allow us to build strategic partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, accelerate our clinical development program and ultimately bring our wound-healing candidate to market”, says Ulrika Norin, CEO of Omnio.
Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI) is ending its development project program period with the “Life science super week” between May 8th-10th 2023 – an action-packed three-day event filled with seminars, an investment day, a life science pub plus a brand new services business fair.
“Life science in Umeå is buzzing right now, so pulling together several events at the same time gives us great synergistic effects”, says Jennie Ekbeck, UBI’s CEO.
G4 Cancer Cure, a biotech research initiative located in Umeå in northern Sweden, has attracted considerable interest from doctors and the pharmaceutical industry for a new treatment method it is developing for triple-negative breast cancer.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer to affect women around the world, with approximately 15 percent of all cases diagnosed as triple-negative breast cancer. G4 Cancer Cure’s progress towards a treatment method is therefore being followed very closely, according to Project Manager Stefanie Sandberg.
“Our needs analysis shows there is huge interest in a new treatment method from doctors as well as pharmaceutical companies, experts and investors”, she says.
The Board of Directors of Umeå Biotech Incubator (UBI) has announced that CEO Jennie Ekbeck is leaving her post after eleven years.