UmanDiagnostics was founded in 2006 by Niklas Norgren and Torgny Stigbrand. From the outset the company has worked with nerve injury markers and the protein Neurofilament light (NFL). Neurofilament light is found in nerve cells, and if nerves become damaged due to a trauma or neurological disease the protein leaks into the cells’ surroundings. Thanks to UmanDiagnostics’ nerve marker it’s now possible to measure how much of the NFL protein has leaked out, which gives an indication of how significant any damage might be.
Now the company based in Umeå in northern Sweden has developed a new product, which is predicted to revolutionize research.
“When looking for neurological diseases such as ALS and Alzheimer’s disease, you need to take a spinal fluid sample from the patient, which can be associated with both pain and a certain amount of risk. With our new product a simple blood test is enough”, says Niklas Norgren.
The product was launched on October 12th and is currently a so-called Research Use Only product, which means it can only be used for research purposes.
“At this point the product is not approved for clinical use, i.e. to diagnose a patient. Instead, it will be used for research purposes – in academia, in hospitals or in big pharma companies, which can use it in their own product development”, says Niklas Norgren.
He continues:
“This makes samples and analyzes much more accessible to researchers. We consider the market to be enormous”.
UmanDiagnostics will handle sales of the product in Europe, while its American parent company Quanterix, which acquired UmanDiagnostics in 2019, will drive sales in North America.
“It feels very exciting right now. We are investing in a global launch and believe that in the long run the product has enormous potential to guide treatment for people suffering of neurological diseases such as, MS, ALS and Alzheimer’s disease”, says Niklas Norgren.
He revealed that the launch would mean more jobs at UmanDiagnostics.
”We need to grow both on the product and sales sides and level up to meet customer demand”.
For more information, please contact:
Niklas Norgren, VP, Managing Director, UmanDiagnostics
nnorgren@quanterix.com
090-77 78 80
About UmanDiagnostics:
UmanDiagnostics is committed to delivering fast and accurate diagnosis of neurological diseases. The company develops and markets valuable tools for early detection of diseases. The company was founded in 2006, and since then has focused on diseases affecting the nervous system such as Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer’s Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.
