A cluster contribution to European life science innovation and competitiveness?

Heart Monitoring in Breast Cancer – Essential or Excessive?

Trastuzumab and related drugs have transformed breast cancer treatment and dramatically improved survival rates. But the close cardiac monitoring required during treatment can be a heavy burden for both patients and healthcare systems. Dr. Andri Papakonstantinou is working to refine how doctors identify which patients truly need intensive follow-up.

Venomaid's rapid test aims to find the right snake bite treatment

Every six seconds, someone on our planet suffers a snake bite, and each time, a race against the clock begins. What kind of snake was it, and which antivenom can help? Danish company Venomaid Diagnostics is working hard to develop solutions to a problem that claims countless lives, especially in tropical countries.

Icelandic pharmaceutical company Alvotech to list on Nasdaq Stockholm

One of Iceland's largest companies, the pharmaceutical firm Alvotech, has announced its intention to list on Nasdaq Stockholm.

From pharmacist to life science podcaster – Magnus Lejelöv uses his voice as a tool

Magnus Lejelöv has more than 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and has conducted nearly two hundred interviews with healthcare professionals on his podcasts.

Aqilion's licensing journey: From Merck partnership to new opportunities

Be extremely meticulous with your scientific data, but spend just as much time and effort on business development. That piece of advice comes from Aqilion's CEO Sarah Fredriksson and is directed at biotech companies aiming to find a good licensing

Career coach on salaries: “There is no right or wrong”

What is a reasonable salary for my job? It's a question we all ask ourselves. But how important is a higher salary really? Career coach Tina Persson believes this is an important consideration.

The art of successful licensing – “A lot has to align”

Sharp research, strong data and a high level of innovation are all very good, but more than that is required to achieve the goal of many biotechnology companies: to succeed with a licensing deal.

Health politician Lina Nordquist: ”I find it hard to be idle”

She is the pharmacist and researcher who grew tired of the breakthroughs that never materialised and knowledge that never seemed to reach patients, so she decided to make a change from within. Life Science Sweden meets Lina Nordquist, Member of Parliament for the Liberals and their spokesperson on healthcare policy, to have a conversation about reality, politics, and the need for writing.

Björn Arvidsson: ”We must raise our gaze to find the answers of the future”

A system approach isn't just about understanding complexity – it's about making better decisions. By seeing ourselves as part of larger systems, we can better anticipate the consequences of our actions, writes Björn Arvidsson in a column.

We desire talent to come here, but are we genuinely welcoming them?

Sweden faces significant challenges in creating a truly inclusive environment that makes international professionals feel welcome, valued, and able to build meaningful careers, writes Sarah Lidé in a column.

The business coach: “We need to learn from our mistakes”

The past year has been challenging for many biotech companies, with several comapanies facing financial stress and bankruptcy. To understand how entrepreneurs can navigate these tough times, Life Science Sweden spoke to Pia Keyser, a business coach at Umeå Biotech Incubator, who has worked with many companies in the industry.

How the Foreign Office will promote Swedish life science exports

The broadness and innovative strength keep Swedish life science exports strong, but the protectionist tendencies in the world are worrying, says Camilla Mellander, Director General for Trade, in an interview.

Large study on milk: Risky for women but not for men

The risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) and acute myocardial infarction (MI) increased for women with milk intake levels higher than 2 glasses per day, while no such association was found in men, according to a new large Swedish study.

Thomas Eldered: ”Innovation is the key”

Thomas Eldered speaks in a web clip about the challenges facing the life science sector in the future and what he, as an investor, finds most interesting in new companies.

“Research is always a lot of failures and a few successes”

Gene therapies open up fantastic possibilities, but they are also extremely expensive to produce. Genenova aims to change that and make the treatments accessible to more people. “Our overall ambition is to reduce costs a hundredfold”, says professor Johan Rockberg at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

”Ett av våra mest efterfrågade möten” arrangeras för tionde gången

Snart är det dags för Life Science Swedens event Pharma Outsourcing. Träffa branschkollegor, lär dig nytt och gör viktiga affärer den 3 december i Life City i Hagastaden.

Medivir CEO on upcoming study: ”It's about working together with others”

Medivir is a small company with a big task: to take its drug candidate, via extensive clinical studies, all the way to a patient group that currently lacks approved treatment alternatives. "We can't do that on our own – our entire R&D activities are about working together with others," says the company's CEO Jens Lindberg.

Medivir planerar ny stor studie: ”Handlar om att jobba tillsammans med andra”

Medivir är ett litet bolag med en stor uppgift: att ta sin läkemedelskandidat, via omfattande kliniska studier, hela vägen till en patientgrupp som idag saknar godkända behandlingsalternativ. ”Det kan vi inte göra på egen hand – hela vår utvecklingsverksamhet handlar om att jobba tillsammans med andra”, säger företagets vd Jens Lindberg.

A new life science cluster formed – “We are very strong in talent”

Stockholm and Uppsala’s joint life science cluster aims to be among the best in Europe. Pontus Holm, Life Science Coordinator for Region Stockholm, says the decision to create a joint profile for the two cities is strongly supported. He mentions that around 50 stakeholders were asked last winter if they were in favour of a joint cluster and that “the answer was a resounding yes”.

Her company is developing a new tablet form obesity drug

Obesity and diabetes are the primary targets of a new tablet treatment under development by Malmö-based Pila Pharma. The company’s ambition is to take on the billion-selling GLP1 analogues. ‘‘Basically, I expect all the beneficial effects that they have, but not the same side effect profile,’’ company founder Dorte X Gram said in an interview with Life Science Sweden.

This years Nobel prize in medicine – “Changed the understanding of how genes are controlled”

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to the discovery that small RNA molecules, known as microRNAs, control how genes are regulated. Understanding the mechanism has changed our view of human biology and evolution, says KI Professor András Simon.

Anna Törner: ”Mom, do you think you’ll ever get married again?”

”I realize I’m slowly descending into that familiar statistical rabbit hole, where life’s biggest uncertainties are reduced to point estimates and confidence intervals”, Anna Törner writes in a column.

“We should avoid surgery if we can”

Since February this year, she has been Scientific Director Life Science at the Karolinska Institutet. Life Science Sweden met Anna Martling for a talk about role models, surgery and Sweden’s strengths and weaknesses in medical research.