When carelessness, forgetfulness and coincidence become the researcher’s best friend

Forgetfulness, coincidence and a stroke of luck hardly make up a fruitful method of serious research. Or do they? Actually, a number of important medical advances have come about thanks to completely random incidents and the open-mindedness of scientists who were ready to think outside the box.

Diabetesbolag prövar sin kandidat för ny indikation

Malmöföretaget Pila Pharma undersöker nu om bolagets läkemedelskandidat för typ 2-diabetes även kan fungera som behandling mot en sjukdom förknippad med smärta på grund av neurogen inflammation. En ansökan om särläkemedelsstatus har lämnats in i USA.

Lucy Robertshaw: Are we in the perfect storm?

“Is there a perfect storm on the horizon again as elective surgeries were cancelled due to patients being admitted with Covid-19? We now have a long backlog of people who are presenting with chronic diseases that need to access healthcare again”, writes Lucy Robertshaw in a column.

This is how Anette Steenberg will put Medicon Valley on the world map

Anette Steenberg has been CEO of the Swedish-Danish life science cluster Medicon Valley Alliance since 1 November last year. Life Science Sweden called her to ask about her visions and the challenges of merging the worlds of Swedish and Danish life science.

CAR-T therapies give continued hope: “Almost half of the patients have become disease-free”

When the first CAR-T therapies appeared, hopes were raised for the effective treatment for critically ill cancer patients. After a somewhat sluggish start, about 90 patients in Sweden have now been treated with this method. “Almost half of them have

Samuel Lagercrantz: Immunotherapy against cancer is still in its early stages

For more than 100 years, researchers have tried to target the body’s own immune system to fight cancer cells. They have occasionally been laughed at and ridiculed by the medical establishment. However, from our perspective today, we can sum it up with the saying: He who laughs last laughs best, writes Samuel Lagercrantz in an editorial.

Björn Arvidsson: ”We need to change perspective”

If you say “life science” to a person on the street and ask them to explain what it is, you will probably get no good answer. The same question to your network will generate as many versions as the people you ask. Most likely, we will miss many

A new international stem cell research centre has been created in Copenhagen

A new centre for stem cell research opened to the public in January. The Novo Nordisk Foundation backs the initiative with the ambition that the centre will advance new medical technology and new stem cell therapies.

The route to vaccines for everyone: “We did not just sit around and wait”

The pandemic was in full swing, and no one knew when or even if a vaccine would come. At that point, the Swedish Minister of Social Affairs called with a proposal, and Richard Bergström did not hesitate. “I already had a notion that this would work,” he says in an interview with Life Science Sweden.

Anna Törner: Success requires bold decisions!

“Doing things right is fine, but doing the right things as soon as possible is even better”, writes Anna Törner in a column.

Giulia Gaudenzi: Innovation for good

"I challenge the innovator landscape to take a mental leap. Relying on innovation-solely to end inequality is not enough, therefore consciously and purposively – we need to engage bravely with the politics of poverty and scarcity. Even in life sciences", writes Giulia Gaudenzi in a column.

”Så blir vi ledande inom precisionsmedicin”

Än så länge väljs cancerläkemedel oftast utifrån var cancern är lokaliserad. I framtiden kommer sannolikt cancerpatienter istället få läkemedel utifrån vilka genetiska förändringar som orsakar tumören, skriver Samuel Lagercrantz i en ledare.

The Oresund region aims at becoming Europe’s microbiome Mecca

The Medicon Valley Alliance’s ambition: Skåne and the Copenhagen region will become world leaders in microbiome research.

Studie: Defekt gen kan ligga bakom allvarlig covid-19 hos unga

När två svenska bröder i 30-årsåldern bägge drabbades av livshotande covid-19 anade den behandlande läkaren att det inte var en slump. Han hade rätt – och nu har den insikten lett till forskning som kan förklara cirka en procent av allvarliga sars-cov2-infektioner hos män under 60 år.

Sweden and Denmark – this is how they choose their strategies

Scandinavia’s two major powers in pharmaceutical research have developed strategies for growth in life science, and both countries aim to become world leaders.

Alligator i samarbete med amerikanskt bolag

Lundaföretaget Alligator Bioscience ska samarbeta med amerikanska Macro Genics.

Column: Why there cannot be a complete cure for cancer – but there is certainly another way!

"Is there a new way we need to be thinking about how to prevent cancer?" Lucy Robertshaw reflects upon which is the smartest way to beat cancer.

Samuel Lagercrantz: Collaboration and joint efforts are the key to success

Although many questions about Covid-19 remain unanswered, the development of drugs and vaccines has been incredibly rapid, writes Samuel Lagercrantz, Life Science Sweden´s Editor-in-Chief, in an editorial.

New diagnostic test soon ready for the market

"Imponerande kraftsamling gav vaccin"

Det rekordsnabba framtagandet av nya vaccin under pandemin visar vad läkemedelsindustrin – och mänskligheten – kan åstadkomma när pressen är tillräckligt stor.

Lucy Robertshaw: There is a bio revolution happening right now

Lucy Robertshaw is both proud and excited to be taking the baton of moderating this year’s Pharma Outsourcing event.

Ett hjärta av plast

En karismatisk kirurg, en misstänkt brottsling och ett konstgjort hjärta stod i centrum för medierapporteringen några dagar efter påsk 1985.

Delivering drugs with small devices

There are many challenges to overcome when delivering a drug orally. Getting the drug to survive the low pH of the ventricle and being released at the correct site in the gastrontestinal tract are two of them.

Investeraren: "Våra bolag måste ha en plan för USA"

Karolinska Development vill att deras bolag ska ha en chans på den mer lönsamma marknaden i USA.