Göran Stiernstedt: “We are the world’s worst at continuity”

Failed investments in primary care, an unreasonable system with online doctors and a public failure at coordinating the healthcare IT system. Göran Stiernstedt does not mind his language when describing the shortcomings of today’s healthcare system. “It makes me extremely frustrated,” he says.

Marie Gårdmark: New incentives for orphan products on its way

"Let’s hope that the learnings from development of new therapies for rare diseases will spill over to more common conditions, orphan products paving the wave for drug development in a broader context", writes Marie Gårdmark in a column.

No demand for new Covid vaccine – “It will probably be discarded”

So far, just under 6 000 doses of the Covid vaccine from Novavax have been used in Sweden, leaving over 1.4 million doses in stock. “They will probably be discarded due to lack of demand in Sweden as well as globally,” says Sweden’s National Vaccine Coordinator Richard Bergström to Life Science Sweden.

Hello Angelica Loskog!

Life Science Sweden would like to know more about Angelica Loskog and interviews her about her life as a researcher.

Noxious parasite forms hybrids and deceives the immune system

The small parasite Trypanosoma cruzi has a nasty ability to cause serious illness. Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet have now mapped its ability to deceive the immune system by forming new variants that are mixtures of different strains.

New rules for diagnostic products, but who will certify them? “An extreme shortage area”

In less than two weeks, new and stricter EU rules will enter into force for thousands of products used in important diagnoses of, among other things, cancer and Covid-19. However, not one single institute in the entire Nordic region is able to certify

We will now publish more news in English – and offer yet another newsletter

Starting next week, Life Science Sweden will begin offering a newsletter entirely in English.

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.

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.

Björn Ursing: Physicians new role in AI driven healthcare

”AI could be the key we need for tomorrow’s healthcare, but it is not a stand-alone tool”, writes Björn Ursing in a column about how the role for physicians changes in the era of AI.

Elicera develops CAR-T against solid tumours – may become the first in the world

Today, there are five EU-approved CAR-T therapies, all focused on different types of blood cancer, but no one has yet succeeded in making the method work against solid tumours. At Gothenburg-based Elicera, they are working relentlessly to succeed in that field as well. “It is the largest field, and the potential is enormous,” says the company’s CEO Jamal El-Mosleh.

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 opportunities with our lack of communication, writes Björn Arvidsson in a column.

Life Science Sweden´s international issue is on its way

A new issue of Life Science Sweden is on its way to print, packed with news, interviews and reports.

Study: An objective diagnosis of constant tinnitus may be possible

A new method that measures brain activity during sound stimulation can make it possible to objectively diagnose and identify people who suffer from constant tinnitus, which was demonstrated in a study made by researchers at the Karolinska Institute.

Patient som fick grishjärta återhämtar sig – inga tecken på avstötning

Den amerikanske man som fick ett genmodifierat grishjärta transplanterat i början av året återhämtar sig fortfarande på sjukhus. Efter fem veckor syns inga tecken på avstötning, enligt läkare.

“Together Stockholm-Uppsala and Medicon Valley can make Scandinavia a leading life science region”

“Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland all have national life science strategies, but the Swedish strategy is the only one explicitly emphasizing the Nordic dimension. But what if the leading life science nations, Denmark and Sweden, joined forces, took the lead and pioneered Nordic life science collaboration? Wouldn´t we then be able to "bake a bigger cake?", writes Anette Steenberg and Ulf G. Andersson in a debate article.

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.

Lockdown-studie kritiseras även i USA

I USA har den uppmärksammade metastudie som uppger att knappt några liv har räddats med hjälp av lockdowns blivit kraftigt ifrågasatt av forskare.

”Bedragarna som brann för sina medicinföretag”

Life Science Swedens chefredaktör Samuel Lagercrantz kommenterar det nu aktuella Theranos-fallet och drar paralleller till en annan medicinskandal – som briserade i Sverige för mer än 35 år sedan.

Första bekräftade dödsfallet i omikron i Storbritannien

Minst en person har dött i omikronvarianten i Storbritannien. Det uppger premiärminister Boris Johnson.

Genterapier och vaccin dryftas på branschmötet

WHO rekommenderar det första malariavaccinet för barn: "En historisk dag"

Världshälsoorganisationen WHO rekommenderar en storskalig användning av världens första malariavaccin.