Innovations in the treatment of rare diseases, unique mapping of the human brain and progress in our portfolio companies
As the darkness of November sweeps in, a new spark of inspiration and ambition is ignited here at Sciety. During these turbulent times in our world, it feels especially important for us to continue supporting life science innovations, so that breakthroughs in healthcare can become available to people all over the world.
Forward-looking investor event with a focus on precision medicine
On November 9, 2023, Sciety invited its investor network to an exclusive event themed "future scenarios and opportunities within life science". The evening featured a panel discussion on data-driven precision medicine with Tommi Unkuri , partner and co-founder of Summa Equity ; Mattias H?ggblom , Sector Head for Healthcare, Equity research at Handelsbanken ; and Mats Nilsson , professor at SciLifeLab and co-founder of several life science companies, including Olink Proteomics . Andreas Lindblom , Managing Partner at Sciety, also shared upcoming projects and news about Sciety's continued growth and vision going forward. Sciety would like to take this opportunity to thank all speakers and participants – we look forward to hosting similar events in the future! Read more about the event here.
At the moment, Sciety is in the final stages of investing in PharmNovo - a pharmaceutical company at the clinical stage of developing a unique type of treatment for nerve pain. We are pleased to announce that ABG Sundal Collier has partnered with Sciety for this fundraising round. PharmNovo is currently preparing for an upcoming phase IIa study, more on that in the company news section below.
Keep reading for more news about our portfolio companies and our insights, which include how digital technology is driving innovation in the treatment of rare diseases. We also take a closer look at a comprehensive mapping of the most complex human organ - the brain.
News from our portfolio companies
PharmNovo prepares for phase IIa study
The pharmaceutical company PharmNovo, which develops drugs for the treatment of nerve pain, is preparing for the company's upcoming phase IIa study. PharmNovo has started a collaboration with the clinical trial company Worldwide Clinical Trials to conduct the phase IIa study of the company's drug candidate. In the upcoming phase IIa study, which is planned to start in 2024, PharmNovo will investigate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and efficacy of their drug candidate. The insights from the study will contribute to the design of subsequent phase IIb/III studies. Read more about the collaboration with Worldwide Clinical Trials.
Neogap awarded 29 million in innovation support from the EU
The biotechnology company NEOGAP Therapeutics AB has received a grant of just over SEK 29 million from the @European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator, a part of the EU's Horizon Europe program. The positive comments from the EIC Accelerator evaluation emphasise the unique potential of Neogap's treatment: “Neogap has a unique approach to a complete individualised therapy that unlike any other current therapies has curative potential in many types of solid cancer with low risk of serious side effects". The funds will be used for the company's ongoing clinical phase I/II study on patients with colorectal cancer and for preparations for the next study. The primary objective of the study is to show that the treatment is safe, but the company will also explore signs of treatment efficacy, including measurement of tumour growth. Neogap first received a notice of the EIC grant in connection to the investment from Sciety of SEK 54 million earlier this year. Read more about the financing from EIC.
Capitainer's self-sampling products featured in Dagens Industri
The medtech company Capitainer was recently featured in an article in Dagens industri . The article highlights a number of Swedish innovations that are important building blocks for future healthcare, including Capitainer's products for self-sampling blood. The article describes how Capitainer's products are used for large-scale screening and their current use in the so-called Bamse study, led by Professor Mathias Uhlen . Mathias Uhlén is one of the world's leading protein researchers and in the article, he comments on the potential effect of Capitainer's self-sampling products: "I think we will see broad screenings in maybe five years, for example for everyone over 50. Finding diseases early, especially cancer, will save an enormous amount of time and money for healthcare and save lives." Read the article about Capitainer in Dagens Industri.
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Monthly spotlight
Treating rare diseases - how digital technologies drive innovation
Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly using digital technology to develop treatment options for patients with rare diseases. Using data analysis and artificial intelligence in healthcare leads to improved possibilities for diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression, as well as accelerated research and development. Living with a rare disease is not in itself rare. In fact, around 6-8% of Europe's population has a rare diagnosis.
When it comes to rare diseases in particular, an area with very different and complex conditions, personalised and precise treatments are essential – something that can be facilitated with the help of digital technology. For example, digital health platforms can help patients and caregivers to monitor a rare disease. There are several examples of mobile apps that use AI technology to analyse, treat and follow up on signs of rare disease symptoms. The technology can also provide personalised dosing recommendations for medication, and patients can share data with their healthcare provider for optimised treatment. Furthermore, increased use of data can facilitate the identification and diagnosis of patients with rare diseases. One example is a pharmaceutical company that used data analytics to build a predictive model that could identify a large number of undiagnosed patients. By targeting relevant doctors, the company was able to reach 40% more patients who in turn could benefit from the treatment.
Over the past decade, some major pharmaceutical companies have expanded their portfolios in the field and during the same time period there has been a significant increase in transactions, including some major deals that exceeded USD 10 billion in 2021. Thus, the range of treatment options for many rare diseases has increased, and for patients who previously lacked treatment options, these new treatments can offer hope as well as alleviate potential symptoms.
Did you know
The human brain consists of a hundred billion nerve cells and a hundred thousand billion connections between them. The brain is our most complicated organ, and also the most difficult organ to study. In the so-called BRAIN project, which was launched in 2013, researchers from several countries have carried out a unique mapping of brain cells and the role they play in various diseases. The results of the first stage of this project were recently presented in 21 articles, published in Science Magazine. In two parallel sub-projects within BRAIN, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have been involved in creating the most comprehensive atlases of human brain cells to date. These brain atlases will be freely available to researchers around the world to, for example, enable comparing different brain diseases with what a normally developed brain looks like. This mapping of the brain helps to identify specific neural pathways and regions associated with various neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and epilepsy. Increased knowledge about these conditions is an important piece of the puzzle for continued research and development of treatments. This research is part of the international initiative Human Cell Atlas and Human Developmental Cell Atlas. Read more about this unique mapping of brain cells.
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Sciety is a leading investment company, committed to supporting the growth of innovative life science and health tech companies in the Nordic region. We invest alongside Sciety Venture Partners, comprising family offices, private investors and venture capital firms. Our mission is to enable the full potential of life science innovations, helping to bring breakthroughs in healthcare to people all over the world.
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