Nordic Life Science 1
TOP STORIES BUSINESS ACQU I SITIONS // AGREEMENTS
// COLLABORATIONS R&D Spago Nanomedical enters a new phase The company's focus on the Tumorad program will mean that internal preclinical discovery activities will cease. Ole Dahlberg, Board Member, Cathy Capdeville, Vice Chair, Gunnveig Grødeland, Board Member, Chelsea Ranger, Founder & Chair, Morten Egeberg, Board Member, and Agnete Fredriksen, Board Member, WiLD Norway I N I TI ATI V E Momentum building for women in life science across the Nordics With the formation of WiLD Norway, Norway becomes the third of the five Nordic countries to launch an organization dedicated to empowering women in life science. WOMEN IN Life Science Norway (WiLD Norway) is dedicated to advancing the role of women in leadership and board positions in health and life sciences, from industry, academia, and healthcare. One striking feature of their launch event in October was the strong male representation in the audience. "We believe that men, who currently hold the majority of leadership roles in life sciences, have a crucial role to play in creating an environment that supports women. By engaging men as active ambassadors, we are not only raising awareness of unconscious biases but also fostering collaborative efforts that challenge outdated norms," said Chelsea Ranger, founder of WiLD Norway. Menon Economics also released new data at the event, shedding light on gender disparities in the Norwegian life science industry. For example, while women make up a significant part of the workforce, they are notably underrepresented in leadership, holding just 21% of board seats and 19% of CEO positions. Read more: nordiclifescience.org NLS Cereno sharpens its focus on rare diseases R&D The company has selected Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) as the initial target indication for novel HDACi CS014. THIS DECISION follows recent preclinical results showing significant reductions in pulmonary artery occlusion and fibrosis. “Expanding our indication portfolio into additional rare diseases is a natural progression for us, building on the very promising foundation we’ve established via our pioneering efforts with our lead program CS1 10 | NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH),” says Sten R. Sörensen, CEO, Cereno. As a result of the chosen initial target indication for CS014, Cereno is now advancing a pipeline of three drug candidates, two of which are being developed as disease-modifying treatments for rare diseases where high unmet needs persist. NLS ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES will be made to ensure that crucial clinical milestones can be reached and to position the company well for the future. “Following the recent recommendation of the independent Data Monitoring Committee to continue as per protocol with the inclusion of patients with different tumor types, we are now increasing the recruitment rate at two clinical sites and expect to be able to evaluate the next patient cohort after the end of the year,” says Mats Hansen, CEO, Spago Nanomedical. “It is of course regrettable that the measures will include staff reductions, but it is a natural consequence of the company being in a new phase and that we have chosen to focus our resources on areas where we see the greatest potential in the near future.” NLS Mats Hansen, CEO, Spago Nanomedical PHOTO FARTEIN RUDJORD