Nordic Life Science 1
he technology aims to increase penetration of lar
ge molecules such as antibodies into the brain. Access of large molecules to the brain is restricted by the blood brain barrier (BBB). The scientists have created antibodies that are able to cross the blood brain barrier by binding to one of the protein receptors located on its surface. The technology could potentially transport all types of therapeutic molecules into the brain, regardless of their intrinsic ability to cross the blood brain barrier. Roman Lassnig, Development Engineer at Biocom Lab/ RISE, spoke about their innovative projects in Smart Intrabody Network – a personalized web, comprised of sensors, bioelectronic actuators, and secure communication technology. In part, the platform makes it possible to record and monitor our ambient conditions, as well as a large number of critical health status parameters. Together with big-data analysis and suggested actuator and drug-delivery devices, a treatment regimen can be derived that provides high-speed feedback between diagnosis and auto-regulated therapy. The platform will thus enable a radically new, dynamic, and highly personalized approach to healthcare, according to the researchers. Lassnig works with the rapidly developing field of Printed Electronics. Printable inks made from conducting polymers, carbon, silver and other materials allow us to create electronic components and circuits with printing equipment. The process can be automated and allows for the mass production of electronics known as Printed Electronics. Printed electronics components are for instance transistors, conductors, resistors, displays, sensors, buttons/actuators, batteries and antennas. These components may be integrated in intelligent packaging, medtech devices, automotive applications, in buildings – in almost any field. Steffen Thirstrup, Director at NDA Regulatory Advisory Board, also spoke about the advancements in neuroscience and he said that we need to go beyond existing endpoints and step by step add new interesting approaches. He stated that we cannot wait for a revolution in CNS but instead we should look to the iterative improvements that have been characteristic in oncology development in recent years. The first day ended with very interesting seminars on funding opportunities for SMEs, the Nordic life science innovation landscape, drug discovery and development and advanced therapy medicinal products. 108 The last day of the event included a super session with the title “Cancer precision medicine: state of the art and future directions. Emerging treatments, diagnostics and digital solutions: how they are impacting R&D and patient care?” The global oncology pipeline is growing at an unprecedented rate, the number of approved therapies continues to rise and advances in cancer immunotherapy, novel cell and gene therapies offer novel therapeutic options. At the same time, big data, AI and digital solutions are changing drug development, diagnostics and patient care. International experts highlighted recent advances and illustrated these with case studies and examples. They shared their perspectives on how precise and personalized today’s approaches really are and how different technologies and new collaborations can address existing challenges and limitations. Mark Swindells, Chief Operating Officer at Exscientia, spoke about the benefits of applying AI to drug discovery because it reduces costs and it reduces the time required to find a drug candidate, and hence, it will facilitate innovation. The challenge, he said, is implementing AI in clinical settings. Kaisa Helminen, CEO of Aiforia Technologies, spoke about her company’s platform, created to provide versatile and scalable solutions for medical research, drug development and diagnostics. She emphasized the importance of image-based diagnostics and the fact that there are limited resources and continuous issues with observer variability. There is a high need for more efficient workflows, highlyaccurate diagnosis, novel therapeutics and personalized care. “A decreasing number of pathologists face a growing workload,” she stated, and she said that she and her colleagues believe that AI will have a fundamental role in image-based diagnostics. Jørn Skibsted Jakobsen, Vice President, Global Clinical R&D at Ferring Pharmaceuticals, highlighted his company’s work and progress using gene therapy in patients with bladder cancer and finally, Carl Borrebaeck, Professor at the University of Lund, spoke about a very important aspect of cancer precision medicine – collaborating with other disciplines. He said that one of the challenges for immuno-oncology is that there are too few molecules investigated. Academic institutions need to collaborate, and collaborate with other disciplines, to find new targets. In the unique collaboration project L2 Cancer Bridge he and his colleagues, together with other world class researchers at the Swiss Cancer