Nordic Life Science 1
e adds that here the importance of stakeholder ma
nagement also comes to play. “Working with small companies, it is interesting how the individual becomes even more important in creating success. Business is people business – it starts and ends with people to make things happen.” Vaccibody is in a very exciting phase right now, having recently shown that a neoepitope cancer vaccine has the ability to actually shrink tumors. Caspar agrees, and says they have gained a lot of momentum since they published their first and very promising clinical data. Vaccibody is the first company to demonstrate tumor shrinkage, and not just extended progression free survival, with a neoantigen cancer vaccine. “The trial is a phase I/IIa basket trial, so we are still building data points that will enable us to go into the next phase and ultimately help us design the right trials so that we can get to the patient in the most optimal manner,” he says. Their ambitions have only increased with the positive data, and he continues, “We hope to position the Vaccibody platform in as many indications and settings as possible. The safety profile is very good, which also opens up for many potential avenues. In any case, we need to analyze and plan so that we make the right decisions and do things in the right order – this is biotech, a success does not happen overnight but rather over a decade.” Furthermore, Vaccibody has VB10.16, where the first patient will be dosed in a cervical cancer trial in combination with Roche’s atezolizumab during 2020. Overall, Caspar says he thinks that the immunotherapy field is moving at a tremendous pace, whether it be checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-Ts, CR-NKs or TCR therapies. “There is still so much we don’t understand about the tumor microenvironment and the overall immune system. A lot of risks and opportunities to be pursued. I also keep looking to the developments in Next Generation Sequencing and how lowering the cost of sequencing has helped enable the space. Personally, I also think the microbiome space is fascinating, and it appears we have some good players in the Nordics.” CELEBRATE EVERY LITTLE WIN The best part of the job is how science and technology can improve the lives of patients – and push developments in society, states Foghsgaard. “Working with great people and science, and with an innovative product is very motivating. Then, once you succeed after literally a marathon of partnering attempts; or get that positive read-out – that is the best,” he says. It is a team effort, he continues, “Sharing that success is very rewarding – and then it is important to celebrate every little win.” The most challenging part of his job he says is getting in front of potential partners or investors at the early stages with only little or no data, be it immune responses or clinical data. “That is where tenure and a network in the business development circus helps, and stamina and an optimistic nature. The timelines are long, and then add changes in standard of care on top of that, just to heighten the barrier. And capital demand is high, so let’s face it – if you are not first or best in class, then forget about it.” When I ask Caspar in what areas of life sciences Norway is especially strong he says that he thinks it is impressive what the Oslo Cancer Cluster, Radforsk and others have managed to do in the oncology space in particular. “Building on a biotech successes such as Algeta, has fueled a lot of interest in the general space, but it takes talent and innovation, money and time – and plenty of it.” Clusters enabling critical mass are important, he says. “Denmark has a long tradition in pharma – and an ownership structure to maintain it – and thereby has built critical mass across the value chain. Norway has the oil-wealth, and some of the private wealth is now flowing into biotech. That’s a great story and hopefully it is only the beginning. Biotech is high risk, high reward – with very long time-lines.” A good proof of the quality of the companies is their ability to attract international talent, and their crossborder collaborations, he concludes. “Back in my time in Novozymes we worked with Professor Inger Sandlie and licensed technology to use in half-life extension; interestingly she is also a coinventor on the core Vaccibody patent together with Professor Bjarne Bogen and Agnete B. Fredriksen, our President & CSO and co-founder.” NLS NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG 61