Nordic Life Science 1
INTERVIEW // SAM SIHVONEN Preventing the Next Pan
demic WHEN SAM SIHVONEN, co-founder and CEO of Solu, sees a problem, he wants to fix it. T E X T B Y EL L EN R . DEL I S I O W ITH HIS SIGHTS SET on becoming a doctor, Sam Sihvonen initially started at Helsinki Medical School in Finland in 2021 in pursuit of a medical degree. Along the way, he attended a conference on the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and realized what a serious threat these posed to the world. If not stopped, these mutations could lead to the next global pandemic, and Sihvonen resolved not to let that happen. So he began analyzing genomes of bacteria and fungi and studying their DNA sequences. He switched career paths from medicine to entrepreneurship and built a tool that analyzed antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The tool rapidly identifies and isolates antibiotic-resistant genes and thus speeds up hospitals’ response time. The faster a hospital gets results, the sooner it can prevent antibioticresistant bacteria from spreading. In 2023 Sihvonen and a partner launched Solu in Finland, a company described as providing “comprehensive genomic epidemiology tools for real-time pathogen surveillance and outbreak analysis.” Solu’s software provides clients with detailed information about antibioticresistant bacteria, describes Sihvonen. “Our method is faster and simpler than anything else,” he says. “Other [methods] can take up to an hour, ours takes a few minutes. There is no need to understand the background, you just upload the information. And we’ve put a lot of effort into making sure there is strict data security.” Prevent future pandemics The company currently serves universities, hospitals, healthcare, and food safety agencies in nine countries including Norway, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. A discounted version of the software is available to researchers and used in 70 countries. A free trial version is available to everyone. “This is more about making a difference than making money,” emphasizes Sihvonen. “My favorite part of the job is working with smart individuals and turning our vision into a reality.” This is clear from his long-term goals for Solu and himself. “We envision Solu having 100 million clients and I hope we can help hospitals all over the world and help prevent the next pandemic,” he says. NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG | 87