Posts

Meet our new members

Meet the members who recently joined or re-joined our cluster.

A warm welcome to our newest members! Oslo Cancer Cluster’s diverse member base includes university hospitals, research centres, patient organizations, start-ups, biotech and technology companies, global pharma, investors, financial institutions, and service providers. Together, they cover the whole spectrum of oncology, contributing to a unique ecosystem that accelerates the development of innovative cancer treatments. Oslo Cancer Cluster works tirelessly together with our members to enhance the development of novel cancer diagnostics and therapies to improve patients’ lives worldwide.

We are proud to announce that the following companies have recently joined our cluster:

 

ARTBIO

Cody

Exact Sciences

Fortrea

Link Medical

Surviva

We had the opportunity to speak with the companies this week and let them introduce themselves. Read on to learn more about why they joined the cluster, and what they’re currently working on:

 

Artbio

ARTBIO is a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company redefining cancer care by creating a new class of alpha radioligand therapies (ARTs). Alpha radioligand therapeutics are gaining attention as a promising experimental modality for delivering lethal radioactivity directly to cancer cells. The unique ARTBIO approach selects the optimal alpha-precursor isotope (Pb-212) and tumour-specific targets to create therapeutics with the potential for the highest efficacy and safety. ARTBIO is currently advancing multiple pipeline programs with lead program AB001 first in human trials. ARTBIO is shaped by a long-standing scientific legacy with nearly a century of pioneering work in radiation therapy conducted at the University of Oslo and Norway’s Radium Hospital.

We are excited to be accepted as members of Oslo Cancer Cluster and look forward to collaborating with this rich ecosystem of leading healthcare institutions, researchers, and innovative stakeholders to empower patient-centric advances in cancer care, says Conrad Wüller, Director of strategy and operations

 

 

Cody

Cody is a Norwegian company developing products, lab equipment and production machinery. With a core competence in mechanical engineering and advanced automation. Cody has extensive experience in developing tailor-made GMP production and packaging solutions for radiopharmaceuticals and other pharmaceuticals. Cody works closely with their customers in the various phases of the development processes to find efficient, robust, and safe production solutions for both the clinical stages and commercial production.

We are excited about the growing number of radiopharmaceutical companies in Norway, and we will do our part in bringing the products to production. Cody has been working in the radio pharma industry since 2011, and we are now looking forward to being a part of Oslo Cancer Cluster, make new connections, and create new opportunities together, says Ken Andre Kihle, CEO

 

 

Exact Sciences

Exact Sciences is a provider of cancer screening and diagnostic tests, focusing on cancer prevention, early detection, and personalised treatment. Their invention Cologuard and Oncotype DX (ODX) tests have seen success in various markets. The tests, now available in Norway, received a favourable Single Technology Assessment (STA) from the National Institute of Public Health (FHI) in October 2023. The company awaits the final decision by the Decision Forum (Beslutningsforum) for ODX to be publicly available and reimbursed across all Norwegian Cancer Clinics. ODX predicts chemotherapy benefits, identifying a significant portion of Breast Cancer patients (HR+/HER2-neg) who can avoid unnecessary adjuvant chemotherapy, reducing side effects and improving quality of life.

As a member of Oslo Cancer Cluster, we align with our commitment to enhancing the lives of cancer patients through the accelerated development of new diagnostics and treatments. Our focus on precision medicine and personalized treatment decisions is shared by the Cluster, and we value being a part of the collaborative and innovative environment, says Glenn Gundersen, Country Manager and PhD.

 

Fortrea

Fortrea is a clinical research organization that specializes in developing treatments for cancer patients. The company has a long history in clinical development and draws on expertise from its predecessors, Covance and Labcorp Drug Development. In July 2023, Fortrea became an independent company and now has a dedicated team of over 2,400 oncology specialists, including 60 medical oncologists. They work with more than 30,000 cancer centers in 90 countries and have experience in over 40 different types of cancer. With their experiences and dedicated team, Fortrea possesses the necessary insights, experience, scale, and processes to expedite the delivery of new treatments to cancer patients.

Fortrea is well-equipped to assist Oslo Cancer Cluster members in advancing their assets through clinical research and onto the next stage of development, thanks to our extensive scale and experience, says Norma Aspajo Vidal, the Director of Business Development

 

Link Medical

LINK Medical is a leading clinical research organization and regulatory service provider offering a wide range of expertise, flexible services, and innovative technologies for the pharmaceutical and medical device industries across Northern Europe and beyond. LINK Medical was founded in Oslo in 1995, and has over 145 dedicated colleagues in the Nordics, UK, and Germany, with a variety of specialist backgrounds. LINK Medical wants to help Oslo Cance Cluster members with a local presence in their development of cancer treatment and diagnostics. With their long experience in conducting complex clinical trials, and over 90 oncology studies. In addition, Link Medical’s regulatory team has extensive experience with supporting all stages of medical product development.

We are so delighted to once again be a member of Oslo Cancer Cluster, and we look forward to supporting the product development journey of Oslo Cancer Cluster members in their endeavours to help improve the lives of patients. Our vision is to advance health innovations, and we truly believe that LINK Medical continues to play an important role in the eco-system of developing life-saving products, says Sissel Lønning Andresen, CEO.

 

Surviva

SurViva is a consultancy firm based in Norway that specializes in providing quality assurance (QA) services and digital quality management systems (eQMS) to clients in the food, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries. They offer customized quality packages to meet the specific needs of individual companies. The company’s goal is to promote activity and value creation in Norway by helping life science companies develop and professionalize their systems and processes. SurViva shares the vision of the Oslo Cancer Cluster to accelerate cancer treatments and diagnostics that improve patients’ lives.

We believe we can contribute to this goal by reducing barriers, saving time and costs for companies, and enabling accelerated development of new cancer treatments, shares Astrid Hilde Myrset, CEO.

 

Meet our new members

Oslo Cancer Cluster proudly presents the new members that have joined our organisation during the second quarter of 2019.

The new members represent a valuable addition to our non-profit member organisation, which encompasses the whole oncology value chain. By being a part of Oslo Cancer Cluster, our members are connected to a global network with many relevant key players in the cancer research field. Our members contribute to this unique ecosystem and ensure the development of innovative cancer treatments to improve patients’ lives.

 

theradex logo

 

Theradex Oncology

Theradex Oncology provides global clinical development services exclusively to companies developing new cancer treatments. The company has a strong emphasis on early drug development. It provides regulatory and medical support for companies taking cancer treatments into clinical development in the US and Europe.

Theradex Oncology staff has participated in educational events at Oslo Cancer Cluster for a number of years. This is how they became familiar with the cluster.

“Oslo Cancer Cluster provides a unique opportunity to share knowledge with other professionals dedicated to developing new cancer treatments.” Meg Valnoski, President Theradex Oncology

Meg Valnoski explains how the company has been supporting the development of cancer treatments for over 30 years and experienced the advancements in cancer treatments over that time.

 “We are always working to expand our knowledge and experience in cancer drug development to support our partnerships with companies developing new therapies for cancer treatment.”

Catapult life science logo

Catapult Life Science

Catapult Life Science is a centre established to bridge the gap between the lab and the industry, providing infrastructure, equipment and expertise for product development and industrialisation in Norway. It has been formed as a result of joint efforts from a range of different players with a common goal of enabling more industrialisation of life science research in Norway, truly what the Norwegians call a dugnad.

“We see Oslo Cancer Cluster as a key partner for realising our purpose, which is to create new opportunities for product development and industrialisation in Norway.” Astrid Hilde Myrset, CEO Catapult Life Science

Myrset adds:

“Our vision is ‘Bringing science to life’, which implies enabling new ideas to a be developed in Norway for new employment in the pharma industry, new growth in the Norwegian economy, and last but not least, new products to the market, enabling a longer and healthier life for patients.”

 

This post is part of a series of articles, which will introduce the new members of our organisation every three months.

  • To find out who else is involved in Oslo Cancer Cluster, view the full list of members
  • Follow us on Facebook or subscribe to our newsletter to always stay up to date!

 

Sign up to OCC monthly newsletter!