The Stockholm-Uppsala Biomedical Region Asking questions and finding answers
In the world of biomedical science, in part due to the development of new technologies, the potential to make new discoveries is greater than ever before. As a result, the time needed to complete the journey from original research idea through to commercial innovation is being accelerated. This point is reinforced by the upsurge of academic and entrepreneurial activity within the Stockholm/Uppsala biomedical cluster; the region is not merely continuing its established role of discovering and answering life-improving questions, but is also constantly providing novel ways of converting those answers into new business opportunities.
The current explosion of research projects, business initiatives and new biotech companies could lead some commentators to assume that the Stockholm/Uppsala biomedical sector is an overnight success. And from an international perspective there are plenty of statistics to validate this assumption.
Yet today's regional achievements are actually the culmination of years of cooperation between academia and industry, between human capital and financial capital. As Craig Venter, president and chief scientific officer of US firm Celera Genomics points out, "Sweden is the most advanced country in terms of science per capita anywhere in the world. The scientific culture is well embedded and they've developed a strong entrepreneurial attitude which is good for science."
Embedded is very true and the Stockholm/Uppsala biomedical cluster contributes more than any other Swedish region to the nation's international reputation. And not just right here and right now. The region has been coming up with scientific answers that have altered the face of biomedicine for much longer.
| A WORLD CLASS SCIENTIFIC & BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT | |
|---|---|
| 01 | Sweden has the highest number of biotech companies per capita in the world |
| 02 | Sweden is fourth in the world in absolute numbers of biotech companies |
| 03 | The Stockholm/Uppsala region is home to well over 50% of Sweden's biotech companies |
| 04 | Sweden is the most R&D intensive country in OECD |
| 05 | The Stockholm/Uppsala region is the most R&D intensive region in Sweden |
| 06 | Sweden tops industrial R&D expenditure in OECD |
| 07 | Sweden tops industrial R&D expenditure in OECD |
| 08 | Sweden has the highest venture capital investment per thousand |
| 09 | GDP in seed and start up companies in OECD |
| 10 | Of the 33 venture capital companies in Sweden investing in biotech/medtech, 27 are situated in the Stockholm/Uppsala region |
| 11 | Sweden is ranked as the most advanced IT nation in the world in IDC report 2001-2002 |
| 12 | Sweden has more European patents per million inhabitants than any other OECD country in science and technology |
| 13 | Sweden has more US patents per million inhabitants than any other European OECD country in science and technology |
| 14 | Sweden has the highest publication volume of any OECD country per million population |
| 15 | More than 50% of the bio-related articles in Science Citation Index emanate from the Stockholm/Uppsala region |
| References for all of these statistics can be found at: | |
| NB | www.cmi.ki.se |
| www.bas.stockholm.se | |
| www.stuns.se |
Quality is the key
This tradition for research breakthroughs and business acumen serves as a reminder that size is not always everything. With a regional population of 2.1 million, comparable to San Diego, it is only natural that export becomes an economic necessity. To meet that necessity the few must out-perform the many and quality becomes paramount. The Stockholm/Uppsala biomedical cluster has continuously answered the quality challenge and competed favourably with much larger global regions: AstraZeneca and Pharmacia serve as excellent examples. Both of these multinational pharmaceutical companies were founded and nurtured within the region and both still retain a large-scale presence.
In the case of AstraZeneca, that presence is strengthening all of the time. According to Professor Jan Lundberg, global head of pre-clinical research at AstraZeneca, there are certain factors why the Anglo-Swedish giant has increased its stakes in the region. "We believe that the Stockholm/Uppsala region is a region of future growth," he says. "Also, it is an ambitious region with a very strong tradition for excellent research in the neuroscience field. The high quality of basic and clinical science is very important for our company."
The importance of Pharmacia is also critical to regional ambitions, albeit in a slightly different and almost ironic context. By spinning-off some of its local operations Pharmacia has acted as a catalyst to the current biomedical boom. Former Pharmacia scientists and managers have been freed-up to channel their expertise and talents into start-up companies and projects. The invaluable experience of this human capital has already sparked renewed vigour into the biomedical environment to such an extent that the brain drain which has previously taken some of the region's leading scientists overseas is now not merely abating, but is showing distinct signs of reversal. Mats Pettersson, CEO of Biovitrum (the largest Pharmacia spin-out company to date with 900 employees) has spent all but 2 of the last 11 years abroad. Having worked as an industry leader in both the US and Europe he believes that Sweden is "one of the most serious research countries anywhere" and stresses that the Stockholm / Uppsala region in particular has combined its academic strengths and business know-how to create "a biotech culture fueled by a thriving entrepreneurial spirit".
Who Are The New Breed?
Some of the companies redefining the global biomedical environment
| REDEFINING THE GLOBAL BIOMEDICAL ENVIRONMENT | |
|---|---|
| Amersham Pharmacia Biotech A life science company with its global legal department and Swedish R&D activities based in Uppsala. Over 1,200 of its 4,500 global workforce are situated in Sweden. APB supplies the tools and technologies needed to turn the promise of molecular medicine into reality. | |
| Biovitrum A Pharmacia Corporation spin-out company with 900 employees active in the research of metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity, and in the development, production and marketing of recombinant and plasma derived protein drugs. | |
| Global Genomics Founded by Professor Patrik Ernfors and Dr Sten Linnarsson from Karolinska Institutet, Global Genomics is currently preparing for the 2002 launch of its global, PCR-based, gene expression analysis technology. | |
| Gyros An APB spin-out company that has attracted the largest investment of Venture Capital funding ever made to a biotech company in Sweden (USD27 m). Gyros has developed a technology platform in which laboratory processes are miniaturized and integrated into application-specific microlaboratories, designed in the form of a compact disc (CD). | |
| KaroBio A multinational company specialising in the discovery and pre-clinical phases of drug development. R&D activities include 4 separate research programs based on KaroBio's unique knowledge about nuclear receptors to a large extent stemming from Jan-Åke Gustafsson's research breakthroughs. | |
| Melacure Therapeutics Specialising in creating novel, effective and cost efficient drugs acting on melanocortin receptors as well as other drug targets. Three disease areas are currently targeted in the drug discovery: feeding disorders, inflammatory disorders and sexual dysfunction. | |
| Neuronova Founded in 1998 by Prof Jonas Frisén and Dr Ann Marie Janson at Karolinska Institutet following the discovery that the ependymal layer of the adult rodent and human brain contains cells that have the capacity to mature into all the major cell types of the brain. NeuroNova is engaged in the discovery and development of adult neural stem cell-based therapies for the treatment of disorders of the central nervous system. | |
| Prevas Bioinformatics Based in Uppsala the company uses the latest technology platforms to provide IT-consulting services for the biotechnology, pharmaceutical research and medical technology sectors. | |
| Pyrosequencing Pyrosequencing already leads the global market in applied genomics with over 100 systems sold. The patented technology, a simple-to-use DNA sequencing technique, is based on an idea conceived at KTH by Professors Pål Nyren and Mathias Uhlén. Within 5 months of entering the Stockholm stock exchange, Pyrosequencing appeared on the Forbes list of 300 Best Small Companies. |
A new breed of scientific superstars
As well as encouraging entrepreneurs away from the big pharmaceutical companies there is an additional group of aspiring business winners emanating from the academic institutions. Instead of leaving the region, the brightest brains are eager to stay put. This show of faith is stimulating the international medical community and enticing foreign experts to move in. Jonas Frisén, a young professor of stem cell biology and founder of NeuroNova, represents one of a new breed of entrepreneurial scientific superstars whom would previously have headed west. Headhunted by the top US institutions, he elected to remain in a "wonderful micro environment devoid of professional intrigues". Other reasons? Professor Frisén cites the unique Swedish legal system, which permits scientists to retain the patent rights on their own research work, as a major incentive. "The legal system is very favourable for academic spin-off companies," he explains. "The regulatory aspects conform to the highest international standards and are still very pragmatic and non-bureaucratic."
These views are supported by Sten Linnarsson, another member of the new breed. As a 2001 PhD graduate in molecular biology, Linnarsson has also capitalised on the entrepreneurial environment with his company Global Genomics. "The whole bio climate here is especially fertile," he says. "The fact that I could start my company right after my PhD shows that I've been given better resources to explore my own ideas than most post-doctorates elsewhere. This is a relatively new trend and one where Sweden appears to be ahead of other European regions. The synergies between research and venture capital have improved substantially. It's no longer considered bad taste for scientists to patent their own inventions - it's actually the opposite. Nowadays the system totally encourages it."
| Reasons to invest: Stockholm / Uppsala Biomedical Region |
|---|
| "The Stockholm / Uppsala region contains all of the ingredients that international researchers need" Mary Walshok: Professor of Sociology UCSD |
| High competence of MDs and PhDs |
| High patient compliance |
| Large number of unique patient databases |
| Good CRO-environment |
| World-class research and innovative climate |
| Cooperation between hospitals, universities & companies |
| High ethical standards |
| Very competitive business costs |
| Qualified workforce with excellent language skills |
| Fast and respected quality of registration procedure for medicinal products |
The powerhouse - A production line of academic excellence
With the combined number of biomedical and medtech companies in the region now passing the 400 mark, the signs for future prosperity are extremely healthy. Whereas the conversion rate for putting research projects onto a sound business footing has increased significantly, Ron Long, former CEO of Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, thinks it is important to remember that academia still remains the cornerstone of any biomedical boom. As he explains, "the vast majority of medical breakthroughs originate in universities and institutions and not in the big pharmaceutical companies." Even more emphatic is his belief that, "the Swedish medical institutions are international powerhouses. There is nowhere else in the world right now with so much biotech activity going on. I envisage the current research platform will put the region in a leading international position for years to come".
Why is the region so strong?
Comments of scientific and industry leaders say...
"The base line is that we have qualitative and quantitative research dating all the way back to the twenties"
Mathias Uhlén
Scientist, entrepreneur co-founder of Pyrosequencing
"Sweden is particularly strong in neurosciences, structural biology, regenerative medicine, and a couple of other medical fields at the cutting edge of the ongoing revolution in life sciences"
Richard Johnson
US life science expert and Partner at Arnold & Porter
"The Karolinska is currently creating one new company every two months and this is moving in an exponential fashion"
Hans Wigzell
President of Karolinska Institutet
"A well educated workforce and a place where people like to live is a good combination"
Staffan Ternby
Information Chief at AstraZeneca
"he region contains qualitative people at a competitive cost position and is highly IT-oriented"
Siegfried Russwurm
Managing Director at Siemens-Elema
"Smaller, swifter companies like KaroBio can be more attractive for top academic researchers to work with than the big pharma. I envisage a pearl-band of similar companies will emerge in the region"
Jan-Åke Gustafsson
Professor & Head of Department of Biosciences, Novum
"Stockholm BioScience will dramatically strengthen the region's international position and competitiveness and will benefit from the critical mass already generated by the entrepreneurial bioscience activities in Uppsala and Novum"
Ola Björkman
Project Director for Stockholm BioScience
