ARCHIVE 2010
iSentio-investment attracts international attention
(16.12.10)
The newly closed financing round in iSentio where the company raised USD 1,5 mill attracts international attention and has been commented in several net-based international media. Read more here and here
Sarsia Seed invests in iSentio AS
(13.12.10)
Sarsia Seed has invested NOK 5 million (€ 630.000) in the Bergen-based company iSentio AS. The investment represents the first investment round in a plan for installment of a total of NOK 10 million (€ 1.260.000) in the company. iSentio delivers an Internet based tool for interpretation of difficult DNA-sequenses arising when diagnosing infection conditions caused by simultaneous infection with several bacterial types. Fast and accurate diagnosis of such conditions is often vital to the treatment of the patient but has been made difficult by technical limitations now solved by iSentio. Several internationally leading hospitals are already using iSentio’s product in the treatment of infections. Read more
BerGenBio finalist in European Venture Contest
(10.12.10)
BerGenBio has been elected as one of 25 finalists in European Venture Contest 2010. The final is to be arranged in Barcelona December 16th and BerGenBio is one of six biotech companies that has reached to the final.
Read more here.
BerGenBio and Vaccibody have been selected to present at Sigma Fondene’s and DnBNOR Markets’ Nordic Healthcare Conference 2010 (Venture Session)
(24.11.10)
Sigma Fondsforvaltning and DnBNOR Markets are arranging the first yearly Nordic Investor conference for the health sector. The Conference – which is a broad gathering of investment opportunities in the Nordic health sector – will take place Wednesday December 1st at DnBNOR’s main office at Aker Brygge in Oslo (http://www.healthcare.management-access.com/).
From the program:
BerGenBio AS - Removing the serendipity from drug development. Proprietary RNAi cell based biotechnology is used to identify and develop novel drug targets and first in class drug leads to early clinical stage. Focused on cancer and the mechanisms of drug resistance, BerGenBio has a pipeline of targets and drug candidates and offers technology access through a CRO service to the global biotech sector.
Vaccibody AS - Vaccines linked to targeting molecules which directs the vaccine towards crucial cells in the immune system thereby potentiating their effect.
BerGenBio was selected as one of the 2010 European Venture Contest’s TOP 100 companies and one of the Nordic Top 10 on the Nordic Venture Forum i København
(08.11.10)
In it’s 10th year, the Nordic Venture Forum has established an impressive history of over 60% of presenting companies raising new investments following participation. BerGenBio went through the Nordic Venture Forum’s ”Venture Academy” and was selected as one of two companies within LifeSciences on the Nordic Top 10 list and Europe’s TOP 100 list of Best Business Cases in the 2010 European Venture Contest (http://www.e-unlimited.com/events/awards_winners.aspx?events_id=325).
BerGenBio has renewed one of it’s CRO contracts with a TOP 10 Pharma company for the third consecutive year.
(15.10.10)
The contract is worth just below 1 mEUR. BerGenBio will support validation studies of their Oncology lead programs: essentially providing additional data to increase pre-clinical confidence in the drug discovery stage.
Sarsia Seed to arrange patent seminar in co-operation with Norwegian Industrial Property Office
(22.10.10)
In co-operation with The Norwegian Industrial Property Office and Norwegian Venture Capital Association , Sarisa Seed will October 26th arrange a seminar on strategic application of IPR in venture companies.
Read article here
Publication in Hepmarin AS
(15.10.10)
The founder of Hepmarin AS, professor Ragnar Flengsrud, and co-authors have just published a paper in the well renowned scientific journal Thrombosis Research presenting a new technology for purification of medical heparin from salmon raw material.
Read article here
BerGenBio
(29.09.10)
BerGenBio seeks Research Assistant – Cancer (PhD Studentship)
ScreenCancer
(08.09.10)
BOOTS Pharmacies offer skin cancer screening in Norway in cooperation with ScreenCancer AS
Suspicious mole? New service in BOOTS gives you the answer!
Boots Pharmacies in Norway offer in cooperation with ScreenCancer a new service in pharmacies. The pharmacy takes pictures of moles you suspect to be abnormal and sends them to Screen Cancer’s dermatologist. The customer receives answer directly from ScreenCancer when the pictures are analysed.
Watch a video of the actual procedure (in Norwegian): http://www.budstikka.no/nyheter/na-slipper-du-legeko-for-a-ta-kreftsjekk-1.5606070
This is a new service which will be tested in eight Norwegian Boots pharmacies this autumn. In these pharmacies qualified personnel from the pharmacy will take pictures of the mole with a camera that has a special light technology that gives the dermatologist valuable information.
- It is very exciting for us to make this service available in BOOTS pharmacies. To take a picture is harmless, painless and takes only a few minutes. We believe this service is a low-threshold service and will contribute to more early stage discoveries of malign melanomas. We know that early discovery is key to avoid serious illness and get well, says Elin Rugnes Andersen in Boots.
- We analyse the pictures and send answers to the customers within one to two weeks. Our answer is based on new technology and a dermatologist’s evaluation, which ensures high level of accuracy, concludes oncologist Dagfinn Øgreid with ScreenCancer. He stresses that this is well tested technology, which for the first time now is made available through a pharmacy.
- If our analysis should indicate that a mole ought to be looked more into, we will contact the customer per telephone and agree on how further examinations shall take place, says Øgreid.
Sorbwater AS
(22.06.10)
Sorbwater Technology is soon to launch a container solution for cleaning of polluted water from drilling rigs. The goal is that the first commercial solution will be ready in September.
Windsim AS
(23.05.10)
WindSim and 3TIER today announced the completion a joint wind resource assessment initiative that successfully demonstrates the feasibility of combining WindSim's computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling with 3TIER's mesoscale numerical weather prediction (NWP) modeling in early-stage wind resource mapping and assessment efforts.
Windsim AS
(18.05.10)
WindSim and Intermap Technologies today announced they will jointly market a solution to help wind farm designers easily combine high-resolution elevation data with advanced modeling that optimizes wind turbine placement for more profitable wind farms.
APIM
(20.05.10)
Sarsia Seed has invested NOK 3.5 mill (€ 440.000) in APIM Therapeutics AS. The company, which is a is spin-out from The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), has developed novel peptide drugs which have the potential to improve clinical outcomes achieved with a large group of existing first line chemotherapeutics.
Vaccibody
(18.05.10)
Good news for Vaccibody - FDA approves Provenge - First Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine to be Approved in the US.
The end of April saw the first time ever approval in the US of a therapeutic vaccine against cancer. The drug, called Provenge, with forecast annual sales of $4.3 billion in 2020, and manufactured by the Dendreon Corporation is administered purely on a personalised basis against prostate cancer. This approval will most definitely stimulate renewed interest from key pharma players for this field of therapy. In comparing Vaccibody’s anticipated clinical application with that of Dendreon, it is expected that Vaccibody will be more “user-friendly” compared to that for Provenge. Furthermore, it is interesting to note that Celldex Therapeutics which has an approach similar but more limited to that used by Vaccibody, has recently been identified to possibly be next in line with respect to the next success story to come out of the therapeutic vaccines arena.
Read more
BerGen Bio AS
(15.04.10)
Sarsia Seed has invested NOK 1.250.000 (€ 160.000) in BerGen Bio AS. The company, which is a spin-out from the University of Bergen, develops proprietary RNAi technologies to streamline and thereby lower the costs involved in early-stage drug discovery. The company offers drug discovery services based on this know-how, which is also exploited in the discovery, evaluation, and eventual sale of BerGenBio’s own drug candidates. The invested capital will be used to further develop the technology and to procure additional documentation regarding the company’s primary drug candidate.
Weyland AS
(06.05.10)
Sarsia Seed portfolio company Weyland AS (www.weyland.no) is nominated for the Western-Norwegian final in DnB Nor Innovation Prize 2010. The winner of the final is awarded a grant and will be nominated for the national final in the DnB Nor Innovation Prize competition. Weyland AS is based in Bergen and develops a new technology for production of cellulostic ethanol. The company is in the process of building a pilot plant in Bergen.
Sorbwater AS
(06.05.10)
Sorbwater AS (www.sorbwater.com), a Sarsia Seed portfolio company, is one of five nominees for the Western-Norwegian final in innovation competition; DnB Nor Innovation Prize. Sorbwater AS develops a water purification technology based on application of the natural bio-polymer alginate. The technology is designed for purification of produced water and slop-water and produced during off-shore oil production, but may also have a series of other applications. The winner of the Western-Norwegian final received a grant and becomes a finalist in the national finale of the competition.
C10 Pharma AS
(12.03.10)
Sarsia Seed has invested NOK 1 mill (€ 125.000) in the Norwegian biopharmaceutical C10 Pharma AS. C10 Pharma is a company focused on developing novel antibiotics and the investors in the Series A round are Novo Seed, and Sarsia Seed. C10 Pharma’s vision is to develop new antibiotics to treat potentially life-threatening bacterial infections. Despite the critical need for more effective antibiotics to combat drug-resistant ‘super-bugs’ the pipeline of new antibiotics under development is alarmingly slim. C10 Pharma´s ambition is to add to this pipeline through innovative, targeted and effective drug development. C10 Pharma’s technology is based on research results from University of Oslo.
Prophylix Pharma AS
(10.03.09)
Sarsia Seed invests in Prophylix Pharma AS
Sarsia Seed has invested NOK 1 mill (€ 125.000) in the Tromsø-based company Prophylix Pharma AS as the first step in a long term development programme. The company is based on research from University Hospital of North Norway and Ullevål University Hospital and develops a treatment for the prevention of the disease Neonatal Alloimmune Trombocytopenia (NAIT) – a serious condition of the newborn leading to severe brain injury and mortality. Prophylix Pharma is developing a treatment regime that can be applied to women immediately after delivery to prevent NAIT in subsequent pregnancies. The investment is carried out as a co-investment with Tromsø-based Norinnova Invest.
Vaccibody
(15.01.10)
Vaccibody featured in Finansavisen
Too few scientists strive to commercialise their ideas. In an effort to change this, Oslo University Hospital is now allowing researchers to possess shares in their own companies. Vaccibody is one such example of how research has resulted in a promising new company.
WindSim
(January 2010)
WindSim featured in North American Windpower January Issue.
WAsP Doesn't Fly Alone: New Technologies Advance. When it comes to wind assessment technology, the Wind Atlas Analysis and Application Program has been the most trusted source. However, new assessment technology may be gaining traction in the marketplace. The article is featured on pages 44-46 in the January 2010 Issue.