Four pilot projects to lead the way in BRIDGE Sweden

The leaders of the four selected pilot projects in BRIDGE Sweden: Anna Dimberg, Uppsala university, Thuy Tran, KI, Maarten de Château, Buzzard Pharmaceuticals, and Henrik Ahlenius and Johan Bengzon, Lunds university.

BRIDGE Sweden aims to streamline the journey from research to commercialization in biologics and precision medicine. Four standout pharmaceutical pilot projects, chosen for their scientific excellence and innovative potential, will play a pivotal role in advancing this initiative.
“Our pilot projects will set the standard, helping us identify essential offerings and refine our approach,” says Alexandra Patriksson, project manager for BRIDGE Sweden at Testa Center.

Supported by Swelife and Vinnova (The Swedish Innovation Agency), BRIDGE Sweden is designed to connect existing national infrastructures, creating a cohesive pipeline for biologics development from candidate molecules to active substances ready for clinical trials, focusing on efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

The approach being developed within BRIDGE Sweden will be validated through four pilot projects, selected in fierce competition.
"The interest in participating in BRIDGE has been overwhelmingly high among researchers and small companies nationwide. We received 19 expressions of interest, highlighting the significant need for what BRIDGE aims to develop" says Alexandra Patriksson.

Three academic projects and one start-up

The selected projects — three from leading academic institutions and one from a startup — will receive dedicated support to accelerate the commercialization of their specific biological product through the BRIDGE platform. This includes drug, cell line, and process development (SciLife Lab’s Drug & Discovery Platform, DDD), developing gene therapy production (Lund’s Stem Cell Center and pre-GMP facility,) and upscaling of production (Testa Center). Here are the pilot projects:

• Anna Dimberg, Uppsala University, “Antibody Therapy Targeting CD93 for Treatment of Brain Tumors”
• Johan Bengzon and Henrik Ahlenius, Lund University, “In Vivo Gene Therapy for Glioblastoma”
• Thuy Tran, Karolinska Institutet “Advancing Radiotheranostics for Solid Tumors”
• Buzzard Pharmaceuticals “Development of an Improved IL-1 Inhibitor for Chronic Autoinflammatory Conditions”

“Our rigorous selection criteria covered scientific quality, innovation potential, and the projects’ capacity to bring added value to BRIDGE. The academic projects offer challenges that will provide valuable learning for both the DDD platform, Testa Center, and the pre-GMP unit in Lund,” Alexandra notes, adding:

"Buzzard Pharmaceuticals also brings essential insights into cell line development."

Vital project for Lund’s Stem Cell Center
A key element of BRIDGE Sweden is the creation of new, stable cell lines on the DDD platform. Currently, a needs assessment is in progress, examining market demands, IP landscapes, potential business models, and BRIDGE Sweden’s capabilities within DDD.

“Development and technical planning for the pilot projects are moving forward in parallel.”

The four pilot projects will proceed simultaneously, with Lund researchers Henrik Ahlenius and Johan Bengzon’s gene therapy project initially based at Lund’s Stem Cell Center and pre-GMP facility.

”We aim to scale up the production of gene therapy for clinical trials. Currently, we have seven drug projects based on this technology, but we can only produce at a research scale for preclinical studies. BRIDGE Sweden can assist us in setting up tests for industrial-scale production. Our researchers have been working with this technology for ten years, so this support is crucial” says Elias Uhlin, project manager at Stem Cell Center in Lund.

Innovation offices provide business support
BRIDGE Sweden also aims to link research infrastructure with the innovation ecosystem by providing early business support to pilot projects.
“We’ve identified the business support needs for the academic projects. Initially, the innovation offices at KI, Lund, and Uppsala University will assist with business development,” says Alexandra Patriksson.

ABOUT BRIDGE SWEDEN

• BRIDGE Sweden aims to streamline the development and production of biological products and pharmaceuticals.
• Developing new cell lines on SciLifeLab’s DDD platform is a core project component, with subsequent scaling at Testa Center.
• The project strengthens links between research infrastructure and the innovation ecosystem.
• Funded by Swelife through Vinnova.
• MSEK 16.9 is invested in the project, with MSEK 10.8 coming from Swelife/Vinnova.
• Project partners: Testa Center (coordinator), SciLife Lab (DDD platform), Stem Cell Center and pre-GMP at Lund University, STUNS, Karolinska Institutet, Lunds and Uppsala University, and their innovation offices and Umeå Biotech Incubator.

For more info, please contact:
Alexandra Patriksson,
Science Relations Manager, Testa Center
Tel: 0046-76-136 47 22
Email: alexandra.patriksson@cytiva.com

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