High international standing in biotechnology:
In the world's top 20
Expertise, is the primary reason that Oslo was recently named one of the 20 best places in the world to conduct biotechnology activities.
OCC heads: Bjarte Reve (left) and J�nas Einarsson are the Oslo cancer Cluster's CEO and Chairman of the Board, respectively. (Photo: Thea Tønnesen)
"Commercialisation - converting the excellent cancer research being done in the Oslo region into better cancer treatment for patients - is the main objective of the Oslo Cancer Cluster (OCC)," says its CEO, Bjarte Reve.
The roughly 40 member enterprises of OCC span five main groups: the authorities, hospitals, companies, patients' organisations and research institutions. All told, the members currently have 44 cancer-treatment products undergoing clinical trials. This summer the American magazine Genome Technology crowned the Oslo region and the OCC as one of the top nine new and emerging biotechnology clusters in the world. No other European clusters made the list.
"We are extremely pleased to be included on this list, especially since it ranks biotechnology in general and we deal only with cancer, and because we are such a young endeavour. We were established in November 2006," notes Mr Reve. The magazine rated the Oslo area as one of the 20 overall best places for biotechnology development in the world today.
Medicines in half the time
The OCC is working to cut down on the time it takes to develop medicines. In today's market, the average time is 13 years from a researcher's idea to a commercialised medicine. Ideally, this time lag should be halved. The OCC is collaborating closely with the Norwegian Radium Hospital to bolster the clinical trials element for medicines.
"We sponsor a research physician's position at the clinical trials unit of the Norwegian Radium Hospital, and we collaborate with the hospital on a general basis to streamline the process of testing prescriptive medicines. Shortening the time needed will never come at the expense of safety," Mr Reve emphasises.
Of great benefit to members
For the small company siRNAsense (see related Forskning article) the cluster is vitally important.
"Being part of Norway's biotechnology community for cancer research, with close ties to the Radium Hospital and the other Norwegian companies, is crucial for us," says Hanne Mette Kristensen, CEO of siRNAsense. "It gives us a level of international visibility we would never have had, and we get the opportunity to meet other, large companies we otherwise would have difficulty making contact with."
- Published:
- 23.09.2008
- Last updated:
- 24.09.2008
