BRIDGE Project aims to strengthen Swedish path from research to commercialization

A 7.7 million SEK investment is being made into the BRIDGE Sweden project, designed to streamline the journey from research to commercialization of biological pharmaceuticals and precision medicine. The initiative will more closely integrate research infrastructure with innovation systems and develop new cell lines on SciLifeLab's Drug Discovery and Development (DDD) platform, furthering the scale-up process at Testa Center.

Sweden aspires to reach a prominent global position in research, development, and production of precision medicines, backed by significant investments in infrastructure and research initiatives. Sweden boasts unique facilities such as Testa Center and SciLifeLab's DDD platform, but transitioning biological projects from research to finished product remains challenging, primarily due to the lengthy and complex process. Experiences from collaborations in biological drug projects have highlighted gaps in the support system, forming the basis of BRIDGE Sweden.

Alexandra Patriksson, Science Relations Manager at Testa Center, comments on the project:

"BRIDGE's combination of research infrastructure and innovation support, syncing business and technical development on the same platform is, as far as we know, unique."

Enhance Sweden's position and attract foreign businesses
Running for 3 years and supported by SweLife through the Swedish Innovation Agency, Vinnova, BRIDGE aims to create a development platform spanning from identifying drug candidates to production.

Strong interest and high demand are being shown by Nordic players in academia and industry for the services the new platform will offer.

Alexandra believes the BRIDGE project could give Swedish researchers a competitive edge in successful drug development of biological pharmaceuticals and precision medicine:
"Our goal is to enhance Sweden's international position and attract foreign small businesses to Sweden for development and subsequent production," she says.

Cell lines a crucial part

BRIDGE Sweden builds upon the Vinnova project InnoPharma, which connected SciLifeLab's DDD platform to university-affiliated innovation systems. BRIDGE also includes life science incubators (ALIS), STUNS, the stem cell center and pre-GMP unit at Lund University, as well as Testa Center.

"We aren't creating new organizations, just linking existing research infrastructures and regional innovation support more strongly to address process-related gaps. Currently, the journey from research to commercialization can be arduous and disjointed; we aim to create a well-trodden path," explains Alexandra.

A crucial part of the project is bridging the technical gap between SciLifeLab's DDD platform and Testa Center.

"Significant funding will go into developing new capabilities for cell lines on the DDD platform," asserts Alexandra Patriksson.

Per Arvidsson, Platform Director at SciLife Lab, adds, "There has been a disconnect between the DDD platform and Testa Center that we've had to solve on an ad hoc basis. Our goal is to develop stable cell lines for scaling up with us to ensure that projects can advance to GMP, clinical trials, and manufacturing. This will also lower the investment threshold for these projects."

Available for all of Sweden
The new platform supports start-ups, SMEs, and academic projects, with methodologies developed within BRIDGE Sweden to be validated through real-world projects from universities and start-ups.

BRIDGE also aims to guide projects graduating from DDD and Testa Center to the next stages, including support functions and structures required for subsequent phases. This will be facilitated through a network for knowledge sharing and mentorship, facilitated by STUNS.

"We want to not only release the projects but also assist in identifying the next steps and prospects. We emphasize that both the DDD platform and Testa Center are available for all of Sweden," Alexandra highlights.

FACTS / PARTNERS IN THE PROJECT
Testa Center (Project Coordinator): A national "open access" laboratory and production environment for academics and companies looking to verify and upscale their biological process for large-scale production.
SciLifeLab Drug Discovery and Development Platform (DDD): A national research infrastructure providing state-of-the-art technology and expertise in drug development, from small molecules, biological pharmaceuticals, therapeutic oligonucleotides, and new modalities, from concept to preclinical stage.
Stem Cell Center & Pre-GMP Lund University (LU): Conducting research in cell, tissue, and gene therapy, and supporting researchers with pre-GMP services to bridge the gap from research findings to patient care. These units also closely collaborate with the ATMP center (SUS), a node for Region Skåne's work with ATMP treatments.
STUNS: Foundation for collaboration between universities in Uppsala, industry, and society, promoting co-creation at the intersection of universities, industry, and society to create new opportunities.
ALIS (Association of Life Science Incubators): A national platform that brings together nine regional life science incubators (GU Ventures, KI Innovations, Lead, Medeon, Sahlgrenska Science Park, Smile Incubator, STING, Umeå Biotech Incubator och Uppsala Innovation Center) tasked with supporting and guiding startups and research groups in skills development, business development, coaching, and access to national and international private capital.

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