Consortium meeting at Oslo Cancer Cluster. From the left: Nikolaos Matskanis (Infopole), Panagiotis Markovits (Motivian), Gerry Renders (EISMEA), Miltiadis Anastasiadis (Motivan), Gawel Walczak (Secpho), Astrid Green (OCC), Milena Stoyanova (EISMEA), Ketil Widerberg (OCC) and Bente Prestegård (OCC).

DIGI-B-CUBE consortium meets in Oslo

6 people in front of a green wall looking into the camera smiling

DIGI-B-CUBE aims to unlock the cross-sectoral collaborative potential of small and medium-sized companies.

As a project funded under the European Union´s Horizon 2020 Programme, it aims to unlock this potential by combining novel digital technologies with bioimaging, biosensing, and biobanking.

DIGI-B-CUBE was established with Oslo Cancer Cluster as the project coordinator in 2019. The project supports the development and delivery of new market-sensitive disruptive technologies and key digital innovations to reconfigure patient-centered diagnostics towards a Health Economy 4.0.

Read more on the DIGI-B-CUBE webpage.

Meeting in Oslo

Last week, a consortium consisting of eight partners met at the Oslo Cancer Cluster Innovation Park, both in person and virtually. Milena Stoyanova and Gerry Renders were present from the Executive Agency (EISMEA) established by the European Commission. They highlighted the importance of supporting and empowering small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) in their innovation activities.

DIGI-B-CUBE has funded a total of 55 projects, resulting in 2,5 MEUR provided directly to companies to boost the development of disruptive tech solutions and health tech innovations across Europe. One of these projects is CEREBRI.

Treating migraines

“We develop easy-to-use and scientifically proven technology to help people predict and prevent brain disorders,” said Cathrine Heuch, CEO of Nordic Brain Tech.

She explained that 14.7% of the population is affected by migraine, the most common neurological disorder costing the European economy €50 billion annually. Migraine results in reduced quality of life and limited daily performance in work and social life.

According to Heuch, there is a pressing need for treatments without side effects, that are affordable and more accessible than today’s alternatives, which mainly consist of medications associated with limited efficacy and negative side effects.

CEREBRI digital treatment

Nordic Brain Tech has in joint cooperation with i3tex and Thorgate developed a project called CEREBRI to optimize treatment software and a finger biosensor. CEREBRI is a digital treatment for preventing migraine, solving the demand for treatment without negative side effects.

With two wireless sensors and a smartphone app, patients can perform regular biofeedback training that has the potential to reduce migraine frequency by 50%. This enables treatment from the comfort of your own home, and virtual care from a physician, with potential cost savings of ~60% compared to biofeedback given in clinics.

CEREBRI can significantly increase a migraine patient’s quality of life and reduce costs to sick leave for businesses and health care providers, according to the project.

The companies in DIGI-B-CUBE receive funding and mentoring/coaching in the project. This week, Cathrine Heuch met Milena Stoyanova from EISMEA and her mentor in DIGI-B-CUBE, Astrid Green, at Oslo Cancer Clusters offices.

THree women in front of a green wall looking into the camera smiling

From the left: Astrid Green, Milena Stoyanova, Cathrine Heuch.

Read more about the CEREBRI project on the DIGI-B-CUBE webpage

 

 

Hege Eiklid is the new coordinator of the Nordic Mentor Network for Entrepreneurship (NOME) in Norway. Photo: PatientSky

Meet our new NOME coordinator

Woman smiling looking into camera outside

Hege Eiklid is the new coordinator of the Nordic Mentor Network for Entrepreneurship (NOME) in Norway.

“As a startup company, one is incapable of immediately building a team of world-class experts. To become a successful company, mentorship is necessary,” said Hege Eiklid.

The new coordinator of NOME in Norway has no doubts about the importance of world-class mentors for promising life science projects.

The essence of NOME

Oslo Cancer Cluster Incubator has coordinated NOME activities in Norway since 2016 and is actively seeking both start-ups and mentors to join this programme, offering free mentoring to promising start-ups in the life science sector.

NOME is a not-for-profit mentoring network in the life sciences, managed by Accelerace AS. The goal of NOME is to increase the success rate of Nordic life science start-ups by giving access to experienced mentors. Participation is free of charge and funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The mentors also work for free.

“Because NOME mentors work pro bono, the mentors are truly passionate about mentorship and genuinely believe in the mission of these high-potential companies,” said Eiklid.

She sincerely believes in connecting people in order to advance health technology.

“This passion is the essence of NOME,” she said.

A coordinator with experience

Hege Eiklid is a seasoned business development strategist with ample experience both leading and promoting startup companies within the field of health technology. As for the foundation of her expertise, she holds two master’s degrees: one in Economic Development from Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main and another in Business Development and Innovation from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

Eiklid has a proven track record in the management of strategic partnerships, and her expertise is cemented in comprehensive, hands-on experience. She has managed an incubator for start-ups within the field of health tech, and she has experience from investing in and working as a mentor for other start-ups.

 

Ketil Widerberg, CEO of Oslo Cancer Cluster, and Lena Nymo Helli, CEO of Norway Health Tech, receives the new Mature Cluster status from Håkon Haugli, CEO of Innovation Norway. Photo: Tom Hansen

Oslo Cancer Cluster is a Mature Cluster

Oslo Cancer Cluster is happy to receive the status as a Mature Cluster in the Norwegian Innovation Clusters programme.

The news about the new status came during an event hosted by Innovation Norway on Monday 15 November 2021.

“This is an important part of the government’s politics to create profitable and attractive jobs around the entire country. The clusters have great importance for the companies that are part of them and for the local communities. When companies collaborate in this way, it is easier for them to join forces in research and development, share knowledge and competence. The clusters are tools to strengthen the adaptability of Norwegian businesses,” said the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry, Jan Christian Vestre, according to a press release from Innovation Norway.

Read the press release here (in Norwegian).

The programme Norwegian Innovation Clusters is financed by The Ministry of Local Governance and Modernisation with 192 Million NOK in 2021. It is run by Innovation Norway, Siva and The Research Council of Norway. There are 44 clusters today.

Mature Cluster programme

The new mature clusters are already part of the programme Norwegian Innovation Clusters, and the mature cluster status is given to take advantage of the competencies and infrastructure that the clusters have developed over time. The goal is to allow for greater “industrial lifts” that contribute to the conversion and development of Norwegian industry.

In addition to Oslo Cancer Cluster, the clusters entering this arrangement today are Eyde Cluster in Agder, NCE Media in Bergen, and Norway Health Tech in Oslo. We wish to congratulate all the mature clusters and look forward to fruitful collaborations!

New Arena and Arena Pro Clusters

There were also new clusters added to the programme in this round. We wish to welcome Circular Wave and Energi i Nord as Arena Clusters, and Norwegian Offshore Wind Cluster, Ocean Hyway Cluster, Stiim Aqua Cluster and Norwegian Energy Solutions as Arena Pro Clusters.

Read more about the programme and the Arena and Arena Pro clusters at Innovation Norway’s webpage.

 

Digital symptom management is shown to improve patients’ quality of life. This is an illustration of what such a system might look like for the patient on a tablet. Photo: Kaiku Health

Collaborating on patient self-monitoring

Hands holding a tablet with a gridKaiku Health

Patients report their own symptoms in a new project at Ahus, in which the university hospital collaborates with Roche and Kaiku Health.

A new project with 15 lung cancer patients has started this fall at Akershus University Hospital (Ahus), one of Norway’s largest hospitals, just outside of Oslo. Both the patients and the hospital staff are testing a new digital patient monitoring and management solution from the Finnish health technology company Kaiku Health, where the patients themselves are to report their symptoms and health conditions.

The project is a successful collaboration between patients and hospital staff at Ahus, the company Roche, and Kaiku Health. They are all members of Oslo Cancer Cluster.

Satisfied patients

“So far we have received almost only positive user experiences. Patients are only asked to log symptoms they have had and do not have to consider all kinds of possible symptoms they might have. That helps them and our impression is that the patients are satisfied with the self-logging tool we are testing,” said Anne Edvardsen, Project Leader and Department Leader at the Lung Department at Ahus.

Anne Edvardsen. Photo: Ahus

Anne Edvardsen. Photo: Ahus

Kaiku Health is a digital health interventions platform that provides patient-reported outcomes, monitoring, and intelligent symptom tracking. Currently, it is used in more than 75 clinics in Europe and America, helping clinicians provide optimized care with early interventions and personalized patient support.

Digital symptom management

“Digital symptom management is shown to improve patients’ overall survival and quality of life. While cancer immunotherapy has been shown to advance treatment outcomes of for example lung cancer patients, it has also introduced a new kind of safety profile. Companion digital health solutions can optimize symptom management and timely education for patients. In addition, clinics benefit from the use of the service, as digital therapy support can optimize the use of healthcare resources as well as processes in the daily clinic routine,” said Ann-Sofie Andersson-Ward, Global Strategic Sales Manager in Kaiku Health.

Ann-Sofie Andersson-Ward. Photo: Kaiku Health/ Kajsas foto

Ann-Sofie Andersson-Ward. Photo: Kaiku Health/ Kajsas foto

In Nordlandssykehuset, a smaller hospital in the north of Norway, a similar digital patient monitoring, also from Kaiku, is already a part of the regular patient treatment.

“By providing digital symptom management along with the capture and analysis of real-world data, Kaiku Health paves way for more personalised and value-based healthcare,” said Ann-Sofie Andersson-Ward.

Testing in several stages

Roche aims to deliver their digital patient monitoring and management solutions in an open ecosystem approach in collaboration with various industry partners and solution providers, such as Kaiku Health, and has done a prior pilot project with Kaiku Health in Germany, Finland, and Switzerland.

The results from this first pilot were published in Journal of Medical Internet Research in December last year and show a high user satisfaction and improved clinical care besides other benefits and a few challenges. You can read the article here. https://www.jmir.org/2020/12/e18655/

“With our current collaboration with Ahus, Roche aims to deliver industry-leading Digital Patient Monitoring and Management solutions that improve outcomes that matter to patients, such as quality of life and overall survival, for individuals receiving therapy for advanced or metastasized cancers. This can be achieved by empowering patients to continuously report symptoms from any location using mobile solutions and enabling healthcare professionals to intervene early before symptoms worsen, tailor care plans, and make effective treatment decisions. By using solutions that are seamlessly integrated into clinical care, it would also optimise healthcare resource utilization. In addition, we’re also exploring user experience of the solution alongside understanding how we can support broad adoption and adherence to the solutions,” said Fabienne O. Villars, Country Medical Manager for Lung in Roche Norway, and adds that it is also an important project to explore local requirements and regulatory needs.

Woman in white jacket looking into camera

Fabienne O. Villars. Photo: Roche

The current project is named KAISER and will run until March 2022.

Better equipped to master symptoms

“An advantage is that we can monitor the patients during the entire treatment and systemize our experiences. This kind of monitoring of symptoms through digital platforms is important to increase the understanding the patients have of their own health. When they participate in monitoring their own symptoms and changes in symptoms, they are better equipped to master their symptoms, with assistance by healthcare professionals,” said Anne Edvardsen.

The patients can use the tool as a type of diary for symptoms from cancer treatment, like for example fatigue, and the care team can look for patterns to check if treatments are working well. The hospital staff is learning how to react to the reports and whether they should follow up with the patients more closely based on the reported symptoms.

Useful in the future

“It has been a good collaboration where everyone has contributed to solving this puzzle, which takes a lot of effort ensuring privacy and data security in a large hospital like Ahus,” said Anne Edvardsen.

“The work Ahus has done in collaboration with us will become useful in the future for sure –for other hospitals, companies, and for the patients themselves,” said Villars.

Read more

Inven2 has contributed to initiating the project in Norway and has written about it in Norwegian. Read the Norwegian article here: https://www.inven2.com/prover-ut-digitalt-verktoy-for-pasientoppfolging-i-kliniske-studier/

Cluster Collaborations

In this article series, called Cluster Collaborations, we want to highlight the fruitful collaborations in the cluster, underlining the very essence of what Oslo Cancer Cluster is all about, from cancer research to cure.