Page 39 - MELLBY_MAGASIN_2023_ENG_LOW_UPPSLAG
P. 39
ANOCCA
Promising research
– a bright spot for
cancer patients
A significant injection of capital in 2023 from Mellby Gård and others
has secured future funding for groundbreaking medical research for
Swedish biotech company Anocca. The company is a world leader in the
development of T cell immunotherapy.
Anocca is a biotechnology company based in Södertälje, enables it to offer targeted, T cell-based therapies. In short, Anocca
Sweden. It was founded in 2014 by CEO Reagan Jarvis and is developing cell therapy treatments that modify the patient’s own
serial entrepreneur Mikael Blomqvist. With an experienced T cells to attack the most difficult-to-treat cancers. Given the precision
management team and 100 employees, the company is now a world and efficiency of the platform, the company is able to cover large
leader in the development of TCR T: T cell receptor-engineered T patient populations.
cell therapy – a treatment method in which T cells are modified to
identify and attack the patient’s cancer cells. It will be possible to use “We see a long-term impact and social benefit with Anocca,” says
T cell immunotherapy to treat cancer, autoimmune diseases and viral Fredrik Hansson. “The revolutionary technologies we’ve developed
infections. could have a major impact on future treatments for cancer and other
serious diseases. Most people know someone who has cancer, had
Researchers at Anocca come from more than 30 countries. They cancer or lost their life to the disease. Research is therefore vital to
have state-of-the-art laboratories for product development, and the society.”
company has also established probably the largest GMP-certified
cleanroom facility in the Nordic region for manufacturing cell therapies A HOPEFUL FUTURE
for clinical studies. This unique infrastructure ensures that the
company covers the entire value chain from research and development Anocca’s first clinical trial is planned for 2024 for a cancer for which
to manufacturing therapies that can be administered to patients in less than ten percent of patients have a life expectancy of more than
clinical trials. five years. It is crucial that treatments for cancer, especially for solid
cancers, become more effective. Today, Anocca has a portfolio of
INVESTMENT IS VITAL 40 early-stage product candidates that can target specific cancer
types. In about five years’ time, they are expected to number in the
A key event in 2023 was that Mellby Gård and other investors hundreds, and the company expects to start further clinical trials in
continued their involvement in Anocca – particularly in view of the the foreseeable future.
climate in the capital markets being especially challenging for many
biotechnology companies over the past year. Fredrik Hansson, Vice “We’re collaborating with eight leading cancer centers across
Chairman of the Board of Anocca, says: Europe for our first clinical study. Anocca has good relationships with
prominent doctors in the institutions and is engaged in dialogue with
“Having Mellby Gård as a long-term, stable owner is extremely the Swedish Medical Products Agency. Our clinical plan can also be
important to us and crucial to our success. Good cooperation with expanded to include other forms of cancer that are hard to treat. Our
investors is essential to drive our research and development forward. unique research platform opens up many opportunities for the future,
Despite experiences from past funding challenges, we now feel more and we’ve started researching other applications, such as cancer
than hopeful. We’re determined to continue our corporate journey with vaccines. The future looks hopeful,” concludes Fredrik Hansson.
optimism and confidence.”
The capital injection from 2023 means that the company will be able
to invest in an initial clinical study in which a T cell-based treatment
targets a specific cancer mutation in patients with solid tumors.
Today, the tumors are very difficult to treat and there are currently no
effective treatment options.
RESEARCH THAT MAKES A CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY Fredrik Hansson,
Vice Chairman of the Board
Sweden has long been lacking a major biotech company. Today,
Anocca has an established position in the market and major potential
to contribute to advances in precision medicine. The company is a
pioneer, with an industrialized analytical technology platform that
39