Ten-year-old XNK Therapeutics experiences rapid growing with own GMP facility
XNK Therapeutics has expanded significantly in the past year and now has access to its own GMP-standard production lab.
“We need to have significantly larger capacity to conduct the larger Phase II studies we’re planning. That capacity isn’t available in Sweden, so we’ve built up our own lab in Flemingsberg,” says Johan Liwing, CEO of XNK Therapeutics.
XNK has grown rapidly in recent years and today the company employs almost 30 people in Novum in Flemingsberg. The new GMP facility, with 350sqm of research laboratory space, gives the company better control over its development chain.
Unique technology
XNK Therapeutics was founded in 2012 and is a pioneer in cell therapy. With a unique platform technology, the company focuses primarily on new forms of cancer treatment. The platform enables new cell-based treatments with autologous NK cells.
A clinical investigator-sponsored Phase II study is already being conducted at Karolinska University Hospital, where XNK’s drug candidate is being combined with Sanofi’s anti-CD38 antibody Sarclisa, Isatuximab, for treatment of the severe cancer form multiple myeloma.
“We’re extremely proud of this smaller Phase II study and now we need to increase production capacity. Myeloma is our main focus area, but when we’ve reached the right capacity, there’ll be one or two more [candidates]. It’s important to create a good width outside the blood cancer area,” says Liwing.
XNK Therapeutics is currently conducting a number of projects, including a “proof of concept” study together with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the field of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
At the beginning of the year, the company raised approximately SEK 130 million in new capital to drive growth.
“It feels great and above all the fact that it’s not only about capital but also provides the addition of competence and production knowledge through NorthX Biologics. We complement each other in a way that enables good synergies,” says Liwing.
“Flemingsberg is the ideal place for us with immediate proximity to everything we need. It’s also home to research in a world-leading research hub and a proximity to a clinic that really knows NK cells.”
Read more about xnktherapeutics.com.
Test your business idea: Flemingsberg Science Award Startup open for applications
STARTUP is a competition for startups with a clear connection to Flemingsberg, either as students, residents or otherwise active in the area. All ideas are welcome to participate in STARTUP as long as you compete with your own idea and the turnover and external equity is below SEK 1,000,000 at the time you submit to the competition. After that, we of course welcome you to continue working with the business idea, sales and any investments.
Science Week: Innovative arenas create collaboration for the city of the future
Stockholm is growing and we want a smart city with knowledge-intensive industry that is sustainable. In a panel discussion during Science Week on February 1, we discuss how innovative neutral arenas are central to the development of the smart and knowledge-intensive city.
Our Sound Space – soundscapes in cities
Don’t miss the opportunity to experience an interactive sound installation at the same time as you contribute to research that improves the future of urban planning.
The Our Sound Space installation has now opened at Neo in Flemingsberg, which offers visitors the opportunity to use their smartphones to experiment with different sound environments and explore with soundscapes.
Our Sound Space is part of the Planning for Youth research project that aims to study methods and tools for meaningful participation of the younger demographic groups in participatory planning and placemaking. Romina Rodela is Docent at Södertörn University and project leader for the initiative. ““Historically, children and young people have not been very central in spatial planning. In our project, we want to explore new methods which are better able to capture their voice in spatial planning and placemaking,” says Rodela.
In this case, you use your smartphone to listen to how a new residential area will sound, for example. Which sounds are perceived as positive and which sound environments are less attractive? The idea is to give the planners of the future better tools to include children, young people and people with impaired vision or other functional variations in the planning stages of such projects. “We’ll use Our Sound Space to gather opinions from different groups to establish how effective a tool like this can be. At the same time, the installation is open to all to try out and comment on,” says Rodela. The software itself is developed by researcher Maurizio Goina at KTH and may in future be shared with planners, construction companies and architects.
Mattias Lindén is responsible for Hemsö’s properties in Flemingsberg and believes that installations such as Our Sound Space have the potential to improve the image of the area. “We’re sitting on an underused resource. In courtyards and along walkways there are areas that could be used for temporary art exhibitions – opportunities for as yet undiscovered artists to gain some exposure. We’ve just decided to support the Our Sound Space project. Imagine if people in the future will associate Flemingsberg with exuberant creativity, a place where you experience new and fresh ideas. Our Sound Space can be a small step in that direction,” says Lindén, Senior Property Manager at Hemsö. Our Sound Space runs until 7th March, while the research project will continue for another two years.
Let Flemingsberg Innovation Community elevate your idea
The Flemingsberg Innovation Community is a meeting place that brings together a range of organisations that provide various types of innovation support and assistance. Among them is Sting, which since its inception in 2002, has guided hundreds of startup companies to success.
