Modern cancer treatment aims for the most effective treatment possible, which would cause the patients as few side effects as possible. The individual choice of treatment for each patient, however, requires diagnostic methods to distinguish patients based on how aggressive their cancer is. Such diagnostic methods are unfortunately very limited and because of this, in many types of cancer, all patients receive similar treatment and thus also the same side effects of the treatment.

Based on the long-term cooperation between the researchers of the University of Turku and the Turku University Central Hospital together with the AURIA biobank, a new cancer diagnostics company, Thestra Ltd, has now been established. Thestra develops a product that could be used to identify head and neck cancer patients whose disease could be cured with treatments that cause fewer side effects. Head and neck cancer (HNSCC) is the sixth most common cancer and is annually diagnosed in approximately 1 million new patients globally. The product developed by Thestra, EPLINEX™, offers a unique diagnostic solution for head and neck cancer patients. This type of product is currently completely missing from the cancer diagnostics market, thus there is a significant need for it. Efforts have been made for decades to find a diagnostic solution such as EPLINEx™ that could be used to identify the aggressiveness of head and neck cancer in the early stage of the disease.

Thestra and EPLINEx™ are based on the long-term cooperation of the working groups of docent Sami Ventelä and professor Jukka Westermarck with the aim of finding new cancer diagnostic methods suitable for patient use. Docent Ventelä works as a specialist MD at the Turku University Central Hospital and, together with Professor Westermarck, directs the research group at the Turku Bioscience Center. Professor Westermarck also belongs to InFlames Flagship.

EPLINEx™ technology is protected by the University of Turku (patent and trademark). The basic research on which the product is based has been supported by funding from the Academy of Finland and the Erkko Foundation, and the technology has been further refined before the company was founded with Business Finland’s “Research-to-Business” (R2B) funding.

Thestra’s actual business started this summer when the company received risk financing from the finance company Nordic Science Investments (NSI). NSI finances and supports especially Finnish and Nordic start-up companies whose operations are based on high-level science. NSI has several ongoing negotiations related to other projects that have also emerged from Turku based universities.

Alexandra Gylfe, NSI ” We want to support teams whose work has a strong scientific basis and the product being developed has significant market potential. With the case of Thestra, we see both dimensions coming true, and thus are excited to help enable their growth.

Matti Juvonen, Thestra ” We are looking forward to the co-operation with NSI. Their team has strong experience supporting the work of growth-stage companies, including diagnostic solutions. In addition, NSI’s international contact networks are a valuable addition to the development and advancement of Thestra’s growth vision.

The first step in Thestra’s business is to launch the EPLINEx™ diagnostic service in Finland and in selected hospitals abroad. The future growth vision consists of the elements that support Thestra’s business. The first goal is to make EPLINEx™ available in most parts of the world in cooperation with diagnostic companies operating in the global market. At the same time, Thestra implements technology renewal plans. Among other things, Thestra is developing artificial intelligence-based digipathology, which makes it possible to further refine the assessment of patients’ prognosis and increase the reliability of treatment selection. In addition, Thestra also aims to expand its portfolio to new cancer diagnostic solutions and commercial cooperation with pharmaceutical companies developing cancer drugs.

For further information, please contact:

Matti Juvonen
Thestra Oy
Chief Business Officer
matti.juvonen@thestra.fi
+358 40 5289784

Docent Sami Ventelä
University of Turku and Turku University Hospital
satuve@utu.fi
+358 50 516 6966

Professor Jukka Westermarck
University of Turku
jukwes@utu.fi
+358 40 7423007

Dr. Alexandra Gylfe
Nordic Science Investments
alexandra.gylfe@nordscience.com
+358-405098733