Swedish biotech forms spin-off with Uppsala University

Spin-off formed

The Swedish biotech Olink AB has founded a biosensor company, Q-linea AB with scientists at Uppsala University and Uppsala University Holding AB.

Q-linea will develop a new, rapid, and sensitive detection instrument for analysis of biological warfare agents. The main customer is currently the Swedish defence material procurement agency, FMV.

The biosensor instrument is based on a technique, developed at Uppsala University, for detecting single biomolecules and particles. This makes it possible to detect and count infectious agents in air and water samples fast and accurately.

Q-linea AB will collaborate closely with scientists at the university as well as microbiologists specialised in bio-warfare agents at the Swedish Defence Research Institute (FOI) in Umeå, Sweden. Q-linea will develop the instrumentation platform while the reagents will be developed by Olink AB.

“We are very happy to give this exciting instrument project a new opportunity in a more focused effort in a new organisation, while Olink can continue to focus on our core business in the reagents/service field,” said Björn Ekström, President and CEO of Olink Bioscience.

Jonas Jarvius, President and CEO of Q-linea AB, said, “There is an enormous need for rapid and accurate detection of pathogens in a wide range of fields, such as food safety, veterinary medicine, and clinical diagnostics. Initially we will focus on bio-defence applications, where governments and organisations worldwide currently are committing significant resources.”

Olink AB is a privately held company based in Uppsala, Sweden, founded in 2004 by Professor Ulf Landegren and partners to focus on innovative methods for detecting endogenous proteins and protein complexes for basic research and high-throughput screening.