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Leif Eriksson: ”Går framåt i mycket hög takt”
- Sara Carlsson
- Apr 13
- 2 min read
An acceleration has begun towards the goal of the research: A cure for glioblastoma. Leif Eriksson says that he and his team are making progress and hope to reach clinical studies on humans within 1.5 years.
How is your research progressing on a cure for glioblastoma?
– The work is progressing at a very high pace. After the project was taken up in the Paris Saclay Cancer Cluster (PSCC), we have had a number of meetings with potential partners for the subsequent steps, after the substance is fully optimized. We have also strengthened the team to cover additional competencies, and are now accelerating towards the final parts before clinical trials.
How does AI help you?
– We use AI to suggest variants of the molecule that would be more potent and at the same time overcome various “obstacles” that the molecule encounters in the cell. For example, the molecule should not be pumped out (so-called efflux mechanism, which is an important component in resistance development), it should not be broken down, and be soluble to a sufficient extent, and so on.
What is your nest step?
– Using the AI methods, we were able to make the molecule about 500 times more effective in biochemical tests, and also investigate several of the parameters that are relevant in the cellular environment. We are now working on the final refinements, synthesis and tests, which we hope to be completed by the beginning of the summer.
If you could say what you hope, when might a cure be available?
– Vi hoppas (optimistiskt) på att kunna göra första tester på människa om 1–1,5 år.
”Vi hoppas (optimistiskt) på att kunna göra första tester på människa om 1–1,5 år.”
How much money is missing?
– To carry out the necessary preclinical tests and also a complete first clinical study (phase 1) requires several million (SEK), which in turn means that you will necessarily need to raise the project in a startup company. All steps become more costly the further along the chain you get.
Is there interest from one or more investors?
– There is! We presented our project to an American investment firm in the autumn, with very good feedback. As soon as we have the final molecule in place, investment work will also intensify.
