Specialised in the diagnostics of infectious and cancer diseases, Uniogen is currently developing, among other things, a test for detecting ovarian cancer.
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Illustration of ovarian cancer
A fast and cost-effective diagnostic test helps detect the difficult-to-diagnose cancer earlier, making it possible to start the right treatment immediately. That, in turn, would improve treatment outcomes. The company is currently doing its most interesting development work with a test that reveals ovarian cancer. The test detects cancer in a blood sample.
Leena Kokko, business director, oncology, said: “Cancer-specific sugar components of commonly known markers are measured in a blood sample. The test is based on long-term research conducted at the University of Turku which led to the discovery that the glycosylation of markers changes in cancer patients, and by measuring this, it is possible to better distinguish cancer patients from healthy patients or patients with benign gynaecological problems. We have succeeded in developing a globally unique and easy test for measuring these modified sugar components. We are currently working with international partners to find clinical evidence of the functionality of the assay through a more extensive patient study, and later on the test will be commercialised.”
Uniogen was born in early 2022 when three strong expert companies joined forces. The final phase of the transaction was closed at the turn of the year 2023, as the subsidiaries merged into a single Uniogen company.
Ilari Antila, CEO, said: “Each company had extensive experience, a strong field of specialisation and established customer base. We clearly see the benefits of the merger in the results of our development work. We are able to invest in business and product development much more than we would as independent companies, and in the future, we will make significant investments in the development of new innovative products based on our core competences in particular.”
