ARTICLE
July 30, 1996
Treatment for cancer will soon be found say researchers in the city of Oulu, Finland


Finnish medical experts and industrials are predicting that treatment for cancer will be found in the near future and that it will be developed into a new and succesful international large-scale business. A great deal of knowledge on cancer diagnostics, treatment and prophylaxis is being centralized in the region of Oulu, northern Finland, where cancer research has already led to many commercial applications in diagnosis as well as in the development of drugs. At present products are sold on a global scale.

”The city of Oulu has masses of critical know-how, which is based on comprehensive research and business collaboration between the local university and research institutes,” says Mrs. Saara Lampelo, docent and the managing director of Medipolis Oy Ltd., a business center which focuses on the commercialization of cancer treatments.
Every year Oulu attracts, on average, 600 new companies bringing jobs and prosperity to an area that was once better known for its paper production, tar, fur trading and shipbuilding. Today around 5,600 companies operate in the economic region around Oulu that supports 160,000 inhabitants.
With a tradition of international trading, Oulu is committed to encouraage investment from high technology companies both at home and abroad. It wants to build on the strengths that have brought the town considerable success so far.

Medical expertise lies in the etiology of hormone-dependent cancer
Medical expertise in the Oulu region lies, essentially, in the etiology of hormone-dependent cancer, such as e.g. the study of the causes of prostate gland and breast cancers, new technology in the identification of tumors, the identification of coding genes of new proteins in the regulation of benign and malignant cell growth, DNA-replication, and the repair mechanisms of cancer. Genetic engineering and the new biotechnical methods in particular are expected to bring solutions in the treatment of cancer.
The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Oulu, which is one of the largest in Finland, has chosen to focus on connective tissues research, reproduction and cancer biology. Another area of interest is research on cardiovascular diseases. Businesses in the region have also put the above mentioned fields at the core of their development efforts.

Fast growth for healthcare products
Together, those Oulu-based companies which concentrate on healthcare products, such as drugs, products used in diagnostics, treatment equipment, and medical and rehabilitation instruments, account for a total turnover of approximately USD 150 Million.
The heart rate meter, manufactured by Polar Electro Oy Ltd, is an example of a well-known health product world-wide, based on state-of-the-art electronics developed in the Oulu region. The apparatus is at present a business worth USD 50 million. Polar Electro epitomizes just how research and business work hand-in-hand in the region: the idea for the heart rate meter was initially the brainchild of a university professor and was then commercialized into a global success story with the help of local sponsors. The company´s current goal is to expand as a business and to produce a `health watch´ for the use of the public at large.
Another example of medical research work carried out in the region is immunologic tests for the identification of diseases, by which hormone disorders in blood samples, the metabolism of connective tissues and cancer can be investigated in clinical research laboratories. Another local company, Orion Diagnostica, exports products to 40 countries. The SHBG for instance, which is linked to sex hormone research, dominates 70 per cent of the world markets and Collagen Markers of bone formation PICP, ICTP and PINP are presently market leaders world-wide.
Collagen research is the third internationally-acknowledged area of expertise in Oulu: at the University over 50 PhD theses have been written on the subject. The newest company to establish itself in the region with the aim of conducting collagen research is the Californian Fibrogen Inc. The biotech firm focuses on the production of collagen using fermentation technology in bio-reactors. Estimates show great marketing potential for this field, which explains why construction of new production plants is being planned in and around Oulu.
Collagen research creates new business prospects for the development of specific medical treatment. For example, it is possible to start manufacturing and selling antifibrosis medication to treat such diseases as lung fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver, and other similar disorders in which the amount of collagen increases excessively. The researchers´ goal is to control the excessive accumulation of collagen in the human body with the help of the new antifibrosis compounds.
Work on collagen also enables the production, through genetic engineering, of the human re-combination collagen, as well as manufacturing of oral medication to treat auto-immune diseases such as rheumatism and of a drug for the treatment of skin damage. The development of drugs especially targeted at a specific disease is also possible.
In the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, there are many promising business sectors which present great opportunities for global growth. Here are a few examples: hormone identifications which describe the various heart functions, new equipment designed to measure and analyze the heart rate, modelling techniques of the heart rate, identification methods of the genes related to cardiovascular diseases, gene therapy treatment and methods to protect the heart. There are already four companies working in this field in the Oulu region.
Co-operation between the Oulu Faculty of Medicine and the local hospital, where practical clinical research is conducted, is very close. In addition to the above-mentioned areas of know-how, this collaboration has led to business opportunities for the diagnostics and treatment of metabolistic disorders of the bones, diagnostics related to the degeneration of the spine, and for the production of instruments needed in the treatment of bone diseases.
Harnessing telecommunications and wireless data transfer to meet the needs of healthcare is yet another fast-expanding business area in the region, albeit in a very different field. When it comes to research, development and manufacturing of data communications, Oulu is one of Finland´s leading business centers. The most prominent and world-renowned company in this sector is Nokia, whose Mobile Phones business unit is situated in Oulu´s R & D center./ins


Caption: Medipolis Center in Oulu is a business and research community which develops and produce health care products to global markets.

For further information on Oulu, contact:
Saara Lampelo, managing director, docent
Medipolis Oy Ltd.
tel. +358-81-5372000
fax. +358-81 53722010

Address:

Kiviharjuntie 11
90220 Oulu
Finland