Investment in technology for improved brain surgery together with Linköping's Business Angels
LiU Invest, together with LiAF, Linköping's Business Angels, has invested SEK 1m in Fluolink AB, which develops products for use in tumor operations and biopsies in the brain.
With brain biopsy, it is difficult to hit the right spot and really get tumor tissue, which means that the biopsy may need to be redone, which leads to waiting times, unnecessary costs and increased risk for the patient. Fluolink has developed probes and measuring stations to detect tumor tissue using fluorescence. These probes can also be used in brain tumor operations and help the surgeon get an objective assessment to find the edge of the tumor. The surgeon then does not have to rely solely on his own subjective judgment to remove all the tumor tissue but nothing more.
The development of Fluolink's technology has been done by a research team led by Karin Wårdell, professor of medical technology at Linköping University and one of the founders of Fluolink. "We have been researching this technology for over 10 years. Now we have assembled a competent team of researchers and engineers, supplemented by a brain surgeon and a medical technology salesperson, and we are ready to bring the technology to market.” says Karin Wårdell.
LiU Invest often helps companies both to find suitable co-investors and to become investment-ready. "Together with LiAF, we have made several investments in Medtek and Life Science and the collaboration works well," says Jonas Nilsson, LiU Invest.
"We invest in companies that can make a difference, and Fluolink has a proven technology that will make a difference. Our contribution is not just money, but we help our companies into the market. As an example of that, we have established a very good collaboration with Region Östergötland," says Magnus Thorarersen at LiAF.
Fluolink's technology has been used in various forms in research studies on around 70 patients at Linköping University Hospital with good results. The investment will be used partly to get prototypes of the company's products out to other hospitals that conduct research in the area and partly to initiate CE marking and certification of the products.