Spin-out company Olink enters important agreement

The discovery that led to a unique method for examining human proteins and their function was made at Uppsala University a few years ago. This week the method is being presented by the spin-out company Oling and its new collaborative partner Abnova at a major cancer conference in the US.

"Abnova is one of the world's largest companies producing antibodies for the purpose of studying human proteins. With their enormous repertoire of binders and Olink's technologies, it is now possible to study effects that could not be studied in the past. It's our hope that more companies will be interested," says Professor Ulf Landegren, who together with his collegues made the discovery the method is based on.

The method is so unique that the company cannot benefit from the impetus that competition among several similar companies often creates. Instead, it is important to find the right collaborative partners. And, as Ulf Landegren sees it, this new collaboration promises to be a winner.

"Abnova does not gain exclusive rights to the method. In that case they would have to bear a considerably greater proportion of the costs. Instead Olink is open to collaboration with other companies on the market."

"This is good because it provides everyone with the possibility of producing better reagents. This promotes research and indirectly, in the long run, health care."

Using the method, which is called proximity ligation assay technology, it is possible to quickly and with great sensitivity detect proteins and how they interact with other molecules or are modified. This provides a unique opportunity to understand the functions of proteins in various pathological conditions, such as cancer.

The research team is now continuing to develop the method, making it even better.

Olink and Abnova are presenting the method at the 100th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research.

Read more about Olink and Abnova.

For more information, please contact Ulf Landegren, tel: +46 (0)18-471 49 10; cell: +46 (0)70-896 26 04, ulf.landegren@genpat.uu.se