Financial support foundation for RISE national infrastructure in toxicology

– Without the support from the universities, Vinnova and Region Stockholm, the establishment as an independent department within RISE would not have been possible, says Ian Cotgreave, Head of Department Chemical and Pharmaceutical Toxicology at RISE. We have managed to maintain the toxicological excellence in Sweden and in addition to the laboratory know-how to carry out regulatory safety studies (GLP-tox), our toxicologists are also an active partner to our customers in terms of design, monitoring, evaluation and interpretation of test results. 

Co-financing has led to new offers

In January 2019, RISE took over the toxicology operations in Gärtuna, Södertälje, to create a national infrastructure in toxicology that offers mission and testbed operations, research and education. This was possible through an agreement on co-financing from eleven universities, including the Karolinska Institutet, University of Gothenburg, Karlstad University, KTH Royal Institute och Technology, Linköping University, Lund University, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Stockholm University, Umeå University, Uppsala University, Örebro University, as well as Vinnova and Region Stockholm during a start-up period. 

– The RISE operations in Södertälje currently house all necessary components for a GLP toxicological investigation, including formulation, in-life, bioanalysis, kinetics, clinical chemistry and histopathology, says Ian Cotgreave. The funding has also helped us increase our preclinical expertise, allowing us to provide therapeutic proof-of-concept studies in a variety of experimental systems. We have also developed fresh approaches that concentrate on the expanding field of biopharmaceutical product development. 

Great demand for applied research

The financial support enabled RISE's toxicology operations to move into new, modern and adapted premises in Södertälje in autumn 2020, which are also close to other departments within RISE. 

– Since 2019, our business has grown substantially, says Matilda Bäckberg, head of RISE's Chemical and Pharmaceutical Toxicology unit. Today, we have state-of-the-art lab facilities in the heart of Södertälje that are ideally suited to handle a variety of studies. Our network with universities, start-ups and small and medium-sized life science businesses has grown and become deeper over the past years. We recognize that Sweden has a significant need for applied research and are working hard to fill that gap.  

Educational efforts part of the development

Organizing the operating model into the RISE structure and linking it with neighbouring businesses, both internally and externally, has also been an important part of the development. The Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Toxicology has been developed to complement and collaborate with the Life science ecosystems nationally and internationally and has created synergies with other offerings within RISE. 

– Our involvement in training upcoming toxicologists and researchers in drug development is one of our most exciting jobs, says Matilda Bäckberg. We oversee undergraduate and graduate students, teach and plan courses for master's programs, including the toxicology program operated by the Karolinska Institute. We see this as a vital component in securing future national development of safe medications, chemicals and materials serving the long-term needs of our society.