The instrument that finds pathogens
If doctors can be told quickly exactly which microorganism infects a patient and which antibiotics will work the likelihood of quick and effective treatment increases. The risk of resistant strains developing also decreases. The Uppsala based company Q-linea are currently developing an instrument that will do just that.
The Uppsala based company Q-linea is a spin-off from the university that is developing an instrument that can rapidly identify microorganisms. The company has been listed in the so-called 33 list as one of the country's hottest technology companies for the second consecutive year. However, it all started ten years ago when the Swedish Armed Forces wanted equipment to quickly detect an attack with biological weapons.
The reason that the Armed Forces turned to the research group where Q-linea’s current CEO Jonas Jarvius was a doctoral student was that they had a technique for identifying microorganisms on both protein and DNA levels.
They developed a prototype to find the spores and within the framework of a EU project, it was possible to test it in a live environment. The choice fell on the Prague Metro. Where a large number of people are on the move and trains push the air back and forth in the underground facilities.
‘Our prototype was actually the only instrument that passed all the tests,’ says Jonas Jarvius, not without pride. ‘It was great to see that the instrument actually managed to measure in such a complex mix. It was the first time it had been shown around the world at all.´
They also had contact with the major French company Thales Security Systems, who on behalf of the French government were engaged to develop a method to measure contamination in air.
‘So we got a contract with them, as the only non-French company! We were actually headhunted’ says Jonas Jarvius and smiles.
Meanwhile, they had come to the conclusion that health care would benefit the most from their technology. The technology could, for example, be used to make quick analyses so that doctors were able to prescribe the correct antibiotics, for example, to people with sepsis, acute septicemia.
‘Through being able to quickly determine exactly what bacteria is causing the infection and moreover find out which antibiotics are effective, doctors can provide the correct treatment much earlier than current technologies. For a patient with sepsis, mortality increases by about seven per cent for every hour that they receive the wrong treatment, so it is very important to be fast.´
Other potential uses are for patients suffering from a urinary tract infection. He hopes that the instrument can be found in our hospitals within a few years.
The company has now grown to 23 employees and spans the entire production chain from microbiologists and molecular biologists to circuit board builders, software designers, mechanics and carbon fibre moulders. They have also taken on young researchers, who have often started by doing a thesis and then continue to work at the company.
Q-linea now has a long-term collaboration with Bengt Ågerup’s venture capital company nxt2b. The company has had continuous funding from the Armed Forces via Thales and now to nxt2b. Without it, Jonas Jarvius is convinced that Q-linea would not be the company it is today.
‘If we had had to look for money in the same way as many other start-ups it would have been much more difficult to grow. This is a huge problem for all small, newly started spin-off companies.’
Kim Bergström
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FACTS/Q-linea
Today the company is led by Jonas Jarvius, who is a molecular geneticist, Jan Grawé who works with cell analysis and optics, and Johan Stenberg who works with software development. All three have followed each other since they were in the same research team.
Jonas Jarvius’ old supervisor Professor Mats Nilsson is also the founder of the company and is involved in future strategies and Professor Ulf Landegren has always kept a watchful eye over the company. All of them are active at the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at the Rudbeck Laboratory.
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Timeline
2006 - Order from the Armed Forces
2006 - Jonas Jarvius publicly defends his doctoral thesis
2008 - Q-linea formed
2008 - Contact with Thales
2009 - Delivered to the Armed Forces
2008 - Began working for Thales
2012 - Contact with Bengt Ågerups’ nxt2b
2013 - Delivered to Thales
2014 - Own development of the instrument