Håkan Hallberg has successfully led Takura since its foundation to today’s position as a biocell portfolio development company active in both mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) and immuno oncology (TIL). Approaching retirement, Håkan now hands over the responsibility as CEO of Takura to Jonas Båtelson.

Jonas was engaged as consultant during the spring to support the work with Takura’s future development plan. He brings extensive experience from healthcare and life sciences from his previous roles in management consulting. He has also acted in various management and leadership positions in the technology and professional services sectors.

16th of August, 2022

Cellcolabs, specializing in industrial production of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) has raised 64 MSEK in an oversubscribed round. Both current owners Takura and Norrsken Foundation participated, and alongside them a number of well-known Swedish individual investors.

Cellcolabs has just moved to its brand-new production facility at Retzius väg 8 in Solna. The money will be used to scale production with the goal of lowering prices and making high quality MSC more broadly available for research and treatments.

Link to Dagens Industri article.

Takura is happy to strengthen its core team with Gunnar Forssell who will join towards the end of August as Executive Vice President Strategic Planning. Gunnar will also become the executive chairman of Takura’s immuno-onkology company CuraCell.

Gunnar has extensive experience from senior positions in the pharmaceutical industry globally. His most recent job was as Executive Director Strategic Planning at Merck Inc. Gunnar has spent most of his career in the US. 

Takura’s executive chairman Per Båtelson presented the group on Stockholm Corporate Finance Financial Hearing today. The presentation and QA is 30 minutes and gives a high level overview of the group.

Takura has acquired all shares in clinical stage immuno-oncology company Polybiocept GmbH (PBC). Takura was already a minority owner in the company which owns a patent portfolio for TIL (tumor infiltrating lymphocytes) therapy. Immunotherapy is one of the fastest growing segments in the pharmaceutical industry and has the potential to revolutionize cancer care. PBC has a collaboration with Krankenhaus Nordwest (KHNW) in Frankfurt where 16 patients with solid cancers have been treated with PBC’s technology under hospital exemption. The company has now started to plan for a phase I clinical trial.

Read more here