Annelene Dahl is a former entrepreneur and now works as a business developer at NTNU Technology Transfer (TTO). TTO has more than 20 years of experience commercializing research results from NTNU and the Central Norway Regional Health Authority, and works to ensure that promising technology and research are developed into products and services that benefit society. Dahl also has a background as a researcher at the Kavli Institute, and is now assisting Nair in the commercialization of EDGE-Tx. This includes, among other things, guiding the new virus through a patenting process, with the goal that the technology can eventually be licensed to actors in the pharmaceutical industry.

She explains that drugs currently being developed to treat Alzheimer’s by regulating these two proteins have serious side effects. “These proteins are necessary throughout the brain,” she says. “You are trying to affect a small part of the brain where the problems start, but you end up affecting large regions where you actually need them.”

A Larger Cargo Space

EDGE-Tx addresses this problem by targeting gene therapy only to the cells in a small region of the brain that serves as the epicenter of Alzheimer’s disease. A targeting mechanism ensures that only certain cells respond and activate the virus’s genetic material.

The viral vector has been under development at the Kavli Institute for many years, but only recently have the researchers succeeded in improving the genetic targeting mechanism—meaning the DNA sequences that control where and when the genes are activated—so that space can be freed up for larger therapeutic genes. In other words, the “viral van” has now become large enough to carry a bigger genetic payload.

“Our strategy is to use these viral vectors to deliver treatment only to the cell populations where these diseases begin. The goal is, for example, to deliver a functional copy of damaged genes in the diseased cells, so they can restore function,” says Nair.

The project previously received NOK 200,000 in preliminary funding from NTNU Discovery, and has now received NOK 1 million for further validation and development. The funding will be used to test EDGE-Tx in so-called mouse models—laboratory mice genetically modified to mimic Alzheimer’s disease in humans.

“NTNU Discovery is important for projects like this, because they often require substantial development and validation before they can be commercialized,” says Dahl. Nair agrees. “Support from NTNU Discovery also makes it easier for us to access other research and commercialization funding,” he says.

​

Text: Per Steinar Moen
Photo: Kristoffer Wittrup

Toril A. Nagelhus Hernes, Pro-Rector for Innovation, had the pleasure of awarding a total of NOK 4.3 million to five projects led by employees and students affiliated with NTNU and Helse Midt-Norge.

“This funding supports projects at a very early stage—when no one else dares to invest. Since 2011, we’ve awarded more than NOK 140 million to over 400 projects, and we’re actually quite proud of that,” says Hernes.

In total, NTNU Discovery projects have led to the establishment of more than 100 companies with a turnover of around NOK 2 billion. “This suggests that the companies have considerable potential. And that’s also what the jury that has evaluated all the applications says,” she says before awarding new millions.

Better everyday life for diabetes patients

Nano Glucagon is the name of one of the projects that was awarded NOK 1 million. Behind the project is an interdisciplinary research team at NTNU and St. Olavs Hospital. Hilde Kjelstad Berg is a business developer in the project from NTNU TTO:

“This is a perfect example of what can be achieved in Trondheim. We have a mix of the technical environments at Gløshaugen and the clinical environments at St. Olavs hospital, and together they can achieve very good things,” she says.

Despite tremendous development in recent decades with new technology and drugs, there are no systems that handle medication automatically without user intervention. This is because insulin is absorbed too slowly. The researchers’ discovery is that nanodosing of glucagon provides local blood flow and thus faster absorption of insulin. Faster uptake of insulin will mean that blood sugar can be regulated more quickly and perhaps also with the help of automatic systems.

It’s about making everyday life much better for patients with diabetes,” she says. The goal now is to commercialize the research in collaboration with players in the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries.

“We’ve spoken to all the players in the market and the response is the same: This is really exciting, but one thing they ask for is clinical data. That’s why we’ve applied to NTNU Discovery for funding to run a clinical study to collect clinical data,” she says.

These projects were awarded main project funding from NTNU Discovery:

Cortex Robotics – NOK 300,000
Cortex Robotics is developing a robot that can climb and navigate around the outside of industrial pipes. This technology will make inspection and maintenance of these pipes safer, cheaper and more data-driven. Developed by students at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Production, and the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management:

Daniel Kjøle Skogland
Kristian Romen
Celine Rønquist Slåttelia

Hi Sep II – NOK 1,000,000
Lithium-sulphur batteries can transform energy storage, but they degrade too quickly. HiSep-II’s smart filter significantly extends battery life, enabling lighter, cheaper and longer-lasting energy solutions. Developed by researchers at the Department of Chemical Process Technology and TTO:

Önder Tekinalp
Arne Lindbråthen
Kristina Nydal

Gd-BioP – NOK 1,000,000
Traditional contrast agents make it easier to see inside the body using diagnostic imaging, but can cause unwanted side effects. The new Gd-BioP system has been developed as a safer and more precise alternative, with targeted image contrast and thus higher efficiency. Developed by staff at St. Olavs Hospital, the Department of Biotechnology and Food Science and TTO:

Elise Borgen Holmås
Bjørn E. Christensen
Jin Han Gaute Brede

Type 11 – NOK 1,000,000
The project aims to develop a gene therapy to treat patients with clinical retinitis pigmentosa type 11, a rare genetic disorder of the retina. The project will commercialize a gene therapy product that will be developed and introduced as a standard treatment for these patients. Developed by staff at the Institute of Clinical and Molecular Medicine:

Wannan Tang
Magnar Bjørås
Jørn-Ove Schjølberg
Synnøve Algrøy Fjeldstad.

Nano Glucagon – NOK 1,000,000
NanoGlucagon is a patent-pending concept from NTNU that speeds up the absorption of insulin. This will enable the dream of a fully automated artificial pancreas and give people with diabetes very good blood sugar control without having to worry about their disease many times a day. Developed by employees at the Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, the Department of Technical Cybernetics, St. Olavs Hospital and TTO:

Sven Magnus Carlsen
Sverre Christian Christiansen
Hilde Kjeldstad Berg.

The main project program is funded by Sparebanken Midt-Norge, NTNU and Helse Midt-Norge.

Text: Per Steinar Moen
Photo: Tarje Skjefstad

She represents TuniSea, a group of students who will make protein-rich food from sea squirts, a subspecies of tunicates – which is the more delicate name TuniSea has chosen to use for this resource that grows along the coasts of Norway and Sweden. (Other names are ascidian or Ciona intestinalis).

Tunicates start life as small tadpoles and end up as stubborn filter feeders that attach themselves to everything from ropes in fish farms, boat hulls, port facilities and the seabed, much like coral. For the aquaculture industry, tunicates are a maintenance problem – but Maria believes they could become an important resource to feed a growing population in a climate-challenged world.

“Tunicates have the advantage of having a taste of umami and not seafood, like other sea creatures. They have a meat structure,” says Maria Johansen. “Tunicates don’t need feeding, fertilizer, pesticides or artificial light to grow and produce far less CO2 emissions than beef,” she says.

TuniSea’s plan is to start farming tunicates and then gently process them by desalination and drying, before selling the protein-rich tunicate meat to the food industry. There is a great need for umami tasting substitutes for vegetable and meat products.

“We will take tunicates from the sea to the plate!”, concludes Maria Johansen.

Then it’s up to the jury to ask questions. Jury member Maja Aursand Andersen from SpareBank1-SMN gets straight to the point: “What assessments have you made in terms of investment for farming – requirements and licenses?”, she asks. Others in the jury ask questions about growth opportunities, scalability and market competitors. After a total of 25 minutes, the session is over.

“Now I’m going out into the sun. Don’t stay inside for too long!” smiles Maria Johansen on her way out the door with her Mac under her arm. Despite there being NOK 300,000 in the pot for student projects and NOK 1 million for employee projects, the atmosphere is jovial.

Teamwork

Kristian Onarheim from Helse Midt-Norge has been on the jury for three years, but this is his first meeting as head of the jury. “The jury consists of people who have had different roles in the ecosystem around starting a company, including start-up experience,” he says.

His team includes entrepreneurs, researchers, consultants and potential investors with extensive experience of selecting and refining projects for commercialization. The aim is for the jury to come up with good, critical questions and feedback, regardless of whether the main project is funded or not.

Everyone who applies for funding receives feedback. A total of nine of the applicants were invited to give a presentation to the jury, and these are the ones competing for up to one million NOK to fund a main project.

“We come from different professional backgrounds, which makes it easier to understand the ideas. This is not always easy just by reading the application. The presentation can explain a lot, and sometimes it’s the deciding factor in whether or not you get funding,” says Kristian Onarheim. “We’re looking for commitment and projects that show commercialization potential,” he says.

Sometimes the jury members have different opinions about the quality and potential of a project, but at the end of the day they often agree on who should receive funding for the main project.

In the hallway, two new master’s students from the business school are waiting: Oscar Lae and Kristian Romen from Cortex Robotics. Under their arms they carry two robots – one so new and secret that it cannot be photographed. The robots are designed to simplify the maintenance of huge pipe systems at processing plants in the oil and gas industry, which can typically contain up to 2,000 kilometers of insulated – and rust-prone – pipe structures.

Climbing robot

The maintenance of these is a major cost and burden. “There are many manual methods – with climbers and large amounts of scaffolding,” says Kristian Romen. “The cost of scaffolding can be up to NOK 200,000 just to maintain 5-6 meters of pipe.” The robots will climb on the outside of the pipes, carrying sensors and other tools that can measure and reveal any areas that need maintenance.

The prototype looks like an advanced Lego Technics model with many flexible joints and wires. “The soldering took longer than planned,” says Oscar, pointing out some joints on the climbing robot that need to be reinforced and further developed.

The jury members fire away with questions. Jury member Borgar Ljosland has experience from other robotics projects and asks the boys how far they have come in developing the prototype, digital testing, researching the market and their business model.

In the hallway after the presentation, Oscar and Kristian are very pleased. “The questions were engaging and good,” says Kristian. “There are always new questions we haven’t thought of during such pitches.”

Kristian Onarheim and the jury will be presented with nine projects today out of a total of 17 applications that were submitted. “There should have been more applications,” he says, “at least twice as many. We receive many applications from Gløshaugen and the medical community on Øya, but fewer from other parts of NTNU.” He encourages more people to apply. “This is a safe arena with little risk and just something to win,” says the head of the jury before the door opens for the next applicants to present their potential life’s work.

The jury for NTNU Discovery’s main project consists of

Kristian Onarheim (jury leader), Central Norway Regional Health Authority
Maja Aursand Andersen, SpareBank1-SMN
Vårinn Vaskinn, NTNU
Margrethe Skjeldstad, CoFounder
Borgar Ljosland, ProVenture
Gisle Østeregn, StartupLab

Text: Per Steinar Moen
Photo: Kristoffer Wittrup

Now a group of students want to make it easier to ensure cats’ wellbeing. NTNU students Elin Haugum and Andreas Leander Karlsen Berg are part of Tibby. Their group has just been awarded NOK 75,000 in pilot project funding from NTNU Discovery to develop an app that will help cat owners improve the health and quality of life of the country’s 750,000 domestic cats.

“We started when we got these two kittens,” says Elin, referring to tiny, nervous eight-year-old Bønna (Bean), who’s been hiding under the sofa, and the more curious two-year-old Frosk (Frog), who’s practicing climbing on the windowsill. “That’s when we realized that there was a lack of information about products and services specifically adapted for cats.”

Different needs

Although you’ll find a lot of general information about cats, they have very different needs depending on breed, age and gender, among other things. “For example, many people don’t know that sterilized cats have an increased risk of obesity, which can lead to urinary stones and kidney problems. Or that Maine Coons are prone to heart problems. There are so many things to look out for that even breeders find it difficult to keep track of everything,” she says.

At the same time as she became a cat owner, Elin took the technology management course as part of her master’s degree in computer technology at NTNU. She was tasked with exploring a product and market opportunities. Could the country’s 400,000 homes with cats have an unmet need?

She scoured Facebook for groups about cats. “I joined them all, because I love cats myself.” She then shared a market survey on groups with names such as Katteelskere (Cat lovers), Norges Katter (Norwegian Cats) and Kattens atferd og helse (Cat Behavior and Health), and received a lot of clear feedback from the more than 1,000 respondents.

Unnecessary suffering

The answers they got back were not pleasant reading. Several people had problems finding information. “Cats die because people don’t have sufficient knowledge about them,” Elin concludes. Veterinary records and survey data show that many cats suffer and die unnecessarily – or are dumped – because their owners don’t have enough information and knowledge to deal with them. Many diseases and ailments in cats could be prevented with more knowledge about food, stimuli and simple medical treatment.

“No, my goodness!” exclaims Elin. “If this can be prevented with information, why don’t people get hold of this information?”

Their solution is to develop an instruction manual for cats in the form of the Tibby app. In this app, cat owners will be able to record their cat’s health data and any symptoms and receive tailored, quality-assured advice and information in return. The app will be able to provide guidance in the event of illness and provide answers to a number of everyday concerns. “Are those real plants?”, Elin asks a little worriedly when Frosk shows great curiosity about the meeting room’s plastic flora. A seemingly innocent plant can be highly toxic to a curious cat. Tulips, lilies and ivy are on the list of common houseplants that shouldn’t be ingested by kitties – and if your cat has eaten from a houseplant, the app will be able to advise you.

All about your cat

Andreas is a teaching student, product manager and fellow cat owner. He is showing an early, unfinished version of Tibby. “The app will be a hub for everything for cats, both general information about cat ownership, but also personal recommendations for your particular cat,” he says.

You can choose to record weight and eating habits, for example, and the app will give you advice and alerts. You will be reminded about vaccinations and medication. With the help of artificial intelligence, you will be presented with concise summaries that are relevant to your cat. Emaciated cat? Tibby provides you with background articles and product recommendations from relevant partners.

“A lot of people think that cats are self-propelled animals and they take care of themselves: eating when they’re hungry and drinking water when they need it,” he says, mentioning one area where cats differ from dogs. “Cats are desert animals. They get 80 percent of their water intake from their food, so if you feed them dry food every day, that’s 80 percent less water. You need to make sure your cat has multiple drinking areas, not near the food, not near the toilet, not near noisy places. There’s a lot to consider when you have a cat,” says Andreas.

Some of the money from the feasibility study was used to travel to the International Cat Federation’s (FIFe) World Show, which was held outside Stokke last year. There, they came into contact with many stakeholders and breeders who could confirm that there was a need to offer more targeted information to cat owners.

Working together

The pet market, in the form of pet shops, veterinarians and others who offer goods and services for our pets, is growing rapidly. According to the insurance company Agria, for example, more than 40 percent of dog owners spend more than NOK 1,000 per month on their pet. Although cat owners spend somewhat less than dog owners, we can expect Norwegians to spend between 10 and 20 billion kroner annually on their pets.

Tibby has been in dialogue with feed manufacturer Royal Canin, the Association of Norwegian Ethologists (the study of animal behavior) and pet shops, among others. The idea is that the app will be free of charge for cat owners, while manufacturers and service providers can contribute information and offer relevant and tailored product recommendations.

The app is scheduled to be launched this summer, after the team behind Tibby has completed the 6AM Accelerator program, which helps entrepreneurs in the tech industry. The first version will focus on journaling symptoms and information, but in the long term they are considering adding integration with smart gadgets such as heart rate monitors and forum solutions. And maybe there will be room for other pets eventually.

“Our goal is to improve cat health and welfare, and in time also animal welfare in general,” says Elin.

Besides Elin and Andreas, Tibby consists of Simon Sandvik Lee, Einride Osland Brodahl, Charlotte Gereke and Alice Zheng. See more at tibby.pet.

Text: Per-Steinar Moen
Photo: Kristoffer Wittrup

In total, jury member Kristian Onarheim awarded NOK 4.6 million to six projects: NOK 1 million to four projects from researchers and employees at NTNU and Helse Midt-Norge and NOK 300.000 to two student projects.

Stop the sound with fungi

Demp Bio are sustainable soundproofing panels made from residual resources, “or rubbish”, as master’s student Helle Skog Christiansen says. She is studying at the NTNU School of Entrepreneurship and, together with students Guro Stålstrøm, Endre Svendsen and Cedric Langeweg, has developed sound-absorbing panels for use in offices, retail premises and restaurants that want to have an environmentally friendly profile.

Wood waste and other residual resources are grown together by mycelium into a solid mass. Mycelium is the fungal root network, the vegetative part of fungi that grows in rich filamentous networks underground, and is so easy to activate and manipulate that some call mycelium “nature’s own 3D printer”.

“We use mycelium as a form of glue, as a binding agent. Then we can create a unique design based on what the customer wants,” says Helle Skog Christiansen.

The result is effective sound-absorbing (tested by the acoustics group at NTNU) and fire-retardant panels. While many other acoustic panels on the market today are products based on petroleum or glass wool, which contribute to increased greenhouse gas emissions, Demp Bio is biodegradable.

The funding from NTNU Discovery will be used to automate and further develop the production line they have set up at Nyhavna. “With NTNU Discovery, we can scale up considerably, test different types of residual resources and fungi mycelium – and then start selling this – eventually,” says Helle Skog Christiansen. And the first panels will be ready for sale in a few months’ time.

Safer and more sustainable eye surgery

Terje Fagerholt, consultant ophthalmologist at the Department of Ophtalmology at St. Olavs hospital, is behind the invention of the Vitrectomy Gas Injector, a small device that reduces the use of SF₆ gas (sulfur hexafluoride), a highly climate-damaging gas, in retinal surgery by up to 95 percent. SF₆ gas is about 24,000 times more harmful than CO₂. This device also minimizes the risk of low eye pressure, a common complication in such procedures, by injecting gas in a more controlled manner.

“I’m a bit of an engineer at heart, I think. I really like practical problem solving and mechanics,” says Terje Fagerholt.

After tinkering with the idea for a while, he contacted NTNU TTO, which has the main responsibility for commercializing all technology originating from the Helse Midt-Norge RHF and NTNU. “I know my field, I know retinal surgery and mechanics, and I have a good deal of ideas about the product, but regarding intellectual property rights, applications for funding, financing and commercialization, I don’t have a clue, and it’s really nice to have a system for that,” he says.

NTNU TTO led him on to NTNU Discovery, first with pre-project funding to develop a prototype together with Eggs Design, and now with main project funding. “NTNU Discovery has been essential in getting to where we are now, we wouldn’t have been able to create a prototype without it,” says Terje Fagerholt.

Main Project Funding Recipients, autumn 2024

NOK 1.000.000 for employee projects:

NxGenNeuro: Advanced modular cell models with directional channels, 3D structures and nanoporous microelectrodes that can be tailored to researchers’ needs, with Nicolai Winter-Hjelm and Pawel Sikorski at the Department of Neuromedicine and Movement Science and Yngve Sommervoll NTNU TTO.

Mini10K: Further development of a miniature microscope that can film brain activity in small laboratory animals that move freely and naturally in the laboratory, with Weijan Zong and Annelene Dahl at the Kavli Institute.

TheraLeuk: New and more precise treatment method for leukemia and similar cancers, with Berit Johansen and Siril Skaret Bakke at the Department of Biology.

Vitrectomy Gas Injector: Device for gas injections in retinal surgery led by Terje Fagerholt at the Clinic of Ear-Nose-Throat, Eye and Maxillofacial Surgery at St. Olavs Hospital, Helse Midt-Norge and Yngve Sommervoll NTNU TTO.

NOK 300.000 for student projects:

Demp Bio: Sustainable and biodegradable acoustic panels based on mushroom mycelium and residual products, with Helle Skog Christiansen, Guro Stålstrøm, Endre Svendsen and Cedric Langeweg at the NTNU Entrepreneurial School at the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management

EquaFish: Software that collects and visualizes data from land-based fish farms in real time, with Finn Lippestad and Eirik Lillebudal at the NTNU School of Entrepreneurship at the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management.

Text: Per-Steinar Moen
Photo: Kristoffer Wittrup

Three of Helse Midt-Norge RHF’s employees are gathered in a meeting room at the head office in Stjørdal to discuss how NTNU Discovery can be a small but important contributor to innovations inbetween the daily operations and consultations in the health service.

Trude Basso is Director of Health Sciences, Research and Education in Helse Midt-Norge and, together with Assistant Director Audun Eskeland Rimehaug and Innovation Advisor Marit Skyrud Bratlie, agrees that the hospital trusts have great potential for innovation.

“The hospital is a breeding ground for good ideas, as long as they are facilitated. There are few places where you have such a high concentration of highly educated, creative and clever minds as you have in the health service. It’s a … gold mine!” she says.

Earlier this spring, the regional hospital trusts published the report “Research and innovation for the benefit of patients”. In the foreword, the authors state that “the specialist health service’s systematic effort for research and innovation is central to how the service is further developed”, but also warn that “with pressure on finances and health personnel, it is demanding, but perhaps even more important to find time and space for research and innovation”.

Trude Basso shares this understanding of reality: “Working in a hospital is busy,” she says. In order to have the opportunity to develop ideas further, inventors are dependent on free time during their working day. “Innovation funding is a way of buying time to develop ideas and move forward. And that’s where NTNU Discovery is very good,” says Trude Basso.

From panties to artificial intelligence

Unsurprisingly, the most research-intensive environments associated with St. Olavs Hospital are highly represented in the applications NTNU Discovery get from employees in Helse Midt-Norge. In particular, the radiology and diagnostic imaging environments at NTNU and St. Olavs Hospital are at the forefront of the development of new MRI technology and are frequently represented in both applications and awards.
The research group behind Proviz was awarded NOK 1 million to further develop artificial intelligence and machine learning to create probability maps of cancerous tumors in the prostate. Proviz consists of researchers from NTNU and clinicians from the Helse Midt-Norge, who work with looking for cancerous tumors when prostate cancer is suspected on a daily basis.

“We see that many of the same environments at St. Olav’s Hospital recur in the applications, but we would also encourage the other hospital trusts – i.e. Møre og Romsdal and Nord-Trøndelag – to apply. I think there’s potential for more applications than we’re seeing now,” says innovation advisor Marit Skyrud Bratlie. “Some people think that ‘we don’t do innovation’, but they actually do,” she says.

Sometimes applications come from environments that do not have an academic research background. Nurses on the orthopedic ward at St. Olav’s Hospital face major challenges with elderly, cognitively impaired patients who have bladder catheters inserted in connection with surgical procedures. During an innovation day on the ward, they came up with a solution to the challenges: a new type of underwear, called multipanties, will make it more difficult for the patient to remove the catheter and touch the surgical wound.

Low threshold

It’s a long way from an idea to a finished product. Developing new medical equipment – or new drugs – is a process that can take many years and cost tens of millions of kroner. The first funding you get for a project can often be the most important.

Audun Eskeland Rimehaug is also a member of the steering committee of NTNU Discovery. He has previously been involved in projects that have applied for support from NTNU Discovery and other financial support models.

He believes there is a low threshold for applying for funding from NTNU Discovery. “The biggest threshold for employees in Helse Midt-Norge is knowing about NTNU Discovery,” he says. It’s easy to apply for funds from NTNU Discovery, especially the pre-project funds that are processed on an ongoing basis. “You don’t need a lot of formalities in place – you need to be employed and have an idea with commercial potential. Compared to other funding schemes, NTNU Discovery has a low threshold for applying,” he says.

Helse Midt-Norge has been the main partner of NTNU Discovery since 2013 and contributes financially to promising innovations, expertise through participation in juries and steering committees and, not least, applications from its own employees.

Trude Basso believes that seed funding – financial support given at the start of an innovation process – helps to stimulate employees to pursue a creative idea that can benefit the healthcare system.

“We see the value of how our employees, who have personal experience from the health service, and their clever minds, have the opportunity to make good solutions. We have an intrinsic value in that,” says Director Trude Basso.

Support to carry out a main project in NTNU Discovery is a great opportunity to further develop your idea. Some prerequisites for applying for support to further develop your idea through a main project:

• You must be employed at NTNU or Helse Midt-Norge or be an active degree student at NTNU.
• Employees must have reported their idea to NTNU Technology Transfer and received an intellectual property rights (IPR) report from them.
• Students should have completed a pre-project at NTNU Discovery, and students studying in Trondheim must have received funding from
• Trønderenergy contribution through SPARK*.
• The project cannot be associated with an already formed company.

Learn more how to apply as employee eller student.

Text: Per-Steinar Moen
Photo: Kristoffer Wittrup

She has just awarded NOK 300,000 to 1,000,000, and a few cups of coffee, to selected employees and students at NTNU and the Central Norway Regional Health Authority who have the best business ideas linked to research results.

In this year’s first award, a total of two projects from students and four from employees at NTNU and Central Norway Regional Health Authority were awarded funding for the main project.

New weapon against antibiotic resistance

NTNU Professor Målfrid Østfold received NOK 1 million for Breastida. She leads a team at the Institute for Clinical and Molecular Medicine that develops a new medicine that can be used for highly aggressive breast cancer with the aim of reducing the need for chemotherapy, facilitating individualized treatment, and reducing side effects. In 2020, Breastida was awarded NOK 10 million from the National Competence Center for breast cancer research, a grant that will be continued in 2021 to develop Breastida.

Betatide is a variant of a peptide drug, ATX-101, under development as a cancer medication. The discovery of the peptide drug’s antibacterial effect happened by chance, a known pattern in antibiotic research. On a hot summer day in 2011, the window was open in Marit Otterlei’s team’s lab while they were testing various drugs on cancer cells in connection with the development of ATX-101 – a promising cancer medication. After a few days, an infection occurred in the cancer cells, except for the cancer cells treated with ATX-101.

Betatide is an abbreviation for “beta clamp targeting peptide,” and the drug attacks the bacteria by binding to the protein[MO1], which is crucial both in the bacteria’s ability to replicate its DNA and in mutagenesis – the process that causes bacteria to mutate and thereby become resistant. This mechanism of action for an antibacterial drug is entirely new and shows promising results with no cross-resistance to known antibiotic resistances.

“It is a long process to develop a drug,” says Marit Otterlei. The development of the cancer drug ATX-101 has so far cost around NOK 200 million. Initially, a newly developed drug must undergo various animal tests to assess its effectiveness in infection models outside a controlled lab environment and then for toxicity – that is, how high a dose can be used before the side effects become too severe. The animal tests to check if Betatide works on the infection models will cost around NOK 2 million[MO2], and the money will be used for this. “ “Getting the extra million has been very useful. We can now conduct more small pilot studies before starting the large studies,” she says. “This will improve the quality of our work, which can make a significant difference in the study results.”

Prostate cancer

Overall, the medical community at NTNU and Health Mid-Norway was well represented in the distribution, which shows how advanced parts of this environment are in innovation and research.

Two of the six projects that received support are developing products aimed at diagnosing prostate cancer. To get a diagnosis, patients often have to undergo an uncomfortable procedure to take a tissue sample from the prostate with a risk of serious infections afterward.

The PROVIZ group, led by Professor Tone Frost Bathen, uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to create probability maps of cancer tumors in the prostate. This allows the urologist to take relevant tissue samples from specific areas in the prostate gland. The method will potentially lead to fewer procedures and more accurate tissue samples. PROVIZ received NOK 1 million.

PRExoCAST, on the other hand, led by Morten Rye at the Institute for Clinical and Molecular Medicine, has a different approach to avoid invasive biopsies. They are developing a gene test used on liquid biopsies, i.e., urine or semen samples, which can differentiate aggressive prostate cancer from more harmless, slower forms. This group also received NOK 1 million.

Safer navigation

mHUD 2.0 is a simple, affordable, and intuitive product designed to assist operators on ships under challenging conditions, for example, when it is dark or visibility is poor. The solution is an LED strip mounted above the windows on the bridge that uses simple light and color signals to indicate the direction of other traffic, lighthouses, shallow water, or other obstacles. The goal is for the product to increase awareness of the surroundings, make operators less dependent on looking down at instrument panels, and thereby avoid accidents or potentially dangerous situations. The system should be easy to install and adapt to both new and old ships or remote control centers.

mHUD 2.0 is based on an idea by Felix Petermann at SFI Autoship and is being developed by a team at the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Design.
The group received NOK 1 million to further develop this idea.

NOK 300,000 for two student projects

This year, NOK 300,000 was also awarded to two student projects. Kynetix is led by Benjamin James Granrud from the Department of Design, and the product aims to develop affordable exoskeleton legs for patients with muscle diseases, specifically targeting the elderly. An exoskeleton is an external skeletal structure that can provide better and safer movement, replacing aids such as wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches, while allowing the patient to use more independent, natural movements. Kynetix is developing a hybrid system that controls walking movements and makes the system adaptable to various needs. The system both prevents falls and provides protection against falls.

In addition, GreenLedger, led by student Henrik Sommerseth at the Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management at NTNU, received funding to develop software to calculate the cost of environmental footprints. The software uses available business data to convert greenhouse gas emissions, waste, water consumption into monetary values.

The next application deadline for the main project is September 30, 2024.

Text: Per-Steinar Moen
Photo: Kristoffer Wittrup

In the idyllic Austrian village of Wattens, 13 kilometers east of Innsbruck in North Tyrol, the temperature is high. The heavy afternoon sun pushes the mercury into the 40s on this August day. While others use such summer days for lazy hours on the beach with a light crime novel in one hand and an ice-cold drink in the other, a group of ambitious, enthusiastic academics chose five days of pitching ideas, developing business plans and strategies, and, most importantly, receiving advice from experienced and successful technology entrepreneurs.

NTNU Discovery has a collaboration with IECT–Hermann Hauser (Institute for Entrepreneurship Cambridge Tirol), giving employees at NTNU and Helse Midt-Norge the opportunity to attend summer school in Tyrol. Austrian Hermann Hauser is one of the foremost entrepreneurs in Britain, described as a central figure in the development of Silicon Fen in Cambridge – the UK’s Silicon Valley – and the founder of Acorn, later developing ARM processors.

In 2023, three entrepreneurs from Trondheim participated, each bringing a business idea. Coline Senior is a PhD student at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She works on involving children and young people in participatory processes related to urban development. The authorities want as many voices as possible to be heard when cities and communities are developed. The Norwegian Planning and Building Act specifically mentions children and young people as a group requiring extra effort: “The municipality has a special responsibility to ensure active participation from groups requiring special arrangements, including children and young people. Groups and interests unable to participate directly must be given good opportunities for participation in other ways.”

The Future at Stake

“The ambition is for it to be used in participatory processes,” says Coline Senior. She is writing a PhD on children’s involvement in the planning of smart cities. The goal is to make cities and municipalities more sustainable and everyday life easier using digital tools. As an architect, she found it strange to sit behind a screen all day reading and writing reports. “Okay, we can write a report on how to involve children in urban planning. It has been done before with varying success. Or we can actually do something about it, now that we understand the challenge. Can we contribute to a solution? Can we help them with something concrete?” she says.

In response to this challenge, Coline Senior created the urban development game ByMaker. She starts the game, initially featuring a model of her hometown Trondheim. Fossil fuel vehicles are banned around the Nidaros Cathedral and the Cathedral School. Build energy-positive plus houses that generate more energy than they consume in the whole block? Done. Plant trees and build treehouses for children to make use of public spaces and nature? Why not! An energy-positive, zero-emission amusement park by the cathedral? Build!

In a few keystrokes, Coline Senior has turned Trondheim into an environmental paradise. For each choice she makes, the score changes on parameters such as economy, social conditions, and climate and environment. The virtual Trondheim scores very high on climate and environment. But economy and social conditions get a low score. “And the idea is that in the next task, the goal is to balance the three. Maybe we need to sacrifice something to make the environment get a higher score on social conditions?” says Coline Senior.

The ambition is to teach children and young people about sustainable urban development and how different urban planning decisions affect various aspects of sustainability. “Through our research we found that very little has been done to ensure that people understand what this is about before they provide input to a plan,” she says.

Summer School Instead of Project Funding

Coline Senior received pre-project support from NTNU Discovery to develop the game. She also applied for main project funding but the application was rejected partly because the project’s business plan was too weak. “Of course it was, because it’s not my field. I’ve never made one before,” she says. Instead of a million kroner, she was offered the opportunity to attend the summer school for academic entrepreneurs as a chance to strengthen the business plan. She accepted before fully understanding what it entailed.

So, in the middle of the European summer holiday, she found herself in the Tyrolean landscape, surrounded by picturesque mountains, along with a group of technology-oriented entrepreneurs from academic environments and engaged, wealthy investors who had made business plans several times in their careers. Here, business plans for new generations of antibiotics, smart gadgets, and sensors full of artificial intelligence and other engineer-driven innovations were to be developed.

For Coline Senior, it was intense from the start, with five full days of intensive teaching, workshops, and presentations. There wasn’t even time to visit the headquarters and museum of the crystal producer Swarovski, located in Wattens.

On the first evening, all participants had to give a three-minute presentation of their own idea in front of the other participants, experts, and attendees. While most of the students and lecturers came from heavy technological environments, Coline Senior has an architectural background.

“I was a complete outsider. It became very obvious when we first explained what we were doing,” says Coline Senior. She felt her invention – a simple educational game aimed at children in municipal urban planning processes – didn’t quite belong in the deep tech environment the school primarily targets. One of the many experts she met was very skeptical of her idea: “Who is going to be interested in that? No one will pay for such a solution!” he concluded.

“But then I had a new session with another expert,” she says. Coline Senior told this expert about her experience and said, “I don’t belong here!” The new expert said: “Yes, you do. What you are doing is very important. Because you are teaching children about sustainability, technology, innovation, and everything – so that those here can hire smart people in the future!”

Motivating

Coline Senior doesn’t hide that there were several ups and downs exploring idea outside the comfort zone. But she is clear that the summer school was useful for her project.

“It was great fun. The people running IECT were very good at including everyone; they were very good at helping us move forward. They were most concerned that people were motivated and engaged,” she says. For her, the academic benefits were significant. Particularly inspiring and educational was meeting the skilled, charismatic, curious, and experienced mentors from a heavy technological environment in Cambridge and its network, such as Hermann Hauser (who the school is named after) and Jamie Urquhart, with whom Coline Senior made good contact.

“I have learned a lot about business models, strategy, staffing. Yes, recruiting people, I had never thought about that. I am running a small project that I think is fun, and I have gotten people to work for free, but at some point, you have to hire people for the project to move forward,” she says.

She has been asked by Toril Hernes, the Pro-Rector for Innovation at NTNU, if such a summer school could be possible to establish in Norway. “I quickly – maybe a bit too quickly – answered that I don’t think Norway alone could achieve it. But with cooperation with other Nordic countries? Absolutely. What was strong about IECT was that top-level people took the time to travel to the middle of nowhere in Austria in August. There were big names, with great success in entrepreneurship and technology,” says Coline Senior.

Back in Trondheim, the project continues. Back in Trondheim, the project continues. Coline Senior and the team, including colleague Mara Gabriela Diaconu, supervisors Alenka Temeljotov Salaj and Agnar Johansen, and IT developer Ana Cepuran, are working on a new version of the game and planning to apply for additional funds from NTNU Discovery. They have already pitched for the ChangeNOW conference in March and are further seeking investors so that ByMaker in the future can be used to give children a voice and understanding of how humanity can live more sustainably.