University of Helsinki Spinout Targets Rapid Achievement of Optimal Cholesterol Levels
Cholesterol-lowering drugs are the most widely prescribed medicines in the world, but most patients with high cholesterol do not reach their target cholesterol levels – at least not quickly. This is due to there currently not being an effective way to determine which patients need more effective drug therapies.
However, a solution is in the offing. Moncyte, a recently established spinout of the University of Helsinki, has developed a method providing information about the cellular mechanisms that influence the effectiveness of cholesterol-lowering drugs in individual patients.
The patented technology is significantly different from other existing diagnostic tests that measure blood cholesterol concentration. The innovation is based on how cholesterol is transported and processed in human cells. Since the most important cholesterol-lowering treatments function at the cellular level, this type of research is essential to identifying opportunities for developing novel drugs and personalised therapies for high cholesterol.
“The journey of developing Moncyte from a university research project into a biotech company has been exciting, and we believe our unique test can make a real difference in improving the health of patients with high cholesterol,” says the company CEO, Tamara Alagirova.
Good cholesterol levels reduce the risk of the onset of cardiovascular diseases
Moncyte’s technology also reduces the need for various experiments leading to more patients receiving effective drug treatment. This will enable patients to reach their personal cholesterol goals faster and reduce their risk of cardiovascular diseases, ultimately saving lives and money.
Moncyte’s technology can be applied in the clinic, health centres, clinical studies and research centres.
“It has been inspiring to support the Moncyte team in transforming their research-based invention into commercially potential novel technology and finally into a spinout. We are eager to follow this ambitious team’s path towards the markets and wish the company the best of luck on their business journey,” says Kajsa Kajander, interim CEO of Helsinki Innovation Services Ltd.