Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech A Finnish biotech is making progress on Parkinson's disease with support from The Michael J. Fox Foundation
Parkinsons disease impacts some 10 million people worldwide and current approaches to treating the condition almost exclusively focus on addressing symptoms – there is, as of yet, no cure. One Finnish biotech, however, is not focused on alleviating symptoms but on modifying the course of the disease itself. Their hope is to be able to stop and even reverseneurodegenerative diseases like Parkinsons, and they have the backing of significant players, such as the Michael J Fox Foundation, to do just that.
This week I spoke to Antti Vuolanto, CEO of Herantis Pharma, about the work his company is doing, the science behind their approach, and the advantages and challenges of working in biotech in the Nordics.
01:10 Meet Antti Vuolanto
05:10 The biotech landscape in the Nordics
07:07 Herantis Pharma and its mission
09:38 Treating symptoms versus disease modification
13:31 Herantis in relation to other Parkinson’s disease companies
15:47 HER-096
26:24 The global burden of Parkinson’s disease and the unmet need
28:56 The role of patient and advocacy groups
30:11 The future of Parkinson’s disease treatment
31:52 How the Nordics can develop and expand their biotech sector
36:33 Stay up to date on Herantis and their work
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