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.