EXINI Diagnostics is reaping the benefits of its strategic geographic location. From the company’s laboratory and head office at Ideon Gateway’s top floor, overlooking Ideon Science Park in Lund, EXINI operates in close proximity to many of the world’s premier players within medical business. Providing cutting edge medical software and with Medicon Village just around the corner, the stage is pretty much set for success.
The founders of EXINI Diagnostics identified the advantages of operating from Ideon Science Park, a vital part of Medicon Valley, from day one. CEO Magnus Aurell comments on the benefits of the company’s location:
“At Ideon Science Park we are able to share important knowledge with some of the world’s most acclaimed researchers and developers within life science. Just like us, they are progressive, motivated and highly specialised; seeking solutions for a better, more efficient and sustainable health care”.
Targeting international market from day one
EXINI has adopted an international outlook from the start. The story begins in 1999, when the Lund University Imaging Department clenched collaboration with the regional health care, focusing on better, more accurate diagnosis and treatment for patients.
The interdisciplinary research was developed further, finally resulting in several patented solutions. The products, more precisely intelligent software, were developed by EXINI and are marketed as EXINI boneBSI, EXINI heart, EXINI dat and EXINI brain.
“An international approach is necessary for a company like EXINI. There are about 80 hospitals in Scandinavia. In Germany alone there are over 1 300 hospitals. Therefore, targeting key markets such as Germany, the UK, Japan and the USA are vital to us”, Magnus Aurell explains.
Recently Exini signed a multi-million contract with the Japanese pharmaceutical company Fujifilm Ri Pharma. The deal gives Fujifilm Ri Pharma exclusive rights to the software EXINI heart on the Japanese market.
“The Medicon Valley Alliance Ambassador Program played a decisive role in our success on the Japanese market. We have used the Ambassador Program in all matters relating to the Japanese market including development, patenting, sales and cultural barriers. Without the MVA Ambassador Program we would not have made this breakthrough in Japan”, says Magnus Aurell.
Great opportunities
EXINI’s first commercial success on the international market was the software EXINI boneBSI. The software facilitates the analysis of suspected prostate cancer. Being able to provide the right treatment at the right time is absolutely crucial to hospitals and clinics due to severe patient side effects and the substantial costs involved.
“Prostate cancer is the single most common type of cancer in the world, traditionally affecting mature men. The trend suggests that both younger and middle aged men are getting more affected now than before.. Therefore, it is vital to provide reliable and cost-efficient diagnostic tools, which in turn can assist decision-making in applying the correct treatment ”, Magnus Aurell continues.
EXINI boneBSI identifies patterns in medical images, showing skeletal metastases and clearly pointing out the malignant ones. By using the image biomarker Bone Scan Index (BSI) the software calculates the exact index of how the cancer is spreading, or in the case of a successful treatment – decreasing
Ready for world market
In Sweden, metastatic care mount to 30.000 SEK per month and patient and about 20 % out of 10.000 new prostate cancer patients each year will develop skeletal metastasis.
“The conclusion is evident: metastatic care heavily drains national health care budgets worldwide. However, costs can be cut using our technology as it provides correct diagnosis along with support to apply correct treatment of patients at an early stage”, says Magnus Aurell.
EXINI is working closely with several well-known hospitals world wide such as Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in New York City and EXINI boneBSI is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and thus ready for the world market.
