New knowledge from SLU is sought after by companies and organisations both in Sweden and internationally. Many companies have been created on the basis of ideas and research from SLU.
Some of these ideas and research projects – and the researchers behind them – are described below.
Lars Roepstorff’s interest in horses was aroused at an early stage, and he has done competitive riding since his childhood. And with a doctor as a father, Lars has always been attracted by the combination of medicine and animals, which meant he started on a veterinary programme after secondary school.
During the veterinary programme he gradually started research in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry at SLU, which was already the world leader in biomechanics, with its projects to optimise surfaces and cambers at Swedish trotting tracks. Lars was involved in projects to measure movements, loads and forces when horses were competing, in order to establish values for the animals’ perception of the different surfaces.
Göran Nordlander and Henrik Nordenhem are behind the research idea that later became Conniflex – environmentally friendly protection against damage caused by insects, which in connection with SLU's 40th anniversary was awarded a prize as one of the three most successful innovations deriving from research at SLU in the University’s history. We interviewed Prof. Göran Nordlander about the whole process.
BioGaia is one of the three most successful innovations originating from the research carried out over SLU's 40 years of existence. Prior to the founding of BioGaia in 1990, there was intensive research into the lactic-acid bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri during the 80s, including at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala. Sven Lindgren, the PhD student Lars Axelsson and Walter Dobrogosz worked there, investigating how Lactobacillus reuteri could inhibit pathogenic microorganisms such as E. coli and Salmonella. The company BioGaia, which is based on their research, currently has an annual turnover in excess of SEK 500m.
Overweight is a growing public-health problem. Duttal has developed a new type of fat-based molecules and has shown that they effectively reduce the weight of obese rats and mice. The molecules are patent-pending, and development of a product for obesity is now continuing.
Potato production often suffers from viral attacks, which are costly for the growers. Enlighted Detection is developing a technology whereby viral attacks on potato plants can quickly be detected using infrared light. Removal of diseased plants at an early stage prevents the spread of viral infection, and the contagion can be reduced in cultivation.
Stress-related diseases and fatigue syndrome are increasingly common. Medical methods are not always enough to cure them. NAHC is a knowledge company started by researchers at SLU and the rehabilitation-garden team in Alnarp. They use the latest research findings and specially designed garden environments in their treatment of stress and fatigue syndrome. The treatment is showing positive results in the form of significantly fewer stress symptoms and an increased chance of patients returning to work and their studies.
Resorbable Devices have developed a resorbable self-locking implant for surgical interventions. The self-locking and resorbable features speed up operations. The implant also means less risk of complications and quicker recovery.
SweTree Technologies is an established plant and forestry biotechnology company that provides products and technologies to improve the productivity and performance of plants and wood for forest owners and fibre-related industries. The business was started by researchers in Umeå, and SLU Holding still owns a small part of the company.
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