Mr. Tell has broad experience in finance, business development and strategy. He joins SyntheticMR from Siemens, where he most recently was of Head of Finance & Controlling for Siemens Real Estate, Sweden. Mr. Tell also has a background as an entrepreneur and holds an MBA from Henley Business School, University of Reading, London, U.K.

SyntheticMR's software for faster workflows and better decision support for MRI imaging, SyMRI® Diagnostics, was recently taken into clinical practice and the company is now entering the next phase, focusing global marketing and sales. "Mr. Tell's main task will be to establish SyMRI on an international market", says Andreas Bunge, Chairman of the Board in SyntheticMR and CEO of Accelerator Nordic AB.

For additional information please contact Andreas Bunge, CEO Accelerator Nordic AB,
+46 70 824 25 25.

Accelerator Nordic AB is a group of Life Science companies focused on pharmaceutical drug development and medical devices. Accelerator's subsidiaries have exposure towards large growth markets such as cancer therapy, medical imaging and orthopedics. The first medical device products are now on the market and a combination product is in clinical phase. The business model is centered on partnering or out-licensing. Accelerator Nordic is publicly traded on the Aktietorget exchange in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information please visit, http://www.acceleratorab.se.

SyntheticMR AB, a subsidiary to Accelerator Nordic AB, has developed SyMRI Diagnostics, software for more effective Magnetic Resonance Imaging. SyMRI Diagnostics uses a rapid MRI scan that provides a measure for patient tissue properties. Using these properties conventional MRI images and tissue images can be generated. In this way examination time is reduced for the patient and the decision support is improved for the radiologist. For more information, please visit http://www.syntheticmr.se.

Anders Jönsson, MD, PhD, is today Head of Orthopedic Trauma, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden. He also has a background as Director of Global Medical Science at Stryker, a global orthopedic implant company. 

”Anders has very valuable experience and knowledge about the market and product development in orthopedics, both from an industrial perspective as well as from the surgeon’s perspective. This is of great value for AddBIO both for discussions with regulatory authorities and with potential partners for the launch of Zolidd”, says Dr. Trine Vikinge, CEO AddBIO AB. 

Zolidd is a unique biomaterial product enabling enhanced fixation of dental and orthopedic implants through strengthening of the surrounding bone. Bisphosphonate, an approved and since long used class of drugs, is used locally to enhance the implant-bone interface and increase the bone holding power. Better holding power lowers the risk of implant loosening and other complications, thus reducing the need for re-operations and medical expenses. Improved implant stability with Zolidd has been shown in both pre-clinical and clinical models, and two additional clinical studies are on-going. Zolidd is the first product developed from a proprietary technology platform for local drug application from medical implants. 

For additional information, please contact Andreas Bunge, CEO Accelerator Nordic AB, +46 70 824 25 25.

Accelerator Nordic AB is a group of Life Science companies focused on pharmaceutical drug development and medical devices. Accelerator’s subsidiaries have exposure towards large growth markets such as medical imaging, oncology and orthopedics. The first medical device products are now on the market and a combination product is in clinical phase. The business model is centered on partnering or out-licensing. Accelerator Nordic is listed on the Aktietorget exchange in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information please see www.acceleratorab.se .

SPAGO Imaging develops a novel, nanoparticle based, tumor selective contrast agent for MRI which has the potential to significantly improve cancer diagnostics with MRI. The money will be used for documented preclinical safety studies necessary for taking the project to clinical phase.

MRI is a very good imaging technique for soft tissue visualization, but a concern with MRI for tumor diagnostics today is the relatively high number of false positive results, leading to increased patient suffering and added costs due to unnecessary biopsies and supplementary procedures. The contrast agent that SPAGO Imaging is developing accumulates in soft tumor tissue and has significantly higher signal strength than the commercially available MRI contrast agents. This enables better contrast between the tumor and surrounding tissue and the potential for higher specificity, thus reducing the risk for false positive results.

Today's MRI contrast agents are almost exclusively based on gadolinium which is associated with Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF), a severe condition that can affect patients with impaired renal function. This has led to warnings from both US and European regulatory authorities. SPAGO has recently achieved good results in vivo and in vitro with gadolinium-free particles, meaning that, in addition to the good diagnostic properties, there is no risk for NSF
.
The first indication for SPAGOs contrast agent is expected to be breast cancer, later expanding to other soft tissue tumors.

Through "Forska & Väx", VINNOVA finances research and development projects in small and medium sized companies in Sweden. The goal is for the companies to increase their competitiveness by investing in research and development, thus contributing to growth in Sweden.

For additional information, contact Andreas Bunge, VD Accelerator Nordic AB,
+46 70 824 25 25.

Accelerator Nordic AB is a group of Life Science companies focused on pharmaceutical drug development and medical devices. Accelerator's subsidiaries have exposure towards large growth markets such as medical imaging, oncology and orthopedics. The first medical device products are now on the market and a combination product is in clinical phase. The business model is centered on partnering or out-licensing. Accelerator Nordic is listed on the Aktietorget exchange in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information please see http://www.acceleratorab.se .

VINNOVA has recommended that SPAGO Imaging AB, a subsidiary to Accelerator Nordic AB, gets 3.6 million SEK in financing from the "Forska & Väx" program. SPAGO Imaging develops a novel, nanoparticle based, tumor selective contrast agent for MRI which has the potential to significantly improve cancer diagnostics with MRI. The money will be used for documented studies necessary for taking the project to clinical phase. Formal decision from VINNOVA to be communicated in December.

MRI is a very good imaging technique for soft tissue visualization, but a concern with MRI for tumor diagnostics today is the relatively high number of false positive results, leading to unnecessary worrying for the patient as well as high costs for follow-up examinations. The contrast agent that SPAGO Imaging is developing accumulates in tumor tissue and has significantly higher signal strength than the commercially available MRI contrast agents today. This enables better contrast between the tumor and surrounding tissue and higher specificity, thus reducing the risk for false positive results.

Today's MRI contrast agents are almost exclusively based on gadolinium which is associated with Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF), a severe condition that can affect patients with impaired renal function. This has led to warnings from both US and European regulatory authorities. SPAGO has recently achieved good results in vivo and in vitro with gadolinium-free particles, meaning that, in addition to the good diagnostic properties, there is no risk for NSF.
The first indication for SPAGOs contrast agent is expected to be breast cancer, later expanding to other soft tissue tumors.

Through "Forska & Väx", VINNOVA finances research and development projects in small and medium sized companies in Sweden. The goal is for the companies to increase their competitiveness by investing in research and development, thus contributing to growth in Sweden.

For additional information, contact Andreas Bunge, VD Accelerator Nordic AB, +46 70 824 25 25.

Accelerator Nordic AB is a group of Life Science companies focused on pharmaceutical drug development and medical devices. Accelerator's subsidiaries have exposure towards large growth markets such as medical imaging, oncology and orthopedics. The first medical device products are now on the market and a combination product is in clinical phase. The business model is centered on partnering or out-licensing. Accelerator Nordic is publicly traded on the Aktietorget exchange in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information please see www.acceleratorab.se .

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Örebro University Hospital will use SyMRI Diagnostics in a research project aiming to assess MS using conventional and Synthetic MRI images, identify MS lesions based on tissue characteristics and evaluate the correlation between clinical symptoms and brain tissue changes as measured with the SyMRI software.

“One possible advantage with Synthetic MRI is a shortening of study time as only one series of images is needed to obtain the required type of images. Another interesting potential with Synthetic MRI is that tissue characteristics, which are used to create contrast in MR images, are determined through a quantitative method. We aim to evaluate these possibilities”, comments Wolfgang Krauss, MD at Örebro University Hospital, as motivation for using SyMRI. Wolfgang Krauss will lead the research project under the supervision of Per Thunberg, Associate Professor and PhD.

“We are looking forward to collaborating with Örebro University Hospital on this project and have high expectations on the outcome, which is important for us in order to make sure that we develop software that is optimized for both research and clinical needs”, says Marcel Warntjes, CEO of SyntheticMR.

For additional information please contact Andreas Bunge, CEO of Accelerator Nordic AB, +46 70 824 25 25.

Accelerator Nordic AB is a group of Life Science companies focused on pharmaceutical drug development and medical devices. Accelerator’s subsidiaries have exposure towards large growth markets such as cancer therapy, medical imaging and orthopedics. The first medical device products are now on the market and a combination product is in clinical phase. The business model is centered on partnering or out-licensing. Accelerator Nordic is publicly traded on the Aktietorget exchange in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information please visit, www.acceleratorab.se.

SyntheticMR AB, a subsidiary to Accelerator Nordic AB, has developed SyMRI Diagnostics, software for more effective Magnetic Resonance Imaging. SyMRI Diagnostics uses a rapid MRI scan that provides a measure for patient tissue properties. Using these properties conventional MRI images and tissue images can be generated. In this way examination time is reduced for the patient and the decision support is improved for the radiologist. For more information, please visit www.syntheticmr.se.

The software, SyMRI Diagnostics, includes tools to automatically estimate a measure for brain atrophy and, with minor manual interaction, retrieve the volume of local brain structures and lesions. ”SyMRI enables us to retrieve accurate values on the patients status that we could not get before”, says Dr Richard Birgander, Neuroradiologist at Umeå University Hospital. ”We have analyzed the software’s functionality and the results look very good, which has led to a decision to introduce it in regular clinical procedures.” 

”Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) generally has been about looking at pictures and trying to interpret them. SyMRI finally provides us with objective numbers”, says Dr Anders Svenningsson, Neurologist at Umeå University Hosptial. ”My goal is to integrate the SyMRI
approach into the Swedish MS register to have more accurate follow-up possibilities for these patients”. The Swedish MS register is a nation-wide database that strives to improve care and convey knowledge of Multiple Sclerosis. 

The software will be seamlessly integrated in the hospital’s radiology IT solutions from Sectra. “Offering third-party clinical innovations like SyMRI Diagnostics tightly integrated in our own IT solutions is an important part of our mission to offer our customers ways to improve their efficiency and the quality of care for their patients,” says Dr Torbjörn Kronander, President of Sectra’s medical operations. 

SyntheticMR has a long standing relationship with Umeå University Hospital, where the SyMRI Diagnostics product has been evaluated on site since 2009 in order to better understand how the software can be used in clinical practice. 

For additional information please contact Andreas Bunge, CEO Accelerator Nordic AB, +46 708 24 25 25. 

Accelerator Nordic AB is a group of Life Science companies focused on pharmaceutical drug development and medical devices. Accelerator’s subsidiaries have exposure towards large growth markets such as cancer therapy, medical imaging and orthopedics. The
first medical device products are now on the market and a combination product is in clinical phase. The business model is centered on partnering or out-licensing. Accelerator Nordic is publicly traded on the Aktietorget exchange in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information please visit, www.acceleratorab.se.  

SyntheticMR AB, a subsidiary to Accelerator Nordic AB, has developed SyMRI Diagnostics, software for more effective Magnetic Resonance Imaging. SyMRI Diagnostics uses a rapid MRI scan that provides a measure for patient tissue properties. Using these properties conventional MRI images and tissue images can be generated. In this way examination time is reduced for the
patient and the decision support is improved for the radiologist. For more information, please visit www.syntheticmr.se.

Sectra develops and sells IT systems and products for radiology, mammography and orthopaedics. More than 1,100 hospitals, clinics and imaging centers worldwide use the systems daily, together performing over 55 million radiology examinations annually. This makes Sectra one of the world-leading companies within systems for handling digital radiology images. In Scandinavia, Sectra is the market leader with more than 50% of all film-free installations. Sectra’s systems have been installed in North America, Scandinavia and most major countries in Europe and the Far East. Sectra was founded in 1978 and has its roots in Linköping University in Sweden. The company’s business operation includes cutting-edge products and services within the niche segments of medical systems and secure communication systems. Sectra has offices in 12 countries and operates through partners worldwide. Sales in the 2010/2011 fiscal year totaled SEK 911 million. The Sectra share is quoted on the NASDAQ OMX Stockholm AB exchange. For more information, visit www.sectra.com.

AddBIO AB, a subsidiary to Accelerator Nordic AB, reports that the first patient has been included in the clinical study in which AddBIO’s product Skruvcoat is used on patients undergoing surgery for knee degeneration. The purpose of the study, which is conducted at the hospital in Hässleholm, Sweden, is to investigate if implants treated with Skruvcoat have better fixation in the shinbone and knee joint than implants without the Skruvcoat coating.

“Screw loosening and infections are serious problems, particularly in weak bone. Skruvcoat offers a promising solution through strengthening the bone itself, and we are therefore looking forward to the results of this study which we hope will result in fewer complications and less suffering for the patient”, says Trine Vikinge, CEO of AddBIO AB.

Skruvcoat is an implant coating that contains bisphosphonate, a drug currently used to treat osteoporosis. When the implant is placed in the bone, the drug is released, strengthening the bone around the implant and thus reducing the risk of complications. Skruvcoat is AddBIO’s first product from the FibMat drug-delivery platform.

The study, which is expected to be completed during 2011, will include 20 patients undergoing surgical knee joint distraction, i.e. an alteration of the angle of the knee joint with the purpose of changing the point of impact. Fixation will be measured after three months.

The study is conducted in association with the hospital in Hässleholm without specific compensation given to the hospital.

For additional information, please contact Andreas Bunge, CEO Accelerator Nordic AB,
+46 70 824 25 25.

Accelerator Nordic AB is a group of Life Science companies focused on pharmaceutical drug development and medical devices. Accelerator’s subsidiaries have exposure towards large growth markets such as cancer therapy, medical imaging and orthopedics. The first medical device products are now on the market and one combination product is in clinical phase. The business model is centered on partnering or out-licensing. Accelerator Nordic is publicly traded on the Aktietorget exchange in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information, please visit http://www.acceleratorab.se .

AddBIO AB, a subsidiary to Accelerator Nordic AB, has developed a unique biomaterial product enabling enhanced fixation of orthopedic implants and screws. After promising results from a pilot study that showed that dental implants coated with Skruvcoat had improved stability, two clinical studies are now on-going; an extended dental study as well as a study on patients undergoing knee surgery. For more information, please visit http://www.addbio.se.

The MR Contrast Navigation Window feature is a useful tool on the graphical user interface of the SyMRI Diagnostics software that allows the radiologist to easily spot the current contrast-setting in the MR images, alternatively to navigate to a certain contrast setting interactively. In a way it acts as GPS for MR images. With SyMRI Diagnostics any contrast-setting can be visualized without the need to scan the patient again, which greatly improves the effectiveness of the image analysis process and provides better decision support for the radiologist. 

For additional information please contact Andreas Bunge, CEO Accelerator Nordic AB,
+46 70 824 25 25. 

Accelerator Nordic AB is a group of Life Science companies focused on pharmaceutical drug development and medical devices. Accelerator’s subsidiaries have exposure towards large growth markets such as cancer therapy, medical imaging and orthopedics. The first medical device products are now on the market and one combination product is in clinical phase. The business model is centered on partnering or out-licensing. Accelerator Nordic is publicly traded on the Aktietorget exchange in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information, please visit www.acceleratorab.se. 

SyntheticMR AB, a subsidiary to Accelerator Nordic AB, has developed SyMRI Diagnostics, software for more effective MR image analysis. SyMRI Diagnostics uses an acquisition sequence that provides quantitative tissue data. In this way examination time is reduced for the patient and the decision support is improved for the radiologist. For more information, please visit www.syntheticmr.se

No serious side effects of the chemotherapy were observed in the patients who received PP-095 (mangafodipir), while several serious side effects (grades 3 and 4 on the 4-point NCI-CTCAE scale) were observed in the patients who received placebo. The difference between the groups is statistically significant.

”Today, serious side effects of chemotherapy treatment are a major problem for patients with colorectal cancer”, says Professor Ursula Falkmer who is in charge of the study. She also says that we now have effective antineoplastic agents for use in the treatment of colorectal cancer but points out that their side effects render their use more difficult. It is therefore desirable that forms of treatment are found that can reduce the side effects and thereby render the chemotherapy more effective.

”This is the first time that we test on patients to establish whether mangafodipir reduces the side effects. Consequently, the study comprises relatively few patients, however the results are unquestionably interesting” Professor Falkmer continues. ”We therefore look forward with great anticipation to continuing with the clinical trials”.

The study was designed to establish whether pre-treatment with the PLED-derivative PP-095 reduces serious FOLFOX6-induced adverse events during adjuvant chemotherapy according to the FOLFOX6 regimen in patients operated for colorectal cancer stage Dukes’ C. Fourteen patients were randomized to receive either pre-treatment with placebo or mangafodipir during 3 FOLFOX6 cycles.

For further information, please contact Andreas Bunge CEO at  +46 70 824 25 25

Accelerator Nordic AB is a group of development companies in the field of Scandinavian Life Science. The company holds an active majority position in a number of companies providing Pharmaceutical and Medical technology products. The Accelerator Group addresses therapeutics and imaging in large growth markets such as oncology, cardiology and drug delivery for orthopedic and dental implants. The company has products in clinical phase II and in the initial commercialization phase. The business model is centred on partnering or out-licensing. Accelerator Nordic is publicly traded on the Aktietorget exchange in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information, please visit, www.acceleratorab.se

PledPharma AB develops new pharmaceutical applications based on a clinically approved PLED-derivative with an initial candidate for oncology. PledPharma’s core technology is an omnipotent low molecular weight enzyme mimetic (lowMEM) with SOD mimetic activity that has characteristics to protect healthy cells during cancer treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiation. When used as an adjunct treatment, it has the potential to improve both clinical outcomes and patient well-being. In addition to cancer treatment, SOD mimetics have a wide range of potential indications, e.g., myocardial infarction, stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. For more information, please visit www.pledpharma.se