Innovation

Most patients benefit from registered drugs that are mass produced by big pharmaceutical companies. However, children who require specific dosages, or individuals who are prescribed tailored treatment, need personalised medicine. Some pharmacies have begun developing solutions for these people, but the process is very laborious due to a lack of automation, and this can lead to human error for which the patients will ultimately have to pay.

CurifyLabs is a startup founded in 2021 by Charlotta and Niklas Sandler Topelius with headquarters in Helsinki, Finland. They aim to increase the accessibility of personalised healthcare. Their innovation offers an alternative to the manual and inaccurate processes of current personalised medicinal solutions, by using 3D printing technology. Their highly qualified team with expertise in pharmacy and pharmaceutical technology has created a 3D printer, with integrated quality control to maintain the safety and high quality of their produced medicine. Manufacturing pharmaceutical inks for the 3D printing of drugs is also at the core of their business.

The MiniLab technology offers a seamless workflow to replace the manual drug-producing processes. This process increases time and cost efficiency, and the safety and quality of products, making healthcare more accessible by enabling specific, safe treatment at significantly lower cost (SDG3). Lastly, the innovation addresses sustainable production, as the company’s premanufactured inks can lower the usage of waste and raw materials (SDG12).

“Our aim is to build a global company that enables better personalised treatments for millions of patients.” (Charlotta Topelius, CEO & Founder, CurifyLabs)

Inspiration

Inspired by a remarkable source of experience, Niklas Sandler Topelius, the CTO of CurifyLabs, embarked on a decade-long journey as a professor at Åbo Academy University. His muse? None other than his 82-year-old mother, a hospital pharmacist. From a tender age, he was drawn into her world, where he witnessed the intricate manual processes at play. The spark of innovation aroused during his formative years. His mother's dedication to her work revealed a striking need for automation in the healthcare industry. This unwavering commitment became his driving force, motivating him into the field of 3D printing technologies capable of revolutionising personalised medicine.

“As a small boy, he looked into her work and how really manual it was. Inspired by his mother, he realised the necessity to automate this manual work and he started into 3D printing technology that could enable personalised medicine. “ (Charlotta Topelius, CEO & Founder, CurifyLabs)

At CurifyLabs, there is a deep-rooted sense of responsibility. Their mission is clear: to bring the groundbreaking innovation accessible for the masses to the market, where it could have a meaningful impact on the lives of the most vulnerable of us, including children, the elderly, and cancer patients who require personalised treatment. The prospect of improving their lives is what fuels the passion of the team. In essence, this is not just a story of innovation; it's a testament to the power of inspiration, dedication, and a shared vision to revolutionise healthcare for the betterment of humanity.

Overall impact

As a pharmaceutical company, there are many notable impacts and effects that CurifyLabs has had, and will have in the future. The innovation drives short-term effects as it helps children by offering easier dosage alternatives, or animals who are offered drugs with delicate taste. The innovation CurifyLabs offers simply means that groups that have earlier had disadvantages will now have access to personalised pharmaceutical drugs in a way that has been challenging before.

Under-served patients, such as cancer patients or children, will drive demand for a more tailored approach to medicine. The innovative 3D-printing CurifyLabs offers means a direct long-term impact for hospital pharmacies, as the innovation speeds up processes and offers affordable solutions.

Business benefit

CurifyLabs is a Helsinki-based company, co-founded in 2021 by CEO Charlotta Topelius and CTO Niklas Sandler Topelius. By the end of the fiscal year 2022, CurifyLabs employed 10 people and had a turnover of 20 000 €. Their result for FY 2022 was -525 000€. Keeping in mind CurifyLabs’ short period of existence and that its operations are based on resource heavy tech and initially expensive equipment, the turnover reveals more about the company’s health than the result.

Because of their innovation and the growth mindset of taking the business abroad, they have acquired customers from outside of Finland, in Sweden, Estonia and Germany. Their growth in sales between FY 2021 and FY 2022 was 5 883%. By the end of 2022 they also received a 2,5M grant from the European Innovation Council’s (EIC) accelerator programme.

The business has grown monumentally between its founding year and first year in business. Charlotta Topelius explains this to be a result of dedicated employees and a visionary but determined top management. Within a small team, it is especially important to have a diverse set of skills and an innovative organisational culture to drive the ideas forward.

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Social and environmental benefit

The innovation benefits society because it brings a higher level of patient safety at a significantly lower cost. Since 3D-printing helps reduce production costs it is beneficial for example for smaller markets such as Finland. This has a positive effect on our national economy. Health wise, personalised healthcare benefits the whole society as the general health and wellbeing of people improves.

Furthermore, Curifylabs values diversity and inclusion, and focuses on sustainable solutions. The focus on sustainability is evident in that the drug waste is reduced by the way CurifyLabs streamlines and automates their 3D-printing processes, which ultimately has positive effects on the environment.

Interview

Heidie Charlotta Topelius, CEO & Founder