Capitainer Garners Investment From Renowned Scientist Mathias Uhlén

Professor Mathias Uhlén is investing in Swedish medtech company Capitainer AB and joining its advisory board. The firm did not disclose the investment amount.
 
Uhlén, a biotechnologist, entrepreneur, and professor of Microbiology at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, is known for his work in large-scale quantitative analysis of proteins and leadership of the Human Protein Atlas project. He was also the founding director of the Science for Life Laboratory, SciLifeLab, 2010–2015. Uhlén’s research interests cover antibody engineering, proteomics, and precision medicine. 
 
“We are more than delighted to have Mathias Uhlén on board. His grit, knowledge, and experience of breaking new ground is an invaluable asset for Capitainer as we are taking a leap into the world of proteomics assays,” CEO Christopher Aulin said. 
 
Uhlén’s research has led to more than 750 publications in scientific journals. His work has been translated by several companies ranging from early startups to large international companies, developing industrial applications of his research. He has founded 20 companies and has more than 70 international patent applications.
 
“I am thrilled to be part of the Capitainer advisory board, and I see great potential in the technologies Capitainer provides. Capitainer’s products, delivering high precision accuracy blood and plasma sampling, are the missing link to enable a broader implementation of personalised medicine, proteomics, and clinical monitoring in today’s healthcare,” Uhlén stated.
 
Already in collaboration with Uhlén and researchers at SciLifeLab, Capitainer is developing new specialized solutions for personalized medicine. The work is based on Capitainer’s products and analysis using proteomics assays developed by research and infrastructure groups at the Department of Protein Science, KTH.
 
“Through these joint efforts using our technologies, we have a unique possibility to play a crucial role in the commercialisation of large-scale screenings and personalised medicine diagnostics,” Aulin said.
 
Uhlén is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Science, IVA; the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, KVA; the European Molecular Biology Organization, EMBO; and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He was president of the European Federation of Biotechnology between 2015 and 2020. He is also a former member of the board of directors of listed companies, including Prevas, Skanditek, Alligator Bioscience, Amersham, Novozymes, Bure, and Biotage.

Founded in 2016, Capitainer develops and sells intelligent solutions for blood, plasma, and urine sampling. The company has developed technologies for collecting an exact amount of fluid and then allowing it to dry. The sample card can be sent with regular mail to laboratories without needing refrigerated transports or special packaging. The precision and accuracy in Capitainer’s samples are market-leading and perform on the same level as established pipetting methods. The products can be applied within several market segments, for instance, clinical biomarkers, therapeutic drug monitoring, genomics, drug development, drug abuse and doping testing, and R&D and clinical studies.