DelSiTech
in a nutshell

DelSiTech is an innovative drug delivery and development company that works with its partners to turn their active agents into novel and commercially attractive therapeutic drug products.

DelSiTech provides the technology and expertise for solving drug delivery problems. The company’s technology is based on amorphous silica (SiO2) matrix and sol-gel encapsulation technique which have significant competitive advantages over other technologies.

In addition, the company is developing its own pipeline of supergeneric/505(b)(2) products to address significant unmet medical and commercial needs.

Our values

Our partners come first. We appoint our top teams to all projects and we are committed to exceed expectations. Our virtues, trust and collaboration ensure close co-operation with biotech and pharma partners and the opportunity to adapt to all their needs.

We encourage an entrepreneurial culture that ensures that our teams are agile, innovative and produce high-quality solutions. We are guided by a long-term vision to provide the best solutions to our partners. Our stable business environment enables us to make long-term investments in all of our working relationships; we can be a continuous partner throughout the development of a product.

COMPANY STRATEGY

DelSiTech aims to become a significant player in the area of controlled release supergeneric/505(b)(2) product development. The Company has a growing pipeline of first-in-class and differentiated products with improved patient compliance. In addition, DelSiTech aims to become the partner of choice for biotech and pharma companies seeking for the best solution for their drug delivery needs.

The Company strategy is to 1) Partner and license its biodegradable silica based drug delivery technology to biotech and pharma industry companies, 2) Develop and commercialize the first in-house controlled release drug product for hepatitis B, and 3) Explore and identify other business opportunities for the silica technology with significant market potential to provide a continuous flow of novel products in the future.

Board

Örjan Andersson, D. Sc (Tech)
Örjan Andersson, D. Sc (Tech)Chairman of the Board
Dr. Andersson is founder and chairman of the Board of Bioxid Ltd, one of the major shareholders of DelSiTech. He is Doctor of Science in Technology. He has a strong research background in the biomaterials field and is adjunct professor at Åbo Akademi University. Member of the Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in Finland STV. Also former Director of Turku Biomaterials Center. Currently President of Novia University of Applied Sciences. Member or chair of the board of several companies.
Gunnar Björkstén
Gunnar BjörksténMSc (Econ), Member of the Board.
Mr Gunnar Björkstén (MSc Econ) is the founder and president of the Sofinn Group of companies. After completing his studies in his native Finland he moved to the continental Europe. Extensive experience from working with international pharma- and biotech companies as well as other high tech industries. Presently Mr Björkstén is located in Paris and London.
Jouni Heikkilä, MD, PhD
Jouni Heikkilä, MD, PhDMember of the Board.
Dr. Heikkilä has more than 25 years of experience of clinical practice and researchrelated to biomaterials and orthpedics. He is the Co-Founder and the Member of the Board of several companies. He is Specialistin orthopaedics and traumatology and Director of Traumatri Oy.
 Reijo Salonen, MD, PhD
Reijo Salonen, MD, PhDMember of the Board
Prof. Salonen, specialist in neurology, is the former Vice President, Head of R&D and Chief Medical Officer of Orion Pharma. He has more than 25 years experinece in drug development, especially in clinical development and medical affairs in international pharma industry.
Kalle Öhman, MSc (Econ), CEFA
Kalle Öhman, MSc (Econ), CEFAMember of the Board
Mr. Öhman is the Managing Director of Avohoidon Tutkimussäätiö sr. a foundation that grants funding to medical research and invests in healthcare and biotechnology. He is also a Venture Partner in Voima Ventures a technology VC fund focused on cutting edge deep technology innovators. He has 18 years of entrepreneurial and investment experience in the healthcare and biotechnology industries.
Martti Hedman, MSc (Econ)
Martti Hedman, MSc (Econ)Member of the Board
Mr. Hedman has 40 years of global business leadership experience in various territories. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer of DFE Pharma GmbH (Germany) which produces starting materials and excipients for solid oral dosages, dry powder inhalers and bio-pharmaceuticals. He is the former Chief Executive Officer of Colorcon, Inc., which is a globally operating, US-based, pharma-focused specialty product company. Mr. Hedman holds Board positions in several small, growth companies. Earlier in his career, he held business development positions at Helm AG, Germany and Orion Pharma, Finland

Management Team

DelSiTech has at its disposal a world-class organization that has successfully taken pharmaceutical and biomaterial products to the market.

Dr. Lasse LeinoPhD, Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Leino is the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer and has more than 20 years life science business experience. He is the founder and former President and CEO of BioCis Pharma Ltd as well as the first CEO and COO of Laurantis Pharma Ltd. Previously, Dr. Leino has worked in various R&D management positions in Orion Pharma, BioTie Therapies Ltd, and AstraZeneca in Lund, Sweden. Dr. Leino holds a PhD in biochemistry and has a position as Adjunct Professor in immunology at the University of Turku, Finland.
Dr. Mika JokinenDSc, Chief Scientific Officer
Dr. Jokinen is a co-founder of DelSiTech and Chief Scientific Officer of in the company. In addition, he is a Principal Lecturer in chemical and biochemical engineering at the Turku University of Applied Sciences. He has over 20 years R&D experience in silica-based biomaterials. Dr. Jokinen holds a Doctor of Science in Technology and has a position as Adjunct Professor in Medical Biomaterials at Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland.
Mr. Kristian RantalaMSc (Econ), Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Rantala serves as the Chief Financial Officer in DelSiTech. He joined the DelSiTech team in February 2022. Mr. Rantala has over 20 years of experience in all financial management aspects, including financial reporting, company financing, M&A, and tax planning. He held a leading role in the successful Nasdaq IPO of Biotie Therapies Corp in USA and has held several CFO positions. Mr. Rantala has MSc in Economics.
Dr. Sakari Karhuvaara MD, Medical Director
Dr. Karhuvaara serves as Medical Director in DelSiTech. He has over 30 years of experience in clinical research and development and consulting in the pharma industry. He has also been active in primary and occupational health care, both as a practicing physician and as a developer of the health care delivery systems.
Dr. Frederic DargelasPhD, MBA, Head of Business Development and Alliance Management
Dr. Frederic Dargelas is the Director, Head of Business Development and Alliance Management of DelSiTech. He joined the company in 2019. Dr. Dargelas is a business development and R&D veteran with almost 20 years of experience in the pharma and biotech industry. Previously, he held managing positions at diverse international companies such as GSK and Orion Pharma. Dr. Dargelas holds a PhD in Physical Chemistry of Polymers and an MBA.
Dr. Marceline Akieh-PirkanniemiDirector, Head of Analytical Development
Dr. Marceline Akieh-Pirkanniemi serves as the Director, Head of Analytical Development in DelSiTech. She joined the DelSiTech team in January 2020. Dr. Akieh has over a decade of leading experience in applications of analytical science within the private sector, as well as in academia. She has significant prior expertise with analytics focused on both non-biodegradable and biodegradable drug delivery systems through positions as an analytical specialist. Dr. Akieh holds a PhD in Analytical Chemistry.
Dr. Hanna ArstilaDirector, Head of Formulation Development
Dr. Hanna Arstila serves as the Director, Head of Formulation development at DelSiTech. Having joined the DelSiTech team in October 2020, Dr. Arstila has a strong background in biomaterial science and a decade of experience in industrialization, product life-cycle management, production operations and leadership through previous roles at Orion Pharma. Critically, Dr. Arstila also commands an in depth knowledge of GMP operations, LEAN Six Sigma and holds a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry.
Dr. Outi HeikkiläDirector, Head of Manufacturing
Dr. Outi Heikkilä serves as the Director, Head of Manufacturing in DelSiTech. She joined the DelSiTech team in January 2022. Dr. Heikkilä has over 15 years’ experience of working with virus vectors and ATMPs both in the academia and private sector. In her previous role she worked as a Production Manager in a Finnish CDMO. Dr. Heikkilä has a deep knowledge of cleanroom operations, GMP manufacturing and IMP quality requirements, and she holds a PhD in Virology.