Published: 18 March 2026
Text: Anne-Marie Korseberg Stokke
Photo: Anne-Marie Korseberg Stokke
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“It is very much in the spirit of research that this has been built. It feels like the right place to try to create something meaningful,” says Gjermund Fjeld Olsen, who leads ARTBIO’s operations in Norway.
They have now been settled for a few months in newly renovated premises and a newly built laboratory.
ARTBIO develops targeted cancer therapy based on what is known as alpha radiation. Put simply, a targeting molecule – which finds the cancer cells – is combined with a radioactive component that emits very powerful but short-range radiation.
“When you get this bound to the tumour, you deliver local radiation exactly where it is needed and not to the rest of the body, as with traditional chemotherapy,” Olsen explains.
The technology is based on a unique generator solution for lead-212, a radioactive isotope with a very short half-life. The advantage is high precision and potentially fewer side effects for the patient.
“With a half-life of 10 hours, the powerful radiation is delivered quickly, and just days after treatment there is almost nothing left in the body. That is a major advantage,” he says.
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The predecessor to ARTBIO was established as early as 2018, and in 2022, international investors came in to finance further development. Today, ARTBIO is in the clinical phase with its first product, and the first patients have already been treated. At the same time, the company is working on several new product candidates.
“If we see the next product enter the clinic in 2026, we will be very fortunate — but we are moving as fast as we can.”
ARTBIO is now a global company, with operations in the United States, England, Switzerland, and Australia. Even so, Oslo plays a central role.
“Everything related to radiopharmaceuticals – preclinical work, generator development, and formulation – happens here. Radiopharmaceuticals are a niche field, but there is a strong professional environment here in Oslo. We are trying to build on that,” Olsen explains.
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Before the move, ARTBIO operated from more scattered locations. At Oslo Science Park, they have now been able to bring the entire Oslo team together.
“I think we have achieved a very good office solution where everyone is gathered on one floor. We have also got a very nice and specially built laboratory,” says Olsen.
For a company working with radioactivity, additional demands are placed on facilities and safety. The laboratories are built with special shielding, sealed rooms, and strict procedures.
“This is not something you just rush into. You plan, assess the risks – and then you plan once more,” he says.
He describes the collaboration with Oslo Science Park as crucial.
“It would have been easy to say no. Instead, we were met with openness and very good dialogue. That says a lot about the desire to bring new, research-based activity here.”
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