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 the Founder of Bioxid Ltd, a holding company that founded DelSiTech Ltd (drug delivery), Stick Tech Oy (dental, exit 2012), and Vivoxid Oy (orthopaedics, exit 2013). Andersson is Chair of Bioxid since 2007 and of DelSiTech since 2010. He has a strong research background in biomaterials science and his pioneering role as the inaugural Director of Turku Biomaterials Center in the 1990s laid ground for successful academia-industry collaboration. For his scientific achievements he has been honored with membership in the Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in Finland. Andersson holds a Doctor of Science (Tech) degree, and Title of Docent.
Andersson has vast leadership experience, serving as university CEO since more than 20 years. He has successfully orchestrated a merger of two universities, grown the number of students four-fold, and expanded operations to Asia. With a diverse board experience spanning across various industries for over 30 years, Andersson brings a broad perspective to the Board. Presently he serves on Boards within life science, competence management and training, technology consultancy, and industrial manufacturing. He also contributes his expertise to talent attraction expert groups at governmental and regional levels. Certified Board Member. Lived and worked in six countries.
Shawn Silvestri, PhD
Shawn Silvestri, PhDMember of the Board
Dr. Silvestri is the President and Chief Operating Officer at Tolmar since 2020. Prior to his appointment at Tolmar, he was most recently Global Head Research and Development at Sandoz, a Division of Novartis and was based in Holzkirchen, Bavaria, Germany from 2016. While at Sandoz, he served on the Sandoz Executive Committee as well as various Board Appointments. Prior to Sandoz, Shawn was the Corporate Vice President of Research & Development at Hospira which was acquired by Pfizer in 2015 and he then assumed responsibility as Vice President Pharmaceutical Sciences. Among his accomplishments while at Hospira, he led two major asset acquisitions and capability expansions of the Development Organization and he led a major restructuring/reinvestment project. He also worked closely with the Chief Scientific Officer and the Science and Technology Board, the research committee of the Hospira Board of Directors, to set and operationalize research, development & portfolio strategies. Earlier in his career, Shawn worked at Abbott laboratories in leadership roles within various divisions in Product Development (proprietary, generic and novel delivery systems), Manufacturing Science & Technology (pharmaceuticals & diagnostics), Manufacturing, business development and due diligence roles as a Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls expert. Before entering the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industry in 1991, he was on faculty at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Pharmacy.
Dr. Silvestri has a BS Pharmacy from Duquesne University and his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Pharmaceutics) from the University of Connecticut. In addition, he has participated in executive leadership programs at Harvard University.
Jouni Heikkilä, MD, PhD
Jouni Heikkilä, MD, PhDMember of the Board.
Jouni Heikkilä, M.D., Ph.D., is an accomplished orthopedic surgeon and traumatologist. He has had different roles in several companies. Dr. Heikkilä is a co-founder of DelsiTech and has been a board member since 2001.He holds key positions as the CEO and chairman of the board for Ortopedipalvelu JAJ Oy, a major shareholder of DelSiTech. His expertise lies in orthopedics and traumatology, and he works as a private hospital specialist. Dr. Heikkilä has extensive experience in biomaterial studies spanning over 30 years.
In 2003, he was appointed as an adjunct professor in orthopedics and traumatology at Turku University. His research interests include the use of bioactive glass in orthopedics.
Dr Heikkilä has been been involved with industustry for several years.Dr. Heikkilä has held leadership positions, including being a former shareholder and CEO of Bioxid Ltd. Bioxid Ltd has given rise to companies such as StickTech, Vivoxid, and DelSiTech.He has also served as a board member for various orthopedic companies.
Dr Heikkilä has done also humanitaria work and he worked in the ICRC Hospital for War Wounded in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Reijo Salonen, MD, PhD
Reijo Salonen, MD, PhDMember of the Board
Professor Reijo Salonen, MD, PhD, has more than 30 years experience in drug development and commercialization at global pharmaceutical companies. He is a specialist in Neurology and a Docent in Neuroimmunology. Before retiring in July 2017, he was the Senior Vice President, Head of R&D and Chief Medical Officer and member of the Executive Management Team of Orion Pharma for more than 10 years. Prior to that, he worked at GSK as the Vice President and Global Head of Clinical Development of Neurosciences and at Pfizer as the Worldwide Therapeutic Area head leading Worldwide Medical and Global Development in Neurosciences. Prof. Salonen has served on numerous company, NGO and government agency boards and currently serves on two biotech boards. He is also a Visiting Professor of Academy of Finland’s Flagship Program (InFLAMES) at the University of Turku. A dual citizen of the US and Finland, he resides in Marco Island, Florida and spends the spring and summer in Naantali, Finland.
Gunnar Björkstén, MSc (Econ)
Gunnar Björkstén, MSc (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.
Lewis Feldberg, MBA
Lewis Feldberg, MBAMember of the Board
Lewis Feldberg is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with over 30 years of experience. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago and later earned his MBA from Columbia Business School. Lewis began his career at Merck and then moved to Teva Pharmaceuticals, where he served as Vice President of Business Development- Europe. In 2007 he became the CEO of Esteve USA, establishing the company’s US operations. In 2012, Lewis joined DRW to focus on developing their biotech investment strategy. In 2019, Lewis leveraged his experience to found Sophrosyne Pharmaceuticals, where he currently serves as CEO. Under his leadership, Sophrosyne Pharmaceuticals is dedicated to tackling the drug and alcohol addiction crisis. Lewis resides in New York City.

Management Team

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

Mr. Carl-Åke CarlssonMBA, Chief Executive Officer
Carl-Åke Carlsson is an accomplished executive with a broad background in the pharmaceutical industry, known for his visionary leadership and strategic growth initiatives. He is holding an MBA from Heriot-Watt Business School and a Bachelor in Business Administration from Oslo Business School, Carl-Åke has led significant transformations at Xellia Pharmaceuticals and Alpharma Inc. and with Xellia launched the for ever Ready-To-Use room temperature stable Vancomycin premix in the US institutional market. Carl-Åke also brings extensive board experience, currently serving as Chairman of the Board and Strategic Advisor for several technology based international companies. His career is marked by a consistent ability to develop and execute long-term strategies, build high-performing teams, and drive innovation within the industry.
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.