Symbicom

Symbicom was a Swedish biotechnology company founded in 1989 as a spin-off from Umeå University. The company specialized in the development of recombinant human proteins, with a primary focus on enzymes for gastrointestinal and neonatal health. Its lead program was recombinant human bile salt-stimulated lipase (rhBSSL), an enzyme designed to improve fat absorption and growth in preterm infants and patients with pancreatic insufficiency. In 1994, Symbicom was acquired by Astra AB (now AstraZeneca) in one of the earliest and most significant acquisitions in the Swedish biotech sector. The technology later progressed into late-stage clinical trials under AstraZeneca and its subsequent development partners.