QureTech Bio AB is the holding company behind QureTech OncoBiome, a spin-out that was formed in 2026 to advance a microbiome-driven approach to colorectal cancer. QureTech Bio itself was founded in 2010 by researchers from Umeå University, Sweden, and Washington University in St. Louis, USA, with the ambition to develop novel antimicrobials against drug-resistant bacteria — work that laid the scientific and organizational foundation for what the group has grown into today. The founders remain actively involved, serving on QureTech Bio’s Board of Directors. Here’s the story behind it all.
In 1996, Fredrik Almqvist earned his PhD in organic chemistry from Lund University and secured a postdoctoral position at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, US. As a synthetic chemist, Fredrik aimed to design molecules for potential pharmaceutical applications. This led him to collaborate with one of the leading experts in the field, Professor Garland Marshall. The project also included collaboration with molecular microbiologist Scott Hultgren. Professor Hultgren and his research group have been extensively studying the microbiology of urinary tract infections, focusing on understanding disease-causing bacteria and exploring innovative methods to combat these pathogens. During his tenure in the US, Fredrik engaged in scientific discussions with Scott Hultgren’s research team, fostering both a close friendship and a long-term scientific collaboration.
Fredrik returned to Sweden with a promising method for molecular design and began building his research group at Umeå University. The core objective was to investigate the mechanisms of pathogenic bacteria and devise strategies to neutralize them. In parallel, Fredrik and Scott continued their research collaboration on an E. coli project.
Following several pivotal research discoveries, such as developing antivirulence agents against bacteria causing common infections like Chlamydia and Listeria, the researchers recognized the need to protect their findings. In 2010, Fredrik Almqvist and Scott Hulgren, along with Umeå University colleagues Professor Sven Bergström and Professor Jörgen Johansson, founded QureTech Bio AB. The company was formed to patent existing and future breakthrough discoveries and to enable commercial development of new antimicrobials.
Soon after its inception, discoveries by Professor Christina Stallings at Washington University in St. Louis opened new avenues for QureTech Bio. As an expert on tuberculosis, she and Fredrik identified novel compounds, Mycobacterial Tolerance Inhibitors, from Almqvist’s research group that could potentially enhance tuberculosis treatment.
All founders still actively contribute to the company, and are members of the Board of Directors.
Today, the group’s active research and drug development take place within QureTech OncoBiome. Visit the QureTech OncoBiome page to learn more about its ongoing work.
Key Publications
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Tükenmez H, Nye TM, Singh P, Mychack A, Bonde M, Hickerson S, Obernuefemann CLP, Pinkner JS, Zhu S, Sarkar S, Bharate JB, van der Lingen I, Ntuyenm AQ, Rao VUB, Lindgren AEG, Klein H, Zou Z, Dodson KW, Walker S, Mateus A, Johansson J, Caparon MG, Almqvist F, Hultgren SJ. Sci Adv. 2026 May 8;12(19):eaec9100. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aec9100.
- Metabolic rewiring of isoniazid sensitivity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Wang ER, Cho K, Harrison GA, Smelyansky SR, Soni V, Smirnov A, McKee SR, Ghabrial GS, Flentie KN, Beatty W, Ofori-Anyinam B, Sarkar S, Hurtaux T, Loza L, Almqvist F, Doering TL, Yang JH, Kiessling LL, Rhee KY, Patti GJ, Stallings CL.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Sep 9;122(36):e2421336122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2421336122. - Dihydrothiazolo ring-fused 2-pyridone antimicrobial compounds treat Streptococcus pyogenes skin and soft tissue infection
Zou Z, Singh P, Pinkner JS, Obernuefemann CLP, Xu W, Nye TM, Dodson KW, Almqvist F, Hultgren SJ, Caparon MG. Sci Adv. 2024 Aug 2;10(31):eadn7979. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adn7979.
- Ring-fused 2-pyridones effective against multidrug-resistant Gram-positive pathogens and synergistic with standard-of-care antibiotics
Nye TM, Tükenmez H, Singh P, Flores-Mireles AL, Obernuefemann CLP, Pinkner JS, Sarkar S, Bonde M, Lindgren AEG, Dodson KW, Johansson J, Almqvist F, Caparon MG, Hultgren SJ. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2022 Oct 25;119(43):e2210912119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2210912119.
- Chemical disarming of isoniazid resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Flentie K, Harrison GA, Tükenmez H, Livny J, Good JAD, Sarkar S, Zhu DX, Kinsella RL, Weiss LA, Solomon SD, Schene ME, Hansen MR, Cairns AG, Kulén M, Wixe T, Lindgren AEG, Chorell E, Bengtsson C, Krishnan KS, Hultgren SJ, Larsson C, Almqvist F, Stallings CL. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2019 May 21;116(21):10510-10517. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1818009116.
- Methyl sulfonamide substituents improve the pharmacokinetic properties of bicyclic 2-pyridone based Chlamydia trachomatis inhibitors
Kulén M, Núñez-Otero C, Cairns AG, Silver J, Lindgren AEG, Wede E, Singh P, Vielfort K, Bahnan W, Good JAD, Svensson R, Bergström S, Gylfe Å, Almqvist F. Medchemcomm. 2019 Oct 17;10(11):1966-1987. doi: 10.1039/c9md00405j.