A childhood with brittle bone disease is a painful one. Officially known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), the genetic disorder prevents proper bone formation, leading to fragile bones that break easily. About one in 15,000 people are born with OI and can endure hundreds of fractures throughout their life, which hurt just as much as when someone without OI breaks a bone. The earliest years are often marked by a high number of bone fractures that improperly heal, causing irreversible damage.
The scarce few therapies currently available to OI patients, like physiotherapy and surgery to insert metal rods into bones, merely treat symptoms of the disease and don’t reduce the frequency of fractures. Swedish biotech company BOOST Pharma, however, is developing a first-in-class therapy for OI that would address the condition itself.
Purpose-driven medical science
Leading a company like BOOST is well within Schambye’s wheelhouse. An MD and PhD in Pharmacology, he’s spent the majority of his career in pharmaceutical research and executive management, including serving as CEO for a variety of small biotechs over the last 20 years.
“I don’t think I could run just any company,” says Schambye, who explains he’s drawn to medical science with a sense of purpose, like finding a way to treat the untreatable aspects of OI. “These patients need a treatment, and therefore it’s very meaningful and satisfying to be working on giving that to them.”
According to Schambye, he was first approached by BOOST in the summer of 2025. Attracted by the strong science behind the company’s therapies and how far the team had gone with so little financing, he joined the board. In February 2026, he officially took over as CEO.
“My main focus is two things,” Schambye explains, “moving the project forward and raising money for the next phase of the development.”
“Not just treating symptoms but actually solving the core of the disease.”
Founded in 2020, BOOST Pharma originated from collaborative research on novel cell-therapy treatments at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute. The company has six full-time employees based in offices in Copenhagen and Stockholm, as well as working remotely in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
The company’s lead therapy, BT-101, uses Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) with high bone-forming capabilities. Testing has shown that BT-101 binds to patients’ bones and leads to the formation of stronger bones less prone to fracture. Hence, BT-101 may significantly reduce fracture rates of infants with OI.
Schambye also notes that BT-101 shares the same “off the shelf” feature as many other MSC-based therapies. “We don’t need to match or precondition the patients before we use the cells,” he says, adding that the cells in BT-101 have been found to target defective bones. “This has the potential to be disease-modifying, not just treating symptoms but actually solving the core of the disease.”
An infusion administered every four months, BT-101 therapy is designed to begin either during the prenatal stage or soon after an infant is born. The therapy has already completed a phase I/II clinical trial. Testing focused on the most aggressive forms of the disease (types III and IV), and all indications are that it’s safe and well-tolerated with no adverse reactions.
“The reason we choose the most severe types is that’s clearly where the big unmet need is, but it’s also where it’s easier to demonstrate that you have a benefit,” says Schambye. Thedemonstrated benefit of BT-101 appears to directly impact the key unmet need for OI patients. “What we’ve seen is a very dramatic reduction in the number of fractures that the patients suffer per year.”
Preparing the next key stage, with Sound Bioventures
Schambye estimates the key next stage for BOOST Pharma — a phase III clinical trial of BT-101 — will take a total of two and a half years to complete. But there’s a lot of work to do before that can even begin, from raising the required capital to manufacturing a large number of cells to market standards.
“There are many, many components that go into running a phase III. Then once you get into phase III, it’s all about execution,” he says. “What we’re doing right now is all the preparatory work so that we’re ready to push the button as soon as we have all the funding set up.”
And BOOST gained a step closer to pushing that button when Sound Bioventures joined its investor syndicate in the fall. Schambye was familiar with the firm and even its founders, but had never worked directly with them before. He describes Sound as a flexible, open, and helpful investor that brings a positive and collaborative atmosphere.
“They understand what we’re trying to do. They share our excitement about the science and its transformative potential,” says Schambye, who explains that he and Sound Bioventures both entered at a critical point in the life of the company. “Right now, we need to transform BOOST from being fairly academic into a real company that has real operations.”
Interested in other companies like this one? Discover more stories from the Sound Bioventures portfolio.
