Marginum CEO nominated for Pohjola Medical Innovation Award

Kuopio, Finland, 17 December 2025—The Finnish Medical Foundation selected three top candidates for the Pohjola Medical Innovation award – a 10,000-euro recognition given for the first time. The nominees were Professor Aarno Dietz, Professor Tero Järvinen and doctoral researcher Samu Lehtonen. The Finnish Medical Foundation collected suggestions for the awardees earlier in the fall. The potential and novelty of the innovation were emphasised when selecting the top three candidates.

“The candidates received strong support from the selection committee. The candidates represent different perspectives on innovation, including drug development, surgical technology and methods to improve healthcare. All of these are needed to address current challenges”, says Chairman of the Finnish Medical Foundation, Professor Katriina Aalto-Setälä.

The new award encourages researchers to groundbreaking thinking. It is enabled by Pohjola and Suomi-yhtiöt fund, which is based on donations made in the 1980s. The selection committee, which conducted the vetting of candidates, comprised the chairmen of the Finnish Medical Foundation, Duodecim, the Finnish Medical Society, and Finska Läkaresällskapet, as well as the CEOs of Pohjola Insurance and OP Life Insurance.

“The nominees are excellent examples of how innovation can be combined to work of medical researchers. We believe that their story will inspire medical professionals at the start of their careers. Finland needs new generations that will boldly curate scientific results for the benefit of patients and the whole healthcare system”, summarises Vesa Aho, CEO of Pohjola Insurance.

The final decision will be made by Heikki Kyöstilä, the founder and CEO of Planmeca, renowned for his innovativeness and over 50 years of entrepreneurial experience. When Kyöstilä founded Planmeca in 1971, it was operating from a garage and manufactured dental chairs. Since then, it has grown into a global enterprise. The award recipient will be officially announced at the Finnish Medical Convention in January 2026.

Innovation supporting surgical decision-making

Gliomas, i.e. brain tumours, can be treated with surgery. However, it is often challenging for surgeons to differentiate and resect all tumour tissue, which is why risky reoperations are often necessitated. To address this problem, physician and doctoral researcher Samu Lehtonen, with his team, has developed the HIVEN® device.

“With the device we can differentiate more accurately than the human eye whether aspirated tissue is truly active cancer tissue or not”, says Samu Lehtonen MD, CEO of Marginum.

The innovation originated from the research group led by neurosurgeon, docent Antti-Pekka Elomaa, currently employed at HUS Helsinki University Hospital. With Lehtonen’s engineering background, he made a significant contribution to the device’s development: he performed basic research on the phenomenon and built the first prototype himself. As the CEO of Marginum, he is inspired by the impact that can be achieved through invention. Professor Markku Hauta-Kasari’s research group, which focused on computational photonics, also played a key part during the early stages.

How does the device actually work? At the core is novel optical tissue monitoring technology that utilises fluorescence – a glowing light reaction induced by a drug given to the patient before the operation, causing cancer cells to glow red. The surgeons already utilise fluorescence. The problem is the traces of cancer, adjacent to the main body of the tumour, which are often difficult to distinguish.

HIVEN® device can detect tumour fluorescence more accurately, supporting the surgeon’s decision-making.  Attached to the ultrasonic aspirator’s suction tube, the device analyses resected tissue and provides instant auditory feedback via a beeping sound. This simplifies the surgical workflow and assists the surgeon in decision-making.

Additional information

Samu Lehtonen MD
CEO, Marginum Ltd
samu.lehtonen@marginum.com
+358 40 579 7890

 
Marginum is a Finnish medical technology company founded in 2020 and a leading innovator in fluorescence-guided oncological surgery, developing optical tissue monitoring systems. The CE-marked HIVEN® by Marginum enables safe and efficient monitoring of tumour tissues during cancer surgery by seamlessly integrating into existing surgical workflows. Marginum’s vision is to enable surgeons worldwide to perform safer, more precise operations and ultimately improve patient survival and quality of life. www.marginum.com

The Finnish Medical Foundation supports medical research and education in all fields of medicine. The Foundation annually distributes over two million euros in grants to approximately 150 researchers. The support is focused particularly on young (non-tenured) researchers and medical students. The Finnish Medical Society Duodecim established the Foundation in 1960. www.laaketieteensaatio.fi

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