AMRA Medical has been placed in the top category, “Outstanding”, in TIME and Statista’s ranking World’s Top HealthTech Companies 2026. The recognition is a step up from last year’s position and highlights the company’s continued development in MRI-based analysis of the body’s fat and muscle distribution.
For the second year in a row, the Linköping-based company and LEAD alumnus AMRA Medical has been included on TIME and Statista’s list of the world’s leading HealthTech companies. In the 2026 ranking, the company is awarded the highest distinction, “Outstanding”, after receiving the category “Very High” in the first edition in 2025.
“This is fantastic and a strong confirmation of AMRA’s continued progress in science and technological innovation, and of the growing importance of MRI-based biomarkers in research, drug development and clinical care,” says Catharina Sandberg, CEO of LEAD.
AMRA Medical was founded in 2010, with roots in research at the Center for Medical Image Science and Visualization (CMIV), the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences at Linköping University.
The company develops technology that uses MRI to measure and analyse how fat and muscle are distributed in the body. Through standardised biomarkers, AMRA can provide more detailed information than traditional measures of body composition. The information can, among other things, be used to study metabolic and neuromuscular health and to develop and evaluate pharmaceuticals.
AMRA is also part of LEAD’s history. The company was one of the incubator’s most widely recognised companies in the mid-2010s. In April 2014, AMRA earned a place on Ny Teknik’s prestigious 33 list, which highlights Sweden’s most promising young technology companies. The following year, the company signed an agreement with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
LiU Holding became an early shareholder in AMRA in 2011, and in 2013 the company’s then CEO, Tommy Johansson, bought LiU Holding’s ownership stake.
“AMRA’s development demonstrates the importance of what an academic-linked and cohesive innovation system can contribute over time. The company received early innovation advisory services from LiU Holding’s then Innovation Office, followed by more specific business coaching from the LEAD incubator. We also recognize the significance of Tommy Johansson as an external and highly driven entrepreneur,” says Johan Lilliecreutz, CEO of LiU Holding.
