Her medical invention is valued at hundreds of millions
Assyrian-Swedish surgeon Miden Melle-Hannah’s special tool to puncture bladder cancer by inserting a needle through the urethra has turned her and her company into rising stars in the Swedish life science industry.
The Gothenburg-based urologist and surgeon Miden Melle-Hannah, 46, became a medical technology entrepreneur a few years ago when the tools she used at work were not as effective as she wanted.
The single-use tool developed by her and her company, Multi4 Medical, reaches the bladder by being inserted through a working channel in an endoscope—a narrow tube with a camera—and treats bladder cancer in just a few minutes.
Validated potential
Her invention has passed the critical test and validation phase of a human clinical trial. A recent independent clinical study with Multi4 was completed on 18 cancer patients at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg. All were treated in a matter of minutes in an outpatient setting, meaning not in a sterile hospital operating room. There were no side effects, and all could go home immediately afterward, according to the company.
At the end of June this year, the company received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to commercialize its product in the U.S.
The potential for her invention is enormous. In a recent interview with one of Sweden's leading newspapers, Miden Melle-Hannah explained:
– Bladder cancer is the most expensive of all cancers, about $96,000–187,000 per patient due to the high recurrence risk, so the market is worth many billions,” she said, adding: “We are the first in the world with a completely new and globally patented technology to automatically, by pressing a button, remove cancer tissue from the body in just a few minutes, on a conscious patient who can go home immediately afterward.”
The new technology could also be used for other types of cancers, for which additional patents have been filed by the company.
A valuation in the hundreds of millions
Multi4 is still a privately held company, but several well-established Swedish investors have already invested, bringing in significant capital for further development and commercialization. Miden Melle-Hannah still owns the majority of the company, with 53% of the shares. The latest valuation of the company, made in 2023 before the innovation had been tested on humans, put the worth of Multi4 at 350 million SEK (approximately 35 million USD). With the successful in-human clinical study and FDA approval, that valuation is now significantly higher.
Her rise has been acknowledged in the Swedish medical industry. Earlier this year, she was awarded in New York for her groundbreaking work. The recognition, awarded by the Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce as part of the 2025 Nordic Acceleration Program, highlights Dr. Hanna’s dedication to advancing cancer care and improving treatment accessibility.
Assyrian family
Miden was raised in the town of Jönköping, Sweden, which has a sizable Assyrian community. She is the daughter of author Anna Melle, a well-known figure in the Swedish-Assyrian community, and both Miden and her mother have been involved in the community over the years.
Miden was named after her parents’ Assyrian home village before they fled to Sweden in the mid-1970s. The village of Miden is located in the Turabdin region, today part of southeastern Turkey, but historically a northern region of the traditional territory of Assyria.
