Avexxin AS is a testament to perseverance. Over several decades, Berit Johansen, the company's chief scientific officer, conducted basic research into the chronic inflammatory process, both as a visiting scientist at Cambridge, Mass.-based Biogen Inc. and as a researcher at multiple academic institutions. Johansen's understanding of the intracellular mechanisms of chronic inflammatory diseases, beginning with psoriasis, led to the 2005 incorporation of Avexxin, based on Trondheim, Norway. It took another decade for the company to achieve proof of concept for the topical formulation of its lead compound, AVX001.