- Chairing the Nobel Committee for Chemistry is not only a profound honour, it’s also an outstanding opportunity for me and my colleagues to track the very best research and the very best researchers the world over, says Professor Gunnar von Heijne, Stockholm University.
- And, of course, it is here in Stockholm-Uppsala that the Nobel lectures are held and the prize ceremony takes place December 10th every year.
Multi-disciplinary cross-boarder interaction
Close links between academic research and industry are fundamental for transforming life-science ideas into healthcare products with commercial potential. In Stockholm-Uppsala, this is an integrated part of our daily work.
Professor von Heijne’s own research on biomembranes has attracted industry attention, not least from international drug companies. In this distinction, it is far from alone.
Other examples include Stockholm Brain Institute’s focus on dysfunctions from a neurological perspective, and Uppsala Berzelii Technology Center for Neurodiagnostics’ ambitions to develop new tools for early disease diagnosis. Both were appointed as two (of four) national Berzelii Centres, where top-class basic research works tightly with industry and healthcare. The latter is also one of many projects where access to biobanks and patient registers is crucial.
At the forefront of the world’s quest for biomarkers is the gigantic effort to map the human proteome led by Prof. Mathias Uhlén, Royal Institute of Technology, and Prof. Fredrik Pontén, Uppsala University. Their constantly updated Human Protein Atlas is predicted to become invaluable for developing new diagnostics and drugs.
Prof. Olle Korsgren’s pioneering work using cell therapy to treat diabetes and cancer at Uppsala University Hospital is also in the international spotlight, and recently received substantial funding from the prestigious US Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Available biobanks and patient information systems
The ability to collect, store, retrieve, track and analyze large amounts of biological sample data in biobanks is attracting increasing interest.
Being able to explore patient registers was fundamental when Prof. Lars Klareskog’s research team at the Center for Molecular Medicine identified the genes involved in the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis.
Making human biological materials from essentially the entire population available while still respecting individual integrity demands years of practice and highly professional systems. Sweden is almost unique in this respect, and in Stockholm-Uppsala, the professionalism surrounding biobank access is evident. Researchers and industries from all over the world regularly cooperate with Uppsala Clinical Research Centre and Karolinska Institutet Biobank to advance their science.
International career opportunities
A research career in Stockholm-Uppsala keeps all pathways to basic research, applied clinical research and industrial research wide open. Likewise, the large number of ongoing international projects, often led from the region, offers talented researchers exciting careers abroad. Stockholm-Uppsala is also one of Europe’s top regions in the EU’s life-sciences R&D framework project.
A real incentive to commercialise
To many, the so-called teachers’ exemption is a great incentive for the way they manage their research networks. Unlike almost all other countries, a researcher employed at one of our universities holds the rights to all intellectual property generated by his or her research. Full regional innovation support is in place to help when needed.