An evening for science – Lundberg Foundation celebrated its 2025 awardees
On Tuesday, October 21, Academicum at Medicinareberget was filled with researchers, applause, and optimism as the IngaBritt and Arne Lundberg Research Foundation held its annual grant ceremony. This year, the foundation awarded SEK 45.8 million to 19 research projects, all contributing in different ways to future treatments and better patient health.
Since its establishment in 1982, the foundation has primarily supported research in western Sweden in the fields of cancer, orthopedics, and kidney disease. During the ceremony, Chair Christina Backman announced that starting next year, the foundation will also invite applications in two new research areas – lung diseases and gastrointestinal diseases.
The decision to expand the foundation’s scope has been developed over several years. The board sees great research needs in these areas and strong potential for patient benefit. The new initiatives will be evaluated after a few years to assess their impact and determine whether they should remain part of future calls for applications.
The foundation’s grants are mainly used for advanced medical equipment – often items that are difficult to finance through regular research grants but essential for scientific progress.
“It is inspiring to see the breadth and quality of this year’s projects. All of the recipients have presented well-developed plans, and it’s clear that the equipment will make a real difference to their research,” said Christina Backman.
Scientific evaluations of the applications are conducted by Olle Larkö, professor and former dean of Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, and Gunilla Westergren-Thorsson, professor and former dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Lund University.
“We assess the applications independently, but it’s striking how often we reach exactly the same conclusion. That consistency shows that the review process works and that the selected projects truly maintain a high scientific standard,” said Olle Larkö.
Of the 73 applications received this year, 19 projects were awarded funding. Since its inception, the Lundberg Foundation has distributed more than SEK 1.1 billion to Swedish medical research.
Breast cancer, glaucoma, and physical activity
Researchers behind nearly all of the funded projects were present at the ceremony. Each gave a short presentation about their work and the importance of the foundation’s support.
Plastic surgeon Karin Säljö, from Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Sahlgrenska Academy, presented her project on a new, minimally invasive method for breast reconstruction following cancer treatment. In collaboration with Chalmers University of Technology, her team has spent ten years developing the technique in laboratory and animal models. The project is now ready for clinical trials. The grant from the foundation will be used to purchase a 3D bioprinter that enables the next step toward clinical application – performing the transplantation in a single procedure, without the need to freeze or pre-prepare the fat tissue in advance.
Ophthalmologist Oscar Tolstoy, from Sahlgrenska University Hospital and a doctoral student at the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, described his project in telemedicine for glaucoma. Patients with glaucoma will be able to have their eye pressure monitored remotely. The new equipment, financed by the Lundberg Foundation, will make it possible to track treatment effects more closely and adjust care more effectively.
Mats Börjesson, professor of exercise physiology and cardiologist, explained how his research group studies how physical activity can promote health and prevent disease. With the new equipment funded by the foundation, his team can measure participants’ physical capacity more precisely – data that will help develop personalized recommendations in precision health.
Meaningful impact
A common theme among all the presentations was gratitude for the opportunity that the foundation’s support provides – the ability to take a tangible step forward.
“It’s fascinating to see how much progress can be made when researchers gain access to the right instruments and technology. The foundation’s grants truly make a difference,” concluded Christina Backman, closing the ceremony.
Afterward, conversations continued in the foyer about research ideas, technology, and the future of medicine – an afternoon filled with inspiration and momentum.
The Lundberg Foundation’s support is about more than equipment and numbers – it’s about giving research the power to change lives.
Cancer
Björn Burmann, Into the future: Enhancing cancer research by latest HR-MAS solid-state NMR technology – SEK 4,000,000 – University of Gothenburg
Charlotta Böiers, Single-cell analyses – a key to understanding the development of acute leukemia in children – SEK 500,000 – Lund University
Thoas Fioretos, Long-read sequencing for advancing genomic research – SEK 4,000,000 – Lund University
Markus Hansson, High-sensitivity M-component monitoring in myeloma with MALDI-TOF-based technology – response-guided treatment – SEK 4,000,000 – University of Gothenburg
Björn Nilsson, Microscope for research on hematopoiesis and blood cancer – SEK 250,000 – Lund University
Lars Palmqvist, Long-read sequencing for advanced biomedical and clinical genomics research – SEK 1,800,000 – University of Gothenburg
Vinay S. Swaminathan, Quantitative imaging of breast-cancer dynamics in 3D models – SEK 5,000,000 – Lund University
Fredrik Westerlund, Increasing pressure in basic cancer research by manipulating single biomolecules – SEK 2,500,000 – Chalmers University of Technology
Kidney diseases
Joakim Ek, Kidney disease in preeclampsia – SEK 3,600,000 – University of Gothenburg
Thomas Hellmark, Immunological mechanisms causing autoimmune kidney disease – SEK 2,400,000 – Lund University
Michael Olausson, Transplantation of kidneys from donors deceased after circulatory arrest outside hospital – SEK 1,500,000 – Sahlgrenska Academy
Carl Öberg, Reduced harmful glucose absorption in peritoneal dialysis – SEK 600,000 – Lund University
Orthopedics
Mats Börjesson, Physical activity after orthopedic conditions – a person-centered prescription – SEK 2,500,000 – University of Gothenburg
Andrei Chagin, The role of cellular senescence in osteoporotic bone loss – SEK 1,900,000 – University of Gothenburg
Carmen Corciulo, Leveraging stress-induced progesterone for the treatment of women with knee osteoarthritis – SEK 2,100,000 – University of Gothenburg
Jovanna Dahlgren, Bone health and sex hormones – from birth to adulthood – SEK 3,900,000 – University of Gothenburg
Carina Halvord, Caught in Motion – Part 2 of Medical Technology for a Better Future – SEK 3,000,000 – Universeum
Other
Oscar Tolstoy, Effectiveness of telemedicine-based home monitoring of glaucoma: IOP surveillance – SEK 975,000 – University of Gothenburg
Karin Säljö, New treatment method for reconstruction after breast cancer using autologous 3D-bioprinted fat tissue – SEK 1,300,000 – University of Gothenburg
Jonas Mattsson, Publication of the journal Forskning & Framsteg (Research & Progress) during 2026 – SEK 150,000 – Forskning & Framsteg Foundation