PRESS RELEASE 2024-03-21
The 2024 The Svedberg Prize is awarded to Björn Reinius, Karolinska Institutet, KI, for his discoveries regarding the gene regulation mechanisms of the X chromosome and his substantial impact on Covid-19 clinical diagnostics.
His research is focused towards understanding the fundamental features of gene regulation, and in particular the regulation of active versus inactive chromatin. He is also active in advancing RNA and DNA sequencing technology, with highly recognized impact during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic leading to millions of clinical tests performed using his methods.
Björn holds a PhD from Uppsala University and joined KI as a research group leader in 2018, where he now holds the position of Associate Professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics.
– It is very special and a great joy for me to receive this particular award in memory of Theodor Svedberg, says Björn Reinius. Some of my strongest memories as a young chemistry student in Uppsala are from the The Svedberg room in former Kemikum – premises where Theodor once moved.
What is the next step in your research?
– I will continue my research in two main tracks, as before. One focus is on method development and improvement of RNA and DNA detection, where we have many interesting things going on in the lab. The other track focuses on gene regulation, where we try to understand how the cell reacts to and compensates for chromosome copy changes. Right now we are in a golden age for research on cell and molecular biology, so it is incredibly exciting to be a part of this!
More information about Björn and his research is available at:
https://ki.se/en/research/groups/bjorn-reinius-group
https://www.reiniuslab.com/News
For questions, please contact:
Agnes Rinaldo-Matthis, President of the Swedish Chemical Society (Svenska Kemisamfundet)
agnes.rinaldo.matthis@kemisamfundet.se
The Svedberg
The Svedberg (1884-1971, actually Theodor Svedberg) was a professor of physical chemistry at Uppsala University. His research focused on colloids and macromolecular compounds. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1926 for the discoveries he made with the analytical ultracentrifuge he developed.
About the Svedberg Prize
The prize is awarded to a successful biochemist or molecular biologist who is active in Sweden and who has a doctoral degree not older than 12 years counting from the 1st January of the year when the prize is awarded.
The Svedberg Prize is a scientific recognition awarded annually in connection with the Swedish Conference on Macromolecular Structure and Function (Sweprot). In addition to a medal, the award also includes a prize of SEK 40,000. The Svedberg Prize is awarded by the Swedish National Committee for Molecular Biosciences within the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA) together with the Swedish Society for Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (SFBBM), a division within the Swedish Chemical Society.
About SFBBM
The Swedish Society for Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (SFBBM) is an association of Swedish biochemists, biophysicists, and molecular biologists, as well as anybody interested in these sciences. The association’s tasks are to promote the development of biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology. SFBBM is affiliated with the Swedish Chemical Society. The Swedish Chemical Society is a national non-profit association for anybody interested in chemistry and aims to promote the development of chemistry and its applications. SFBBM is also a member society of FEBS and EBSA. For more information see www.kemisamfundet.se.
About the Swedish National Committee for Molecular Biosciences
The Swedish National Committee for Molecular Biosciences is one of 18 committees within the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and represents Sweden in international scientific societies that are part of the ICSU (International Council for Science). The National Committees also have the task of promoting research and education in their subject area, working to strengthen the subject area’s position in society, and being available as an advisory body to universities and other parts of the education system.