The new research center – the Wallenberg Centre of Molecular Medicine at Lund University – with a focus on regenerative medicine, is part of a national plan to return to Sweden to world leadership in medical research. Funding the center is the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, together with Lund University and Skåne Region.
– It is very pleasing that the Foundation, together with the university and the region, can build this important centre, says Peter Wallenberg Jr., Chairman of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.
The diseases that the Centre is to focus on are nerve and muscle disorders, respiratory diseases, blood system diseases and cardiovascular diseases and endocrine diseases. Endocrine diseases is the collective name for a number of diseases caused by hormone glands that do not work as they should, for example, diabetes, goiter and osteoporosis.
Regenerative medicine is about healing, replacing or repairing of damaged or lost tissue and its function. This can be done by means of transplantation of stem cells cultivated in the laboratory or the patient’s own stem cells which are activated to develop into the desired cell type.
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation is contributing SEK 225 million during ten years, from 2015 to 2025, to the new center in Lund, primarily through grants for career positions for young scientists. In the autumn of 2014 a similar initiative was presented at the University of Gothenburg. The purpose is to return the Swedish research a world leader in the field.
– The Foundation carries out a strong investment in the life science area. We plan to invest SEK 1.7 billion over ten years in order to, among other things, create a network of the leading researchers around the country, as a complement SciLifeLab in the Stockholm-Uppsala region. Another important ingredient is to increase cooperation between basic research, clinical research and the pharmaceutical industry, says Peter Wallenberg Jr.
– We are very excited about the Foundation’s long-term investment in Lund. It means that we can recruit outstanding young researchers and support them in the development to outstanding research leaders in molecular medicine. The Molecular center in Lund will also work closely with other research facilities in Sweden. This strengthens the national research in the area, says Torbjörn von Schantz, Rector of the University of Lund.
– Lund University has established excellent research networks and a long tradition of translational research through close collaboration between the university, Region Skåne and industry. The availability of large biobanks, modern technological platforms and infrastructure allows us to reach the absolute forefront of research in molecular medical research, says Gunilla Westergren-Thorsson, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Lund University.
To ensure that the research conducted is also of great importance for patients and and will be applied to them, a very clear connection to health care is included. Therefore Region Skåne invests SEK 150 million in the endeavour. In addition Lund University invests additional SEK 160 million.
TEXT: KNUT OCH ALICE WALLENBERGS STIFTELSE
