DISTINCTION. Claes Ohlsson, professor of hormonal regulation of bone metabolism and growth at the University of Gothenburg, has been named the recipient of this year’s Anders Jahre Senior Medical Prize. The prize, which is awarded by the University of Oslo, amounts to NOK 1 million, making it one of the largest in the medical field in the Nordic region.
For Claes, who is still on summer vacation, the award came as a happy surprise. Although the prize is awarded to him personally, he believes the honor belongs to all colleagues who have contributed to osteoporosis research in Gothenburg.
“It’s really great that osteoporosis research in Gothenburg has attracted attention with this prestigious and very large prize. We have seen enormous development over the last 20 years, and there are now a number of successful senior researchers engaged in unique osteoporosis research, ranging from basic research on bone metabolism to clinical treatment studies,” he notes.
Groundbreaking studies
Claes Ohlsson won the award for his groundbreaking studies of osteoporosis, with special emphasis on the importance of hormones and genes. The prize is awarded by the University of Oslo, and the selection committee makes special note of the fact that he and his colleagues have demonstrated how hormones, genes and intestinal bacteria affect bone mass and assert that this work has provided groundbreaking insights into the causes of osteoporosis.
Among other things, Claes Ohlsson and his colleagues have identified key genetic factors that regulate bone mass and the risk of fractures. He has also focused on hormonal regulation of bone growth and adult bone turnover. With large observational studies of human genes as a starting point, he has followed up on findings in controlled studies of both mice and people. He has also identified how sex hormones affect bone mass.
Bones are linked to fat mass
“We are now continuing work on the projects for which I received the prize – that is, identifying new drug targets for osteoporosis and new biomarkers for identifying patients with a high risk of fractures,” says Claes.
Another finding, which received a lot of attention last Christmas when the results were published, deals with a potentially completely new system for regulation of fat mass, in which the bones send signals to the brain about body weight. The finding is the first feedback signal for regulating fat mass discovered since the 1990s and might explain why sitting is so strongly linked to obesity and ill health. Together with professor John-Olov Jansson, Claes Ohlsson is now leading an exciting project to further investigate this mechanism.
The Anders Jahre medical prizes are awarded for excellent research in basic and clinical medicine. The prize, which is awarded by the University of Oslo, is among the largest in the medicine field in the Nordic region. The awards ceremony takes place in the University Aula auditorium on October 11, and Claes also plans to use this occasion to celebrate the prize with his colleagues.
Read more about the prizes at the University of Oslo’s website: http://www.uio.no/om/tall-og-fakta/uio-priser/jahreprisen/
TEXT AND PHOTO: ELIN LINDSTRÖM CLAESSEN
