Professor Lars Björck, of Lund University, has been awarded the 2026 Nordic Fernström Prize. He receives the prize for his pioneering research into how disease-causing bacteria interact with and evade the human immune system. His research has provided fundamental insights into microbial pathogenesis and paved the way for significant biotechnological tools and new therapeutic possibilities.
Throughout his research career, Lars Björck has been primarily interested in the interaction between pathogenic bacteria and our immune system, with a particular focus on antibodies. His research has provided new knowledge about the ingenious ways in which bacteria evade the immune system and led to discoveries that have had far-reaching implications well beyond the original research question.
Lars Björck, Professor Emeritus of Infectious Medicine, is known, amongst other things, for discovering protein G and protein L, bacterial proteins that have become internationally used tools for purifying, detecting and analysing antibodies in both research and drug development.
Another important discovery is the bacterial enzyme IdeS, which Lars Björck and his research team identified in streptococci. The enzyme helps bacteria defend themselves against the human immune system by cleaving IgG antibodies - the predominant type of antibody in humans - in a highly specific manner.
The researchers realised that this particular property could also be exploited for medical purposes: if harmful antibodies could be rapidly neutralised, the enzyme could be used to treat diseases and conditions in which antibodies cause harm, such as autoimmune diseases and the rejection of transplanted organs.
Since then, the discovery has been developed into a drug used in connection with kidney transplants in certain patients with IgG antibodies which would otherwise make a transplant difficult to carry out. IdeS is also being investigated as a potential treatment for several antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases, such as neurological and rheumatic conditions and kidney diseases.
Lars Björck was in the supermarket when the call came from the awards committee.
"I was taken by surprise and very pleased. I know there are fantastic researchers across the Nordic region, and I wasn't expecting this," says Lars Björck.
