Five researchers from Lund University have been awarded a combined SEK 149 million in grants from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. This matches the previous record of five approved applications.
In total, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation is awarding SEK 900 million to 30 research projects that, following evaluations by international experts, have been deemed innovative and at the forefront of international research.
The five Lund University researchers are Kimberly Dick Thelander, professor of materials science, Johan Malmström, professor of advanced proteomics mass spectrometry, Vasili Haruyliki, professor of medical biochemistry, Oscar Agertz, associate professor of astrophysics and Emma Sparr, professor of physical chemistry.
Kimberly Dick Thelander
A recently discovered form of magnetism could eventually contribute to faster and more energy-efficient electronics. In this project, researchers will investigate how this so-called altermagnetism can be controlled in nanoscale structures - an important step towards using the technology in applications such as memory devices, sensors and quantum technologies.
Magnetism arises from the behaviour of electrons within the atoms of a material. In simple terms, atoms can be thought of as tiny bar magnets. In ordinary magnets, they point in the same direction and create a magnetic field. In other magnetic materials, their magnetic effects instead cancel each other out.
Altermagnets behave differently. They do not create an overall magnetic field, but their particular crystal structure still causes electrons with different spins to behave differently. This means that altermagnets can be controlled electrically while largely neither generating nor being affected by magnetic fields. As a result, components could potentially be packed very closely together without interfering with one another.
The researchers will now investigate how altermagnetism depends on the arrangement of atoms in the material. They will create nanoscale structures in which the crystal structure can be controlled with high precision and study how their properties change in response to electromagnetic fields and mechanical strain. Advanced X-ray characterization at MAX IV will be an important part of the research.
In the longer term, this knowledge could contribute to faster, more energy-efficient and more reliable technologies.
"With this project we will have a unique opportunity to use our expertise in designing advanced nanoscale materials, to study and develop this exciting new magnetic phenomenon," says Kimberly Dick Thelander.
Project: Nanoscale control of altermagnetism
Grant awarded: SEK 34 million over five years
Johan Malmström
Why do some inflammatory responses resolve while others worsen and cause life-threatening damage? Johan Malmström and his colleagues aim to answer this question by studying the body's peptides, small protein fragments that can influence the immune system and regulate inflammation.
The researchers will create a detailed atlas of the body's proteins, the enzymes that break them down, and the peptides formed at different stages of inflammation - ranging from normal wound healing to severe inflammatory conditions. Their goal is to identify biomarkers that can reveal at an early stage whether a patient is at risk of becoming seriously ill. They also hope to map and identify naturally occurring peptides that could serve as the basis for new drugs.
"Thanks to the support from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, we have the opportunity to bring together our expertise and work long-term to understand these processes. We hope this knowledge will lead to new treatment opportunities," says Johan Malmström.
Project: The Inflammatory Proteome-Protease-Peptidome (P3) Atlas: From Homeostasis to Pathology and Therapeutics
Grant awarded: SEK 30 million over five years
Oscar Agertz
The project seeks to understand how the very first galaxies formed during the early history of the Universe, within the first billion years after the Big Bang. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made remarkable discoveries, including the finding that disk galaxies like the Milky Way already existed 13 billion years ago, much earlier than researchers had expected. Even more surprising is that these early galaxies were highly fragmented and filled with ultra-dense star clusters.
Together with Angela Adamo of Stockholm University, Oscar Agertz's team combines state-of-the-art supercomputer simulations with JWST observations to uncover the mechanisms behind these phenomena.
The project has three main objectives. The first is to understand the physical processes that cause galaxies to fragment and form dense star clusters in the early Universe. The second is to map the relationship between star clusters and overall galaxy evolution, specifically how these compact structures influence galaxy growth and appearance. The third is to develop a framework in which simulations and observations work together to generate predictions for next-generation observatories such as the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which is expected to capture its first images around year 2030.
"This grant is a recognition that what we do is important and that we are the right people to do it. It gives us the opportunity to recruit a team fully dedicated to this unsolved problem and to conduct research on a scale and with a depth that simply is not possible with ordinary research grants," says Oscar Agertz.
Project: Zooming into cosmic dawn
Grant awarded: SEK 24 million over five years
Emma Sparr
The project aims to understand how the same proteins and lipids can interact in different ways and give rise to entirely different structures depending on the conditions. Emma Sparr and her colleagues study the protein alpha-synuclein, which interacts with lipid membranes that are important for communication between nerve cells, but which can also form protein-rich aggregates strongly associated with Parkinson's disease.
The researchers hypothesize that there is a sensitive tipping point between these different states. To understand what governs this transition, they start by examining alpha-synuclein's functional interactions with lipid membranes and investigate the fundamental mechanisms that determine how the protein binds to, shapes, and organizes these membranes. They seek to understand which changes can upset the balance and cause proteins and lipids to begin forming the protein-rich aggregates linked to disease.
Using carefully controlled model systems, the researchers can systematically investigate the physical and chemical factors that regulate this balance and determine which direction the system takes.
"These are research questions that I have worked on and been fascinated by for a long time, but until now we have mainly studied the different subprocesses separately. We now have the opportunity to take the next step: to connect that knowledge and understand these subprocesses as parts of a single system. To achieve this, we need new collaborations and complementary expertise. We have brought together a team from Lund University, Chalmers University of Technology and Stockholm University, where everyone contributes something essential. This opens up entirely new possibilities for what we can do," says Emma Sparr.
Project: Tipping points in protein-lipid co-assembly (TIPPOINT)
Grant awarded: SEK 25 million over five years
Vasili Hauryliuk
Vasili Hauryliuk will investigate how bacteria defend themselves against their viruses, known as bacteriophages, or simply phages. Antibiotic resistance is a growing global threat, and we need new ways to treat bacterial infections. One promising alternative is phage therapy, which uses phages to kill disease-causing bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
Like us, bacteria have antiviral defence systems that protect them against their viruses. To understand the interplay between bacteria and phages and to be able to use phages effectively in clinical practice, we need to know how bacterial anti-phage defences work.
"The support from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation is crucial. Gemma Atkinson and I began working on toxin-antitoxin-based antiphage defence systems in 2020 as part of a KAW project grant, for which she was the principal applicant and I was a co-applicant. The funding enabled us to move our research activities from Umeå to Lund and establish our laboratory here. Over the following five years, we developed the methods and expertise that have made this new project possible.
