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Chemistry scientist awarded for studies on cell communication

Photo of Peter Jönsson, and of bacteria/cells from Pixabay.

Peter Jönsson, senior lecturer at the Department of Chemistry and affiliated to NanoLund, is awarded this year's prize from the Sven and Ebba-Christina Hagberg Foundation. Jönsson is being recognized for his studies of protein-protein interactions on cell surfaces that control communication between cells.

Congratulations on the award, Peter, how does it feel?

– Thank you! I am honoured and totally taken by surprise. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my research team and my colleagues without whom this would not have been possible.

What does the prize consist of?

– The prize is worth a total of SEK 650,000 and consists of a personal part and a part for my research.

How does this affect your research?

– It's great to receive this kind of recognition that others appreciate the research I do. In practical terms, the prize is also a welcome contribution to our work studying how protein interactions affect how cells signal.

What are you working on at the moment?

– In my research group, we study how molecules behave on the surface of cells. We are particularly interested in different proteins on the surface of T-cells in our immune system and how these interact with other molecules to influence whether the T-cell is activated or not. We do this by using different cell and model systems combined with advanced fluorescence microscopy. Our goal is to better understand these mechanisms at a molecular level, and thus help develop more effective immunomodulatory drugs in the future.

About the award:

The Sven and Ebba-Christina Hagberg Foundation aims to stimulate and promote scientific research, preferably in the medical and biochemical fields. Each year the foundation awards a personal prize and research grants to one female and one male outstanding young researcher in Sweden. Peter Jönsson shares this year’s prize with Nasim Sabouri, PhD in medical chemistry at Umeå University.