Grant geography: Sweden

The LEO Foundation Award 2017 – Gold Award

Grantee: Dr. Maria Kasper

Amount: DKK 1,000,000

Grant category: LEO Foundation Awards

Year: 2017

Geography: Sweden

The Gold Award went to Dr. Maria Kasper, presently leading a research group at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

“Receiving the phone call with the news of the LEO Foundation 2017 Gold award is one of these few unforgettable moments. My friends often call me “skin nerd” since I love everything about skin.  Thus, it’s such a happiness and great honour for me to receive this prestigious prize. I would like to express my deepest thank you to the LEO Foundation, the ESDR, and my lab members who make everyday’s work fun and colorful,” said Maria Kasper.

The LEO Foundation Award 2010 – Silver Award

Grantee: Dr. Andor Pivarcsi

Amount: DKK 500,000

Grant category: LEO Foundation Awards

Year: 2010

Geography: Sweden

Presented to Dr. Andor Pivarcsi, young dermatology researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden for his investigation of the role of microRNAs (miRNA) in skin disease.

Dr.Pivarsci’s work centres on miRNAs, a class of recently discovered small RNA molecules, shown to play a critical role in controlling genes behaviour. His research is expected to contribute significantly to our understanding of the pathological mechanisms in skin diseases, such as psoriasis and cancer.

The LEO Foundation Award 2008 – Gold Award

Grantee: Dr. Lars Norlén

Amount: DKK 1,000,000

Grant category: LEO Foundation Awards

Year: 2008

Geography: Sweden

Presented to Swedish researcher Lars Norlén. Norlén and his team develop new advanced biophysical measuring methods to describe the molecular structure of the skin barrier.

The frontline research of Lars Norlén will contribute to our fundamental understanding of how drugs impact and interact with their target proteins in connection with the treatment of diseases such as psoriasis. Dr. Norlén holds an MD from Karolinska Institutet, and is a group manager for biophysical dermatology at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden. He has worked at universities in Geneva and Lausanne, Switzerland, and co-authored more than 25 original articles and several book chapters.