The LEO Foundation Award 2009 – Silver Award
Grantee: Dr. Ilkka Helanterä
Amount: DKK 500,000
Grant category: LEO Foundation Awards
Year: 2009
Geography: Finland
Presented to promising young Finnish physician and scientist Ilkka Helanterä who, at age 31, has already contributed significantly to the field of transplantation nephrology, both in the laboratory and the clinic.
Following his dissertation in 2006, Dr. Helanterä continued his research at the Helsinki University Hospital nephrology clinic, where he published several clinically relevant studies focusing on viral infections after transplantation and the pathogenesis of chronic allograft nephropathy. Dr. Helanterä will undoubtedly be a significant contributor in the international nephrology field in the future.
The LEO Foundation Award 2009 – Gold Award
Grantee: Dr. Christian Vestergaard
Amount: DKK 1,000,000
Grant category: LEO Foundation Awards
Year: 2009
Geography: Denmark
Presented to Danish dermatology researcher and dermatologist Dr. Christian Vestergaard, Department of Dermatology at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark.
Dr. Vestergaard is a young talented scientist with an outstanding record of internationally recognised publications, and innovative ongoing research projects within the frontier fields of skin immunology and skin cancer. The award supports and acknowledges his work, and recognises his important role – linking basic science to the understanding of clinical questions.
The LEO Foundation Award 2008 – Silver Award
Grantee: Dr. William Agace
Amount: DKK 500,000
Grant category: LEO Foundation Awards
Year: 2008
Geography: United Kingdom
Presented to British researcher William Agace. Agace and his research team investigated the underlying control mechanisms for the processes behind the generation and movement of lymphocytes in the intestines, and identified the factors that determine which are activated and where they go in the intestinal system.
Insight gained from William Agace’s research will enable new and more targeted therapies for ailments such as chronic inflammatory bowel disease, a serious disorder with only limited treatment options available today. William Agace earned his MSc at Bristol University in microbiology, and his PhD in immunology from Lund University. In the late 1990’s, he spent three years as a postdoc at Harvard Medical School. In 2006, he was appointed professor of experimental medical research and head of the immunology section at Lund University. He has published more than 35 original articles and several book chapters.
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.