Laura Baranello, a senior researcher at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded the Göran Gustafsson Prize in molecular biology for her "groundbreaking studies on the regulation of topoisomerases and their role in tumor biology".
Without harming healthy cells
One of the cornerstones of today's cancer treatments is to block the function of a group of enzymes, topoisomerases, which help both normal cells and cancer cells to copy their DNA. A few years ago, Laura Baranello discovered that the activity of topoisomerases can be regulated by a so-called oncoprotein that they interact with. By targeting this mechanism, which only occurs in cancer cells, researchers now hope to find new ways to stop tumor growth without harming healthy cells.
The goal of Laura Baranello's research is to find a new strategy for gentler cancer treatments. The idea is to improve both survival and quality of life for patients in the future.
"The biggest challenge today with chemotherapy is that the drugs cannot distinguish between cancer cells and fast-growing healthy cells. This means that doctors sometimes hesitate to start treatment because the patient suffers from so many side effects," she explains.
"Our goal is to achieve a greater understanding of the molecular mechanism of the topoisomerases in cancer cells using a combination of genomics and molecular biology approaches," says Laura.
"I am very happy and it feels honorable because the prize recognizes high-quality research."
Being awarded the Göran Gustafsson Prize for researchers up to 45 years of age is proof that one belongs to the forefront of research in Sweden within their field. This year, the prize money has been allocated to groundbreaking research aimed at providing gentler cancer treatments and more efficient organic solar cells. Each of the five Göran Gustafsson Prize winners will receive 7.5 million SEK, including 300,000 SEK as a personal prize and 7.2 million SEK in research grants over three years.
