The Swedish Society of Medicine (SLS) awards Martin Schalling, Professor of Medical Genetics at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, with the Ingvar Prize 2024.
Martin Schalling is awarded for pioneering studies on lithium and bipolar disorder. A study that is particularly highlighted is the first gene finding for lithium kinetics, published in Lancet Psychiatry 2022, where an algorithm that can contribute to faster introduction of lithium into the clinic is described. Martin Schalling is also rewarded for his work where lithium treatment is linked to telomere function, which opens up the use of lithium in new areas such as neuroprotection.
"It is a great honor to be awarded the Swedish Society of Medicine's Ingvar Prize. The study highlighted has resulted in a model to predict how much lithium a patient with bipolar disorder will need. Being able to predict the dose in individual patients is vital, as bipolar disorder is a condition that is linked to an increased risk of suicide, says Martin Schalling, Professor of Medical Genetics at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet.
The prize will be awarded during the Swedish Society of Medicine's annual celebration on 22 October 2024. The prize winner is awarded SEK 35,000 and the SLS 200-year medal in bronze.
