In memory of Professor Tore Midtvedt
Professor Tore Midtvedt, Oslo, passed away on December 2nd at the age of 91. He is mourned by his wife Kari, his sons Karsten, Per and Öyvind with their families, as well as a large circle of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and extended family.
He was a pioneer and leader in research on the vital importance of the gut microbiota. As early as 1967, he decided to devote his life to “our friends”, the bacteria. After studying medicine in Oslo and Bergen, he earned his doctorate in 1968 under Bengt Gustafsson at Karolinska Institutet (KI) with a thesis on the significance of the gut microbiota for bile acid metabolism. Returning from Oslo University in 1983, he was appointed Gustafsson’s successor as Professor of Medical Microbial Ecology at KI. From 1999, as Professor Emeritus, he continued his research for the rest of his life.
His research focused on the balance between the host organism and gut bacteria, and their effects on various physiological, biochemical and anatomical functions in the host: restoring balance in a disturbed gut microbiota, the impact of diet and environmental factors, how the gut microbiota is established in children, the effect of breast milk versus formula, probiotics and prebiotics, and changes in the gut microbiota in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The main method involved studies on germ-free experimental animals that were colonised with bacteria, so that parts of or the entire gut microbiota could be recreated. This method was virtually unique worldwide when developed by his predecessor in the 1950s. Tore Midtvedt contributed significantly when this methodology became crucial in mapping the extent of the gut microbiota’s importance from the mid-1990s onwards. He also helped establish faecal microbiota transplantation as a tool to cure a disturbed gut microbiota. In total, he published 380 scientific articles and supervised more than 50 doctoral students.
Tore Midtvedt was an international authority in his field and witnessed how it evolved from the gut bacteria being considered a mere by-product in our faeces to a significant organ in our bodies, influencing many functions – from immune defence and brain function to drug effects. He served for many years as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease, was appointed honorary doctor and member of the academy. He stood firm, was courageous and combative in controversial scientific matters, occasionally crossing the red line towards alternative medicine, which earned him a fair amount of partly justified criticism. In 2018, he was appointed Knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav for his outstanding contributions to medical microbiology.
Tore Midtvedt possessed an openness to new ways of thinking, was curious, encouraging and loyal to his friends . Scientific discussions with him were always exciting. He was also a Norwegian with a twinkle in his eye. His friends could share with him his Norwegian passion at Holmenkollen during the 50-kilometre ski race, enjoying freshly caught skrei or cod cheeks from Lofoten, or during the 17 May celebrations.
Text: Ingemar Ernberg and Elisabeth Lissa Norin