Yenan Bryceson receives major award

The Anders Jahre Prize for Young Scientists was this year awarded to Yenan Bryceson, Assistant professor at CIM, Department of Medicine, Huddinge.

-This is a fantastic accomplishment, Anna Norrby-Teglund, Unit Head at CIM, said in a statement.

Anders Jahre's Awards for Medical Research is given to research of outstanding quality in basic and clinical medicine.

Yenan Bryceson will share the prize consisting of 400,000 NOK with Christian B.F. Andersen, Professor at Aarhus University.

Anders Jahre's Awards are among the largest within Nordic biomedical research, and will be handed out 17 October 2013 in a ceremony in Oslo, Norway.

Interview: Yenan Bryceson

What does this award mean to you?

-It is a great honour to receive the Anders Jahre Medical Prize for Young Scientists. Science is really a team activity. In my perception, I am constantly standing on the shoulders of other scientists or benefiting immensely from the hard work of colleagues and students. Thus, I am humbled. I am very grateful to all the wonderful people I have worked with over the years. In particular, I would like to thank my supervisors over the years, Erik Dissen, Eric Long, Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren, and Jan-Inge Henter, as well as many other colleagues.

What is your research about that you received the award for?

-I received the prize for my research on the molecular requirements for NK cell activation as well as insights to human immunology based on studies of patients suffering primary from immunodeficiencies associated with susceptibility to severe infection, hematological malignancies, and autoimmunity. Studying disease mechanisms in material from patients has been very rewarding. Hopefully, we are able to repay their sacrifices with insights that can benefit diagnosis and treatment of these diseases.

How will you use the money?

-Hopefully a good party! Honestly, I have not really had time to think much of the matter.

How long have you been at CIM, Karolinska Institutet?

-I commenced research at CIM in 2003 as part of a graduate partnership program with the National Institutes of Health, Washington DC. Since 2006, I have more or less worked full time at CIM.