Sara Wickström awarded Körber Prize for cell biology research

Finnish cell biologist Sara Wickström has been awarded the 2026 Körber Prize for European Science. The award, which includes one million euros, was presented at the Hamburg City Hall.

Wickström, who conducts research at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Münster, is recognized as a founder of the field of nuclear mechanobiology. Her research demonstrates that cells respond to mechanical forces, such as pressure or tension, by altering gene expression. This process involves changes to the markers on DNA that dictate which genes are read and utilized.

Her findings suggest that physical stress can influence how cells develop and how tissue heals after injury. This mechanism provides new potential avenues for treating cancer, organ scarring, and other age-related diseases.