Lena Claesson-Welsh ‘Cancer Researcher of the Year’
The Swedish Cancer Society has selected Lena Claesson-Welsh as ‘Cancer Researcher of the Year’ 2017. The award includes a generous grant from Swedish Cancer Society, and that the group’s research is highlighted in different ways.
“I am very happy that our research is awarded, says Lena Claesson-Welsh. My group and I are working focused and with a high ambition to contribute to better cancer treatments. The support from the Swedish Cancer Society comes from donors that have had family members with cancer, or are themselves cancer patients, which makes this award very special.
Lena Claesson-Welsh’s research concerns the role of blood vessels in health and disease.
“The formation of new blood vessels is normally very strictly regulated but in some diseases, such as cancer, blood vessel formation is exaggerated. This leads to disorganised vessels with impaired function. When such vessels are formed in a tumour there is an increased risk that the tumour will spread and it reduces the possibilities for drugs to reach the tumour. In my research group we focus on identifying and characterising signalling proteins that control blood vessel formation. With an increased knowledge about these proteins we hope to be able to restore blood vessel function and by this way improve the possibilities to treat and cure cancer,” says Lena Claesson-Welsh.
The award was presented during the Swedish Cancer Society's gala Tillsammans mot cancer.
More information:
Lena Claesson-Welsh’s research (Link removed)
Swedish Cancer Society