Claudio Cantù receives prestigious award

- Receiving such a prestigious award gives me a great sense of validation. In science, it is important that one's results are accepted and convince others. We have taken many risks for testing new, sometimes crazy hypotheses, but now we know that most of them were truly worth the efforts, he says.

Claudio Cantù is professor in cell and molecular biology at the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV). Since 2018, he leads the Cantùlab at the Wallenberg Center For Molecular Medicine (WCMM), which conducts research on the genomics of embryonic development. Claudio’s team studies how from one single cell we become fully functioning organisms.

In the award committee's citation, it can be read: "Claudio Cantù is a passionate researcher who is driven by the question of how the genome regulates embryonic development and cell differentiation. In this work, he has had great success, which has shown itself in the form of significant research grants, as well as high-quality publications.”

A prize for the entire research group

In the lab, Claudio and his team examine the genome (hereditary information) and have developed new techniques to understand its function. Claudio emphasizes that the award is recognition for the entire research group, not just for him.

- In describing the merits that are recognized by this prize it is for me of extreme importance my use of the plural pronoun we. Science is not a solitary endeavor. While the discoveries made by my research groups have been initially inspired by my previous work and ideas, these very ideas have been shaped, massaged, and re-built by my team members: all of them are becoming a better scientist than I will ever be, and each of them should be credited with an equal share of recognition.

What is the secret behind your success?
- One key of success, in my opinion, is to establish a research group on the ground of positive values; attainment of these is for me a measure of success. One value is creativity: we wish to discover new biological phenomena, by whatever means. Crazy ideas, new tools, parallel strategies and acceptance of failure are the key ingredients. I hope that my coworkers feel free to exercise all these forms of intellectual and experimental work. If not, I want them to let me know!

How does it feel now to be awarded this prize?
- When I started my research lab, in 2018, I was scared and worried that I would not be able to transform ideas into research projects, or even that my ideas were not good in the first place! Seeing that what we have done is appreciated and considered of value, gives me immense pride and joy.

The award committee's motivation:

Claudio Cantù is a passionate researcher driven by the question of how the genome regulates embryonic development and cell differentiation. In this work, he has had great success, which has shown itself in the form of significant research grants, as well as high-quality publications.

Using elegant models, Claudio Cantù describes the mechanisms for how the genome controls the future identity of embryonic cells, new insights that can also explain the emergence of cancer cells.

This year's award ceremony takes place at “Forskningens dag/Research day” in Lund 6 November.