Life Science Day presented the wide range of KTH Covid-19 research
Nearly 120 persons participated in Life Science Day 2021 on 28 October, when KTH researchers held lectures about what they did to fight Covid-19 and their research for future pandemics. The keynote speaker, Professor Kenneth R Chien from Karolinska Institutet, co-founder of Moderna, gave a presentation about Moderna´s development of the Moderna Covid-19 mRNA vaccine.
“The science presented today underscores that KTH is a very strong life science university,” says Peter Savolainen , Director of the KTH Life Science Platform, who organized Life Science Day. He continues:
“It gave us a good picture of the broad variety of Covid-19 related research that is going on at KTH, across molecular and computing sciences. It shows that KTH has been an important actor in Sweden’s fight against the epidemic.”
During the half-day workshop webinar, KTH researchers demonstrated the comprehensive palette of Covid-19 related research at KTH, including diagnostic testing, serology, logistics in health care, monitoring and prediction of virus spread and epidemiology.
Moderna co-founder keynote speaker
The keynote speaker, Kenneth Chien, Professor at Karolinska Institutet, a co-founder of the pharmaceutical company Moderna held a lecture about how the rapid development and rapid approval of two mRNA vaccines lay the foundation for a new generation of mRNA treatment. According to Kenneth Chien, this marks the starting point for a new biotechnology platform to tackle a variety of diseases. Still, it will require new technology in addition to the production of mRNA as such.
Peter Savolainen explains that the research results presented during the workshop also show that the scientific methods developed during this pandemic will form a basis for improved fighting of future pandemics of almost any pathogen, and many other diseases.
“So this terrible pandemic has also led to some clear benefits for the future.”
The purpose of arranging the Life Science Day is in general to present important science performed at KTH.
“Taking a broader perspective on research, outside the limits of normal more narrow fields, thus bringing together scientists that would normally not meet. Thereby, helping to build new foundations for interdisciplinary research,” Peter Savolainen says.
The conducted Life Science Day 2021 program
The KTH Life Science Platform