The 1982 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine recognised the discovery of such a system and was jointly awarded to Sune Bergström and Bengt Samuelsson, professors at Karolinska Institutet, along with the British scientist John Vane, for their “discoveries related to prostaglandins and related biologically active substances”.
The term “prostaglandin” was coined by Ulf von Euler (1905-1983), a professor of physiology at Karolinska Institutet and a Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine in 1970.
As early as the 1930s, he had identified this intriguing substance in seminal fluid and the prostate, giving it the name prostaglandin. Sune Bergström, who became professor of physiological chemistry at Karolinska Institutet in 1958, continued the work.
Bengt Samuelsson was a doctoral student under Sune Bergström and worked with him on the early structural studies of prostaglandins. After obtaining a medical degree from Lund University and a PhD from Karolinska Institutet, he spent a year doing research at Harvard in the US, but then returned to KI.
Here he decided to look more closely at the reactions when prostaglandins are formed.
Mechanisms behind several diseases
During the 1960s and 1970s, he detailed how prostaglandins are formed from fatty acids, particularly arachidonic acid. Bengt Samuelsson isolated and determined the structure of several important components of the prostaglandin system.
For example he discovered the so-called leukotrienes, which are released during acute hypersensitivity reactions and inflammation, and thromboxanes, which are formed in platelets and stop bleeding but also contribute to blood clot formation.
Research on prostaglandins provided important knowledge about how the body functions normally and explanations for mechanisms behind several diseases, such as allergies, inflammations and vascular diseases. This knowledge also paved the way for the development of new treatments.
Bengt Samuelsson’s discovery of leukotrieneshas, for example, led to medications used to treat asthma. Sune Bergström was involved in studying the significance of prostaglandins for the function of the reproductive organs, which has contributed to these substances as abortifacients, for inducing labour and for treating heavy bleeding during childbirth.
Many collaborations and honorary assignments
In addition to their research careers, both Sune Bergström and Bengt Samuelsson served as presidents of Karolinska Institutet. Sune Bergström held his position from 1969 to 1977, while Bengt Samuelsson served as president from 1983 to 1995.
Beyond his work at KI, Bengt Samuelsson focused on leukotrienes., He was also involved in research collaborations with China, held several board positions, and was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and equivalent institutions in several other countries.
Bengt Samuelsson passed away on July 7 at the age of 90.