Professor Gunilla Westergren-Thorsson, not only the WCMM Lund Director, but also the leading researcher in the Lung Biology Team at Lund University, has been awarded the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Lifetime Achievement Award in Basic and Translational Science 2025.
The ERS is one of the world’s foremost organizations in respiratory research and clinical care, bringing together more than 35,000 members from over 160 countries to improve lung health through research, education, and clinical practice. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes senior scientists whose long-term, groundbreaking contributions have significantly advanced the field and bridged the gap between basic science and clinical application. Professor Westergren-Thorsson received the award during the European Lung Conference in Amsterdam on 27 September 2025.
With a distinguished research career spanning more than three decades, Gunilla Westergren-Thorsson has made fundamental contributions to understanding lung inflammation, tissue remodeling, and regenerative processes. Her pioneering work has provided crucial insights into how the extracellular matrix (ECM) — the structural network surrounding cells — influences inflammation and repair in the lungs. This research has led to the identification of new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for chronic lung diseases such as asthma, COPD, and pulmonary fibrosis.
Her current research focuses on how ECM degradation and remodeling generate biologically active fragments, or neo-epitopes, that may act both as circulating biomarkers and as signaling molecules influencing disease progression. The long-term goal is to develop tools for real-time monitoring of tissue remodeling in patients, enabling more personalized approaches to diagnosis and treatment, including the use of physical activity as part of therapy.
Beyond her scientific achievements, Westergren-Thorsson has played a key role in building a collaborative research environment at Lund University, mentoring numerous PhD students and postdocs who have gone on to hold leading positions in research and clinical medicine.
Her vision for the future is ambitious yet tangible: that within the next two decades, ECM biomarkers will become part of routine clinical care, allowing clinicians to track lung disease processes as easily as measuring blood pressure or blood sugar today, a transformation that could redefine the management of chronic respiratory diseases.
The ERS Lifetime Achievement Award is a fitting recognition of a career dedicated to advancing knowledge, improving patient outcomes and fostering the next generation of researchers in respiratory medicine.
- News from the Faculty of Medicine - Interview with Gunilla Westergren Thorsson
- Profile in Lund University Research Portal
- Visit the European Respiratory Society website