The Assar Gabrielsson Foundation has awarded Marcus Borenäs as the winner in the basic science research category and Elizabeth Schepke as the winner in the clinical research category. The prize recipients will receive SEK 100,000 each as extra research grants, administered by the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg.

The Assar Gabrielssons Award 2025 for clinical research is given to Elizabeth Schepke

For clinically significative and well-conducted research on the importance of so-called DNA methylation in brain tumours in children. The studies provide new knowledge about how these tumours can be better classified, so that the most appropriate treatment can be chosen.

"Reason behind the decision"

Elizabeth Schepke works as a consultant at the Children's Cancer Center at Queen Silvia's Children's Hospital, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, with a focus on tumours in the central nervous system (CNS). She is active in the National Planning Group for CNS u in Sweden (VCTB) and is a member of the European Group for CNS Tumours.

Elizabeth is a researcher at the University of Gothenburg, and she defended her thesis in 2023 at the Department of Biomedicine under the supervision of Professor Helena Carén. The thesis was based on three population-based studies of Swedish children diagnosed with CNS tumours, with a focus on epigenetic research and long-term follow-up.

The most important thing for her in her research is that the results have contributed to improved diagnostics in paediatric CNS tumours and increased knowledge about long-term follow-up for children with brain tumours.

In the autumn of 2025, she will start a postdoctoral research position at Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) in Hamburg. During her postdoc, she will continue her research on long-term effects after childhood cancer with a focus on the most common malignant tumour in children, medulloblastoma. She will also have a coordinating role in starting the exercise intervention study (MOVE-medulloblastoma online video exercise) which aims to investigate how an individualized exercise program given virtually with coaching support can help children treated for medulloblastoma to have better motor skills, cognition and better ability to engage in activities of daily living.

The Assar Gabrielssons Award 2025 for basic scientific research is given to Marcus Borenäs

For advanced basic scientific research on malignant neuroblastomas in children. The studies provide new knowledge about ALK signaling in different types of neuroblastomas. The results may be of great benefit for the development of better treatment for patients with neuroblastoma.

"Reason behind the decision"

Marcus Borenäs received his medical degree from the University of Gothenburg in 2016. He initiated his PhD-studies in 2017 under supervision of Professor Palmer at the University of Gothenburg. He was a medical-intern at Sahlgrenska university hospital 2019-2021. In November 2024 Marcus defended his thesis ”Novel signaling and treatment regimes in Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase driven neuroblastoma models”. During his PhD-studies Marcus investigated how the ligand (ALKAL2) to the receptor Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) effects tumor growth. The ALK-receptor can be mutated in a subpopulation of neuroblastoma patients and convey improper signals to the cell to proliferate. Marcus demonstrated that overproduction of ALKAL2 results in increased tumor formation among preclinical models with no mutations in the receptor and that these tumors are sensitive to ALK-blocking agents.

In 2024 he was awarded the Wallenberg Foundation Postdoctoral Scholarship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and began his postdoctoral fellowship in January 2025 in Professor White’s group at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT.

His postdoctoral research aims to identify activated proteins associated with poor clinical outcome among cancer patients. After his postdoctoral research he aims to return to the University of Gothenburg to continue his cancer research.