The Galien Foundation Honors 2025 Prix Galien Bridges Awards Recipients

Inaugural Winners Honored for Breakthrough Innovations in Life Sciences

NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Galien Foundation, a global institution committed to recognizing collaborative scientific and medical innovations that advance patient care, celebrated the inaugural Prix Galien Bridges Awards on Friday at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, with events held at the historic Nobel Forum and Medical Students' Union House. The Foundation honored this year's award winners in the following categories: "Best Bridge-Builder Institution," "Best Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Product," "Best Medical Technology/AI Advances in Human Health," "Best Product for Rare/Orphan Diseases," and "Best Public Sector Innovation."

"On behalf of the Prix Galien Bridges Committee, we are privileged to honor the inaugural winners of the Prix Galien Bridges Awards," said Mikael Dolsten, Chairman of Quarry Thera (founding CEO), Orbis Medicine, Orogen Therapeutics, and Mast Cell Sciences. "Science builds bridges between nations and unites researchers in service of humanity, transcending political and geographical borders. The Nordics+ region has always understood that small size is not a limitation but rather can be an advantage when countries work together. These inaugural awards celebrate breakthrough innovations and the teams who created them - the academic scientists, pharmaceutical innovators, digital health pioneers, and institutions across our region who demonstrate the power of cross-border collaboration."

The 2025 Prix Galien Bridges Award Winners

The Bengt I. Samuelsson "True North" Award for Scientific Integrity was presented to Jesper Z Haeggström, MD, PhD, Head of Division Chemistry II at the Karolinska Institutet's Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics in recognition of his commitment to ethical rigor, intellectual honesty, mentorship in is advancement of science.

"It is with great pride and gratitude that I receive this recognition that has been created in honor of Bengt Samuelsson, a true inspiration for generations of scientists to come," said Jesper Haeggström.

The True North Award honors Professor Bengt Samuelsson's legacy - not just his groundbreaking discovery of prostaglandins, but who he was as a person. "He was a man of the people," said Mikael Dolsten, "generous with his time, unconcerned with status, and devoted to advancing science for the benefit of others. This award recognizes researchers who embody that same integrity and humility."

"It is with immense pride that we recognize the inaugural recipients of the Prix Galien Bridges Awards, individuals and institutions whose innovation, dedication, and vision are advancing the frontiers of the life sciences," said Bruno Cohen, Chairman of The Galien Foundation. "We extend our congratulations to this first class of honorees and, together with our Awards Committee and Prix Galien Alumni, we look forward to the continued contributions they will make to medicine and the global patient community."

The Prix Galien Awards were created in 1970 by Roland Mehl in honor of Galien, the father of medical science and modern pharmacology, to recognize outstanding innovation and scientific advancement. With chapters in 16 countries and Africa, Prix Galien is regarded worldwide as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for the life science industry.

Prix Galien Bridges Committee 2025

Mikael DOLSTEN, MD, PhD
Chairman, Quarry Thera (founding CEO), Orbis Medicine, Orogen Therapeutics, and Mast Cell Sciences (Chair)

María José ALONSO, MD, PhD
Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Santiago de Compostela

Alon CHEN, PhD
President, Weizmann Institute of Science

Emma GUTTMAN-YASSKY, MD, PhD
Chair, Kimberly & Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Mansoor MIRZA, MD
Medical Director, Nordic Society of Gynaecologic Oncology-Clinical Trial Unit

Aarno PALOTIE, MD, PhD
Research Director of Human Genomics, Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland

Erik RENSTRÖM, PhD
Vice Chancellor, Lund University

John-Arne RØTTINGEN, MD, PhD
CEO, Wellcome

Veronika SEXL, MD, PhD
Rector, University of Innsbruck

Kári STEFANSSON, MD, PhD
Founder, deCODE genetics; Professor of Medicine, University of Iceland

About the Prix Galien Bridges Award Categories

Best Bridge-Builder Institution
Honors organizations that demonstrate outstanding leadership in creating meaningful connections that draw on the unique expertise and experience of Nordics+ countries to facilitate collaboration across borders, and building sustainable partnerships that advance health equity and innovation.

Best Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Product
Recognizes groundbreaking medicines, including biologics, gene therapies, and traditional pharmaceutical compounds, that advance patient care through scientific innovation.

Best Medical Technology/AI Advances in Human Health
Recognizes groundbreaking advances in diagnostics, digital health solutions, and artificial intelligence that are transforming how we prevent, detect, monitor, and treat disease.

Best Product for Rare/Orphan Diseases
Recognizes exceptional products that address rare and orphan diseases—conditions where scientific complexity and small patient populations create unique development challenges.

Best Public Sector Innovation
Recognizes innovations that address what the market alone cannot—solutions serving underserved populations through collaborative, cross-sector approaches that prioritize public health impact.

About The Galien Foundation 
The Galien Foundation fosters, recognizes, and rewards excellence in scientific innovation to improve the state of human health. Our vision is to be the catalyst for the development of the next generation of innovative treatments and technologies that will impact the state of medical practice and save lives. The late Professor Elie Wiesel, 1986 Peace Nobel Laureate, is The Honorary Founding President of The Galien Foundation

The Foundation oversees and directs activities in the US for the Prix Galien, an international awards program dedicated to progress through innovative medicines development, with chapters in 14 countries, Africa and an inaugural chapter established in India in 2024. The Prix Galien was created in 1970 by Roland Mehl in honor of Galen, the father of medical science and modern pharmacology. Worldwide, the Prix Galien is regarded as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize in biopharmaceutical research.

For more information about the Foundation, visit https://www.galienfoundation.org/.

For more information about Prix Galien Bridges, visit: https://www.galienfoundation.org/prix-galien-bridges

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SOURCE The Galien Foundation