Spatial transcriptomics maps gene expression directly in tissue sections, using position-specific molecular barcodes to analyze mRNA. Researchers can see which genes are active, which cells express them, and where in the tissue those cells are located. The method has had its greatest impact in cancer research, where understanding the tumor microenvironment is key to developing more precise and effective treatments. In 2020, Nature Methods named spatial transcriptomics its Method of the Year.

The technology was commercialized through the KTH spin-off Spatial Transcriptomics AB, which was later acquired by 10x Genomics. The company’s Visium platform is now used globally in basic research, drug development, and clinical research.

Lundeberg trained as a chemical engineer at KTH and earned his PhD in biotechnology there in 1993. After a postdoc at the Norwegian Radium Hospital in Oslo, he returned to KTH and became a professor in 2000. He has also played a central role in building Sweden’s national genomics infrastructure at SciLifeLab.

“A strong driving force for me is seeing the benefit of what I do. Receiving IVA’s Gold Medal means a great deal. It is a recognition, and confirmation that what I am passionate about has been noticed by others,” says Lundeberg.