Finnish researcher Sara Wickström wins €1m prize for skin cell discoveries

Finnish physician and cell biologist Sara Wickström has been awarded the €1 million Körber Prize for her research on how skin cells sense physical forces such as pressure and tension, challenging long-held assumptions about cellular behavior.

Her findings demonstrate that mechanical forces influence gene activation and tissue development, with implications for wound healing, scarring diseases, and cancer treatment. The research suggests that physical environment plays a key role in how cells respond to injury and disease.

Wickström, who leads a research group at the University of Helsinki and the Max Planck Institute in Münster, Germany, plans to use the prize money to investigate whether cells retain a “memory” of past injuries or stress, which could help prevent harmful scarring and improve chronic wound treatment.

The Körber Prize, awarded since 1985, recognizes major scientific breakthroughs in Europe. Eight of its previous recipients have later won Nobel Prizes.