Karl Sune Detlof Bergström (10 January 1916 – 15 August 2004) was a Swedish

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of "biological ch ...

. In 1975, he was appointed to the Nobel Foundation Board of Directors in Sweden, and was awarded the

Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize The Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize for Biology or Biochemistry is an annual prize awarded by Columbia University to a researcher or group of researchers who have made an outstanding contribution in basic research in the fields of biology or biochemis ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, together with

Bengt I. Samuelsson Bengt Ingemar Samuelsson (born 21 May 1934) is a Swedish biochemist. He shared with Sune K. Bergström and John R. Vane the 1982 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for discoveries concerning prostaglandins and related substances. Education ...

. He shared the

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, accordi ...

with

and

John R. Vane Sir John Robert Vane (29 March 1927 – 19 November 2004) was a British pharmacologist who was instrumental in the understanding of how aspirin produces pain-relief and anti-inflammatory effects and his work led to new treatments for heart and b ...

in 1982, for discoveries concerning

prostaglandin The prostaglandins (PG) are a group of physiologically active lipid compounds called eicosanoids having diverse hormone-like effects in animals. Prostaglandins have been found in almost every tissue in humans and other animals. They are deriv ...

s and related substances. Bergström was elected a member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for prom ...

in 1965, and its President in 1983. In 1965, he was also elected a member of the

Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences or ''Kungliga Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademien'' (IVA), founded on 24 October 1919 by King Gustaf V, is one of the royal academies in Sweden. The academy is an independent organisation, which prom ...

. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, a ...

in 1966. He was also a member of both the United States

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nat ...

and the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. Bergström was awarded the

Cameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh The Cameron Prize for Therapeutics of the University of Edinburgh is awarded by the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine to a person who has made any highly important and valuable addition to Practical Therapeutics in the previous five ye ...

in 1977. In 1985 he was appointed member of the

Pontifical Academy of Sciences The Pontifical Academy of Sciences ( it, Pontificia accademia delle scienze, la, Pontificia Academia Scientiarum) is a scientific academy of the Vatican City, established in 1936 by Pope Pius XI. Its aim is to promote the progress of the mat ...

. He was awarded the ''

Illis quorum ''Illis quorum'' (''Illis quorum meruere labores'') ( English: "For Those Whose Labors Have Deserved It"), is a gold medal awarded for outstanding contributions to Swedish culture, science or society. The award was introduced in 1784 by King ...

'' in 1985. In 1943, Bergström married Maj Gernandt. He had two sons, the businessman Rurik Reenstierna, with Maj Gernandt; and the evolutionary geneticist

Svante Pääbo Svante Pääbo (; born 20 April 1955) is a Swedish geneticist who specialises in the field of evolutionary genetics. As one of the founders of paleogenetics, he has worked extensively on the Neanderthal genome. In 1997, he became founding dire ...

(winner of the

2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to the Swedish geneticist Svante Pääbo (born 1955)"for his research in the field of genomes of extinct hominins and human evolution". It was announced by Thomas Perlmann, secretary of t ...

), from an extramarital affair with an Estonian chemist Karin Pääbo. Both sons were born in 1955, and Rurik learned about the existence of his half-brother Svante only around 2004.

Orders, decorations and medals

* Order of the Polar Star *

References

External links

* * including the Nobel Lecture ''The Prostaglandins: From the Laboratory to the Clinic''
The Official Site of Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergstrom, Sune 1916 births 2004 deaths Swedish biochemists Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences Members of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences Members of the French Academy of Sciences Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences Foreign Members of the Russian Academy of Sciences Karolinska Institute faculty Columbia University faculty Swedish Nobel laureates Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Recipients of the Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research Recipients of the Illis quorum Members of the American Philosophical Society Members of the National Academy of Medicine