Innovations from Lund

For hundreds of years, researchers at ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓÆµ have been making groundbreaking discoveries. Here, we highlight some of these important innovations and provide examples of new solutions that could have a significant impact on a large scale.
Emerging innovations
A test that increases the chances of successful IVF
The key to successful IVF is the right hormone treatment before pregnancy. Professor Yvonne Lundberg Giwercman's genetic test, which will soon be launched by the company Dx4Life, can identify the most effective treatment for each patient in just one hour.
Reprogramming cells to fight cancer
A group of researchers has developed a unique cancer treatment that uses the body's immune system to fight tumors. This pioneering approach, commercialized by Asgard Therapeutics, reduces the risk of the severe side effects often associated with current cancer treatments.
Semiconductor devices 10,000 times thinner than a hair
A research team has developed a new technique to manufacture semiconductor devices smaller than 10 nanometers. These components form the core of the chips that power everything from AI systems to mobile phones. By enabling more computing power in a small space, the technology makes the chips faster, more energy efficient, and cheaper to produce. The technology is now being commercialized by AlixLabs.
Brain-inspired AI technology improving everyday technology and industry
Researcher Henrik Jörntell has created an AI framework that learns the way our brains do instead of through traditional machine learning. This technology, developed through the company IntuiCell, can improve industrial processes and consumer electronics.
Electric roads that charge while you drive
Entrepreneur Dan Zethraeus wanted to find a way to charge electric vehicles while they were traveling or stationary. He developed an electric track that can be laid above ground with researchers at ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓÆµ. The company Elonroad now sells it.
Innovations throughout history
2000s
PhD student Michal Stala developed a wireless communication solution for connected devices by combining hardware and software. He and his co-founder, Magnus Midholt, built the company Mistbase around this innovation. In 2017, global technology giant Arm Holdings acquired the company in a deal worth SEK 100 million.
A group of students at ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓÆµ developed a new technique for growing cells using very thin wires, or nanofibers. These nanofibers create environments in which cells can grow similarly to how they grow in the body. This enables researchers to test new treatments in a more realistic, large-scale manner.
Researcher Jan Erik Solem developed a new type of map service in which users contributed their own images. This made it possible to include streets and places in small towns and rural areas on the map. The result was Mapillary, an open, user-generated street view service.
Researcher Jan Erik Solem developed a technique that enabled computers to recognize faces in photos. This made naming people in photos on social media much faster. This technique formed the basis for the Polar Rose company, which Apple acquired in 2010.
1900s
Researcher Christer Fåhraeus came up with the idea of combining smart cards — plastic cards with embedded chips — with fingerprint recognition technology. By storing the fingerprint directly on the card, identity could be confirmed quickly and securely without the information leaving the card. This safe and convenient solution for identity verification became the foundation of Precise Biometrics.
Ericsson Mobile initiated a project that developed technology allowing electronic devices to communicate wirelessly. This opened up a whole new world in the electronics industry. The project drew on ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓÆµ's expertise in microelectronics and communications technology. Sven Mattisson, who completed his Ph.D. at ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓÆµ and was later recruited by Ericsson, was one of the key people behind the technology. The technology was launched in 1998 under the name Bluetooth, named after the Viking king Harald Bluetooth — who was known for uniting the Nordic countries, much like the technology united digital devices. Today, millions of bluetooth products are produced daily.
A group of researchers at ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓÆµ developed Lactobacillus, a health-promoting bacterial culture that was found to have a positive effect on gut flora. This discovery formed the basis for the fruit drink Proviva, launched in the early 1990s. The drink was a market success, and in 2010, French dairy giant Danone bought Proviva in a deal worth billions of euros.
Professor Rickard Öste discovered that natural enzymes could convert fiber-rich oats into a nutrient-rich liquid. This led to the creation of an oat-based drink and the establishment of the company Oatly in 1994 (then called Ceba). Today, Oatly is one of the most well-established companies globally that produces plant-based milk alternatives.
Under the leadership of researcher Kjell Wetterlin, Turbohaler, an inhaler for dosing and inhaling asthma medication, was developed. This product revolutionized asthma treatment by providing a precise, user-friendly, and Freon-free solution. Today, tens of millions of people worldwide use it, and it is an important part of AstraZeneca's global pharmaceutical portfolio.
Researchers Björn Jonson and Sven Ingelstedt created the modern ventilator by developing a technique to precisely control the flow of air into and out of a patient's lungs — known as flow control. They named their device the Servo Ventilator. It could customize breathing to a patient's needs, and it was a breakthrough that laid the foundation for intensive care worldwide.
Professor Claes Lundgren and researcher Stefan Lichtneckert discovered that heavy smokers could alleviate their cravings by chewing tobacco. This led them to conclude that it was the nicotine, rather than the act of smoking itself, that caused the addiction. They began developing an alternative to chewing tobacco, which resulted in Nicorette, the world's first nicotine medicine.
Professor Nils Alwall developed a method to purify the blood of patients with kidney failure — a technique that paved the way for the world's first clinically useful dialysis machine. He founded Gambro (later acquired by Baxter) with industrialist Holger Crafoord and launched the machine that would transform kidney care worldwide.
Physicist Hellmuth Hertz and cardiologist Inge Edler were the first people in the world to see a beating heart. Together, they developed a method of creating moving images of the heart, now known as echocardiograms, using ultrasound waves. This technique allowed doctors to examine heart function without surgery and was a breakthrough in cardiac diagnostics. Edler and Hertz were nominated several times for the Nobel Prize but received the second most prestigious award instead: the American Lasker Prize.
Professor Torsten Thunberg sought a solution for patients unable to breathe on their own. By regulating the air pressure in a chamber surrounding the body, he managed to get air to move in and out of the lungs without using muscle power. This discovery formed the basis for the barospirator, the world's first artificial respiration machine. It was an important step in the development of ventilators and modern intensive care.
1800s
Scientist Janne Rydberg discovered that atoms emit and absorb light in very specific ways, as if each atom had its own light signature. By studying these patterns, he found a mathematical formula that could predict light wavelengths. One of the numbers in the formula, a constant, turned out to be the same no matter what subject he studied. This number was later named Rydberg's constant and became an important tool for understanding the structure of atoms.
Nineteenth-century scientist Per Henrik Ling developed a system of massage and muscle stretching that laid the foundation for Swedish or classical massage, one of the most common forms of massage in the Western world today. Ling also created a comprehensive training system called Ling gymnastics, or "Swedish gymnastics," which had aesthetic, medical, military, and educational components. It was one of the world's leading forms of physical exercise until the mid-20th century.
Contact information
Innovation at ÃÛ¶¹ÊÓÆµ
E-mail: info [at] innovation [dot] lu [dot] se (info[at]innovation[dot]lu[dot]se)
Visiting address: Medicon Village, The Spark, Scheeletorget 1