Two Karolinska Institutet Researchers Awarded Wallenberg Proof-of-Concept Funding for Epigenomics and Immunotherapy Innovations
Key Insights
Two Karolinska Institutet professors receive Proof-of-Concept grants from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (search) and SciLifeLab (search) in the 2026 call for proposals.
Gonçalo Castelo-Branco (search)'s project focuses on Transposome-based Ligase (TbL) technology for advancing clinical epigenomics applications.
Janne Lehtiö (search)'s NEO-SCOPE project aims to enable neoantigen discovery at full genomic scale for precision immunotherapy development.
Two researchers from Karolinska Institutet (KI) have been awarded innovation funding under the 2026 Proof-of-Concept Program, a joint initiative of the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (search) and SciLifeLab (search) designed to bridge the critical gap between academic discovery and practical application in life sciences.
The two KI recipients are among ten innovation projects selected in the 2026 call for proposals, which spans life sciences, materials science, and AI, quantum technology and ICT.
"The program has become a powerful tool for supporting the path from academic research to societal impact," said Sara Mazur, executive director of Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (search). "The projects funded this year represent some of the most promising translational opportunities emerging from Swedish life science research, with the potential to address important needs in health, sustainability, and biotechnology."
Transposome-based Ligase for Clinical Epigenomics
Gonçalo Castelo-Branco (search), professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics at KI, received funding for his project titled "Transposome-based Ligase (TbL) for clinical epigenomics." The project aims to advance epigenomic technologies toward clinical application, potentially enabling more precise diagnostic and research tools in the epigenomics space.
NEO-SCOPE: Neoantigen Discovery for Precision Immunotherapy
Janne Lehtiö (search), professor at the Department of Oncology and Pathology at KI, was awarded funding for "NEO-SCOPE: NEOantigen discovery at full genomic SCOPE for precision immunotherapy." The project seeks to expand neoantigen discovery capabilities across the full genomic landscape, an approach that could enhance the development of personalized immunotherapies for cancer patients.
Program Structure and Support
The Proof-of-Concept Program provides each project with funding ranging from SEK one to four million, with a project period of up to two years. Beyond the financial support, project leaders receive guidance and expertise from the Wallenberg Launch Pad (WALP) team to help develop their innovations toward commercial maturity.
Applications are evaluated and prioritized by a panel of experts appointed by SciLifeLab (search) and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (search), with final grant decisions made by the Foundation's Board.
Since its launch in 2017, the program has awarded funding to a total of 158 projects. The life sciences track covers innovations across drug development, medical technology, diagnostics, research tools, e-health, and industrial biotechnology.
The Foundation emphasizes that without targeted support, outstanding research and groundbreaking ideas in life science risk being lost in the gap between discovery and practical application—a gap the Proof-of-Concept Program is specifically designed to address.