The Foundation’s oldest prize
The Jacobæus Prize is the oldest prize of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. It was established in 1939 to commemorate the Swedish professor Hans Christian Jacobæus. The purpose of the Prize is to promote medical research and is awarded annually to a distinguished international researcher, who is invited to give a lecture on his or her research on a topic within physiology or endocrinology. The accompanying award of DKK 1,500,000 (€200,000) is distributed as a personal award of DKK 250,000 and an award for research or development work of DKK 1,250,000.
The Prize is awarded under the auspices of the Committee on Endocrinology and Metabolism of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, with lectures being held mainly at Scandinavian universities or in other European cities and towns connected with medical research.
Hans Christian Jacobæus (1879–1937) was a Swedish professor and pioneering clinical researcher who developed a method for exploring the pleural cavity (thoracoscopy) using a cystoscope, which greatly improved the diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases, especially tuberculosis. Hans Christian Jacobæus served on the Board of the Nordisk Insulin Foundation from its inception in 1926 until his death.
The Jacobæus Prize was previously administered by a separate foundation, the H.C Jacobæus Foundation, and known as the H.C. Jacobæus Lecture.
Previous recipients
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "Unravelling the cytoskeleton" in Turku
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "From bench to bedside: how activating KATP channel mutations causes neonatal diabetes" in Copenhagen
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "The role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase in human disease" in Stockholm
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "Thyroid autoimmunity for clinicals" in Oslo
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "NAD sensors to integrate metabolism" in Helsinki
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "The novel endocrinology of bone" in Copenhagen
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "RNAi-based therapeutic strategies for inflammation and metabolic disease" in Umeå
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "Diabetes and its complications - when insulin action goes wrong" in Göteborg
Gave the Prize lecture "Genetics of common/complex traits" in Göteborg
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "The adapter SH3BP4 is a critical regulator of myeloid sensitivity to macrophage- and osteoclast-inducing signals" in Göteborg
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "Intertissue communication in the regula-tion of insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis" in Stockholm
Professor Gave the prize lecture "Human obesity and insulin resistance: Lessons from experiments of nature" in Oslo
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "PPAR-gamma and PGC-1 coactivators in glucose and energy homeostasis" in Helsinki
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "Insulin signalling through PI 3-kinase" in Odense
Dr., gave the Prize lecture "Insulin receptor and beta cell function? Lessons from animal models" in Lund
Professor Gave the prize lecture "The Orexins/Hypocretins and their re-ceptors: Discovery, characterization and physiology studied in ?knock-out? mice" in Oslo
Professor Gave the prize lecture "The molecular basis for the sleep disorder Narcolepsy in canine and humans. Future prospects for disease intervention" in Oslo
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "The hypocretins: discovery, characterization and its local and general physiological effects" in Oslo
Gave the Prize lecture "The Minimal Machinery for Vesicle Transport" in Copenhagen
Dr., gave the Prize lecture "Integrins and tumor metastasis" in MarieHamn
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "Recent developments in leptin research" in Göteborg
Professor, gave the Prize lecture " Gene therapy; present status and future perspectives in medicine" in Oslo
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "Cytosolic Ca2+ signals. Specific spatiotemporal patterns allow selective regulation of various cellular functions" in Copenhagen
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "Antigen presentation or how to help the immune system" in Helsinki
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "Luft’s disease – revisited" in Stockholm
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "Receptor-effector coupling by GTP-binding proteins: implications" in Oslo
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "Thyroid hormone receptors and action – many answers, many questions" in Copenhagen
Dr., gave the Prize lecture "Tumor markers" in Kuopio
Dr., gave the Prize lecture "Tracking the causes of diabetes mellitus from viruses to autoimmunity" in Stockholm
Professor, gave the Prize lecture "From dietary glucose to liver glycogen - new perspectives" in Oslo
Overlæge, dr.med., gave the Prize lecture "50 years? experience with protamine insulin" in Madrid