Bengt Samuelsson was a world-renowned Swedish biochemist whose pioneering work transformed our understanding of lipid signaling molecules in human physiology. Born in Halmstad, Sweden on May 21, 1934, he completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Lund before pursuing graduate work at the Karolinska Institutet where he earned doctorates in biochemistry in 1960 and medicine in 1961. Following a research fellowship at Harvard University in 1962, he returned to the Karolinska Institutet to join the faculty and collaborate with Sune Bergström on prostaglandin research. His academic career included appointments as professor of medical chemistry at the Royal Veterinary College and later as professor and chairman of physiological chemistry at the Karolinska Institutet, culminating in his service as president of the Karolinska Institute from 1983 to 1995.
Samuelsson's groundbreaking research established the molecular structure and biosynthetic pathways of prostaglandins, demonstrating that these compounds derive from arachidonic acid and revealing how molecular oxygen participates in their formation through elegant isotopic labeling experiments. His laboratory discovered thromboxane in the 1970s, a compound critical for blood clotting and vascular function, and later identified leukotrienes which mediate inflammatory responses. Samuelsson meticulously mapped the complex biochemical transformations that convert polyunsaturated fatty acids into these biologically active signaling molecules, creating a comprehensive understanding of what has been described as an entire biochemical continent of physiological regulators. This fundamental work directly enabled the development of pharmaceutical interventions for conditions including thrombosis, inflammation and allergic reactions, with his research inspiring approximately 3,000 scientific papers annually that reference prostaglandins.
Samuelsson's legacy extends far beyond his own discoveries, as he mentored generations of scientists and served as a collaborative leader who connected researchers across disciplines. His election to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1981 and subsequent chairmanship of the Nobel Foundation from 1993 to 2005 reflected his standing as a pillar of the international scientific community. Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1982 jointly with Sune Bergström and John Vane, his work continues to shape modern pharmacology and our understanding of physiological regulation across multiple body systems including circulation, respiration and immunity. Colleagues have noted that Samuelsson possessed a rare ability to open entirely new fields of knowledge, with his systematic elucidation of lipid signaling pathways establishing foundations that continue to guide therapeutic development and scientific inquiry decades after his seminal discoveries.
