Now in its eighth year, the Article of the Year Award highlights exceptional research that advances the fields of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. Since 2017, Principal Investigators across the Lund Stem Cell Center at Lund University’s Faculty of Medicine have been invited to nominate outstanding publications from their research teams published during the previous year.
After an external evaluation process, the winning article is announced during the Center’s Annual Meeting, a scientific gathering that fosters collaboration, discussion, and community. The award not only honors individual achievements but also celebrates the collaborative spirit that drives innovation within the Center. The winning research group receiving a prize of 50,000 SEK.
Meet the 2025 Nominees
This year’s top three nominees once again represent the ongoing cutting-edge research happening in Lund, each offering important insights into human health and disease:
Petter Storm, a bioinformatician in the Developmental and Regenerative Neurobiology Research Group led by Professor Malin Parmar, was nominated for the article "Lineage tracing of stem cell–derived dopamine grafts in a Parkinson’s model reveals shared origin of all graft-derived cells," published in Science Advances (2024).
This study used molecular barcoding to reveal how stem cell–derived grafts for Parkinson’s disease develop from a single, triportent progenitor cell capable of differentiating into multiple brain cell types. The findings deepen our understanding of how stem cell therapies integrate into the brain, informing the development of more effective treatments for Parkinson’s disease.
Alessandro Fiorenzano, a postdoctoral researcher in the Developmental and Regenerative Neurobiology Research Group led by Professor Malin Parmar, was nominated for the article "TARGET-seq: Linking single-cell transcriptomics of human dopaminergic neurons with their target specificity," published in PNAS (2024).
This work detailed how the research team developed and employed a new method, TARGET-seq, which connects the genetic identity of dopamine-producing neurons to where they form connections in the brain. Their findings will help to improve how researchers design and test stem cell-based therapies for neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease in the future.
Ervin Ascic, a former doctoral student in the Cellular Reprogramming in Hematopoiesis and Immunity Research Group led by Professor Filipe Pereira, was nominated for the article "In vivo dendritic cell reprogramming for cancer immunotherapy," published in Science (2024).
His research describes a novel gene therapy approach that reprograms cancer cells into a special type of immune cell, known as dendritic cells, capable of initiating the body’s own defense against cancer.
Introducing the 2025 Article of the Year
On Tuesday, 16 September 2025, the Lund Stem Cell Center awarded first author Dr. Ervin Ascic with the 2025 Article of the Year Award for his contribution to developing a novel cancer immunotherapy.
The group’s research tackles one of the most persistent challenges when it comes to treating cancer: its ability to evade detection by the immune system. Working under the supervision of Professor Filipe Pereira at Lund University, Ervin Ascic and colleagues developed a gene therapy that reprograms cancer cells directly within the body, transforming them into immune cells that expose a tumor to immune attack.
In their study, published in the journal Science, the researchers demonstrated for the first time, using both mouse models and human tumor organoids, that cancer cells can be reprogrammed in vivo into a specific type of immune cell known as type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s).
The therapy works by delivering three transcription factors, which they have coined as “Trojan Horse” proteins, directly into tumors using adenoviral vectors, harmless viruses engineered to carry therapeutic genes. Once reprogrammed, cells lost their tumor-forming potential and began activating the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
They found that the treatment led to tumor regression, long-term immune memory, and protection against metastasis in preclinical models. The study’s findings suggest that this approach could train the immune system to keep fighting cancer even after the initial treatment.
Dr. Ervin Ascic’s work represents a significant advance toward clinical applications of cancer gene therapy. By turning the tumor’s own cells into allies of the immune system, this new, more personalized form of therapy offers a completely new way of thinking about how to treat cancers that have resisted conventional therapies.
The Lund Stem Cell Center congratulates Ervin Ascic, Professor Filipe Pereira, and each of the 2025 nominees for their innovative contributions to stem cell science and regenerative medicine research. Their work exemplifies the creativity, collaboration, and dedication that define the Center’s mission – to make advanced therapies a reality, improving patients’ lives.
