Lund University's virus centre inaugurated with symbolic demolition of giant virus

By agata [dot] garpenlind [at] med [dot] lu [dot] se (Agata Garpenlind) - published 2 June 2025

**Photograph from the inauguration, showing speakers from the ceremony breaking apart a virus model. Photo: Agata Garpenlind — There was no ribbon-cutting, but a symbolic demolition of a 3D-printed giant virus. Photo: Agata Garpenlind

Lund University Virus Centre (LUVC) holds festive inauguration (May 27).

There was no ribbon-cutting ceremony, but instead a symbolic demolition of a 3D-printed giant virus marked the official opening of the virus centre.

Three deans—current and former—as well as professors who have succeeded one another at the Faculty of Medicine and played key roles in bringing LUVC to life, attended the ceremony: Erik Renström, now Vice-Chancellor of Lund University, Maria Björkqvist, current dean, and former dean Kristina Åkesson.

We hope that LUVC will help strengthen broad and long-term virus research, which can contribute to better prevention and treatment of viral diseases, said Joakim Esbjörnsson-Klemendz.

LUVC has been established and includes a biosafety laboratory at the hospital area in Malmö. It is the only official virus centre in Scandinavia. The inauguration marks a significant investment in virus research aimed at enhancing both healthcare and society’s preparedness for future pandemics. By bringing together expertise from academia, healthcare, and society, cutting-edge research will be conducted here—for the benefit of patients and the public.

Long-term virus research

Jan Astermark, head of the Department of Translational Medicine, introduced and moderated the event. Vice-Chancellor Erik Renström and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Maria Björkqvist spoke about the importance of a virus centre. Researchers at LUVC—Joakim Esbjörnsson-Klemendz, Marianne Jansson, and Patrik Medstrand—shared their visions for the centre.

“We hope that LUVC will help strengthen broad and long-term virus research, which can contribute to better prevention and treatment of viral diseases,” said Joakim Esbjörnsson-Klemendz.

Niklas Arnberg, Professor of Virology at Umeå University and Secretary General of the "Pandemifonden", gave the audience a national perspective on virus research and pandemic preparedness. Other speakers included Jesper Petersson, Head of Research at Region Skåne, and Ulrika Ringdahl, CEO of Smile Incubator.

Lund University Virus Centre (LUVC)

The centre aims to promote collaboration between researchers, healthcare, industry, and society to increase knowledge about viral diseases and contribute to the development of new treatments and diagnostic tools.

“We want to be a research centre that coordinates basic and clinical research, but also supports the development of younger virologists,” says Joakim Esbjörnsson-Klemendz, virus researcher and director of LUVC.

Virus Research More Important Than Ever

The coronavirus pandemic clearly demonstrated the need for more and better virus research in order to better prepare society for future outbreaks. Even many common cold viruses and seasonal viruses, such as norovirus, have a significant impact on healthcare and working life—especially since effective vaccines and treatments are lacking for most viruses.

“In addition to broadening virus research at Lund University, LUVC also builds on the well-established HIV research within the centre. Despite effective antiretroviral therapies, HIV remains a global viral pandemic. With no vaccine or cure available, HIV continues to cause major challenges in parts of the world where access to treatment and adequate healthcare is limited. We also saw how the coronavirus pandemic disrupted global HIV efforts, which makes it even more important to strengthen our understanding of how to reduce the spread of chronic viral infections like HIV,” says Joakim Esbjörnsson-Klemendz.