Having studied both plant biology and programming, Colm Nestor happened to have the right skills at the right time. He had just finished his undergraduate programme at the turn of the millennium when the human genome was mapped through the Human Genome Project. Genetic research really took off and that became his career focus.
Through his research, Colm Nestor aims to find answers to questions about how genetics is behind differences in health between men and women.
“If we can understand these genetic differences in men’s and women’s health, then we can learn more about the different diseases that both sexes have and hopefully contribute to new treatments that benefit both men and women,” says the 2025 Onkel Adam Prize winner.
After many years in genetic research, he is still driven by a desire to discover. He believes that in spite of the current hype as concerns the use of artificial intelligence and high-tech methods in medical research, this approach will not provide answers to all our questions. Much of genetics is still misunderstood, or not fully understood. Many of the problems require creativity and the ability to think outside the box, and the questions can often be answered through relatively simple lab experiments, he says.
“I like the idea that you can come up with a way to solve a problem and be the first in the world to know the answer to the question you’re interested in. Genetics is a bit like the Wild West. There’s so much more to discover. You need to be brave and dare to take risks, and that’s what we’ve done in my research group,” says Colm Nestor.
One of the reasons why he is now awarded the Onkel Adam Prize for outstanding research at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is that he “conducts unique and world-leading research in genetics and epigenetics. He successfully combines curiosity-driven basic research and challenging technology with clinically relevant issues. For example, an ’unexpected’ discovery about the X chromosome has laid the foundation for a well-known project, ’XX-Health’. Here, Colm Nestor studies whether the mysteries of the X chromosome can explain gender differences in susceptibility to infections and autoimmune diseases.”
“Colm Nestor’s research achievements are really impressive, and he’s also extremely appreciated as a teacher at the faculty. We’re delighted that he is now awarded the 2025 Onkel Adam Prize” says Lena Jonasson, dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at LiU, who has led the prize committee’s nomination work.
The winner himself describes research as resting on a broad, stable foundation that is slowly laid out, through the efforts of thousands of people. He is very happy to be a part of that work and able to contribute one of the stones that other researchers can build on. Colm Nestor stresses that research is not a one-man show:
“I have good scientific ideas that somehow seem to differ a bit from how others think. But for these ideas to be successful, others need to translate the ideas into reality in the lab. I’ve had the fortune of working with many very talented researchers, doctoral students and research assistants who have helped make this a reality. It’s always been a team effort.”
The Prize
The Onkel Adam Award was founded in 2020 through a generous donation to the Jubilee Foundation at Linköping University from a descendent of Onkel Adam. The aim of the award is to promote medical research at LiU and to honour the memory of Onkel Adam, the pen-name of well-known 19th century author, writer and politician Carl Anton Wetterbergh. He was also regimental physician and a well-known figure in Linköping, Sweden.
The value of the award this year is SEK 350,000 and is given to Colm Nestor as a private individual.
