"False"
Skip to content
printicon
Main menu hidden.
Bild på  arbete i labb

Life science

Image: Malin Grönborg

Life science is the study of biological life and living organisms. It is a very broad field of study, fundamentally based on chemistry and biology.

Life science encompasses everything from diseases to how we function, as well as our interaction with nature and all its components. Here in Umeå, we have been conducting life science-related research since the university was founded, with a focus on molecular and microbiology as well as chemistry.

One example of groundbreaking life science research at Umeå University is the discovery of the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9, for which Emmanuelle Charpentier was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020.

The Life Science News Council is responsible for this website.

Collaboration with industry

"Collaboration with industry" is an article series that highlights the collaborations between Umeå researchers and life science companies. This is the second article in the series, that's written by the News council in life science.
Bild på Mikael Elofsson
Research collaboration with AstraZeneca provides insights into virus infections

Umeå professor Mikael Elofsson has collaborated with the global pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca since 2018.

Magnus Wolf-Watz, professor vid Kemiska institutionen, Umeå universitet.
Collaboration with biotechnology company opens new doors for Umeå chemist

Vacona's need for structural biology expertise coincided with Magnus' research group's ambition with Cryo-EM.

Latests news in life science at Umeå university

Bild på flod omgiven av berg, en man sitter på en stenig strand.
Rock weathering can counteract river carbon dioxide emissions

As permafrost thaws, rivers may absorb carbon dioxide by increased rock weathering, a study in Nature shows.

håvning efter plankton
DNA boosts marine monitoring but cannot stand alone

DNA methods add powerful insight to marine monitoring, but need to be combined with established approaches.

Person som gräver upp potatisar ur jorden.
Potatoes benefit when two soil bacteria team up

Combinations of beneficial soil bacteria could become a valuable tool for potato growers in the future.

Anders Johansson
Professor at Umeå University appointed Sweden’s new State Epidemiologist

Professor at Umeå University appointed the new State Epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Sweden.

Anders Lindström, forskare vid Statens veterinärmedicinska anstalt
International experts gather in Umeå for course on mosquito-borne diseases in a warming climate

Could dengue and West Nile become more common in Europe? How is climate change affecting their spread?

Silvia Remeseiro, Universitetslektor och docent på Institutionen för medicinsk och translationell biologi
Fernström Research Prize awarded to brain tumour researcher

Silvia Remeseiro is awarded the prize for groundbreaking research on how neurons drive glioblastoma growth.

Postdoktor Yu-Cheng Qian arbetar med en specialanpassad vibrationsplattform som möjliggör noggrann kontroll och övervakning av vibrationsfrekvens och amplitud i cellbaserade experiment.
How vibrations induced by snoring may contribute to sleep apnea

Umeå researchers show vibrations weaken upper airway muscles, making them collapse during sleep.

Felipe Cava
Umeå University professor awarded prestigious NIH grant

The project highlights Umeå University’s strong international research in infection biology.

Bild på flod i Rwanda
Agricultural waste can clean wastewater

Materials from biomass like coffee pulp, wood and sugarcane residues can remove contaminants from wastewater.

Students standing around the teacher in a lab, the teacher shows different tools to be used. Some students take notes.

Curious about studying Life Science?

The Bachelor’s programme in Life Science focuses on life, bridging chemistry and biology to explore living systems. The teachers have close links to outstanding research in areas such as microbiology, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, infectious medicine, and plant and forest biotechnology.

Learn more about the programme here.

Study both chemistry and molecular biology

The Life Science programme builds the basis and during the third year you specialize in chemistry or molecular biology.

 

Organisations within life science at Umeå university

Coalition Umeå for Life Science (CU4LS)

An initiative to improve visibility of Umeå life science research activities nationally and internationally

Chemical Biological Centre (KBC)

An interdisciplinary research centre in life/natural science and medicine at UMU and SLU

Del av jordklotet. Europa sett från rymden med atmosfär och moln.
The European CBRNE Center

Learn more about the European CBRNE Center at Umeå university

SciLifeLab logo
SciLifeLab Site Umeå

SciLifeLab national site at Umeå (UMU and SLU) is a local site of the national SciLifeLab network.

Umeå center for functional brain imaging

UFBI is an inter-disciplinary research center using imaging techniques to examine the brain.

Dykare mäter växter på en havsbotten.
Umeå Marine Sciences Centre

UMF is a dynamic environment for marine research including a complete suite of analytical platforms.

UCMR logga
Umeå Centre for Microbial Research UCMR

UCMR is a Linnaeus Centre of Excellence promoting cutting-edge microbial research at Umeå University.

Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine

WCMM strives to enable excellent molecular and translational research

Latest update: 2025-09-18