About
Jan-Christer Janson (born 1938) is a distinguished Swedish biochemist and pioneer in the field of protein chromatography. His career spans over six decades of groundbreaking research, industrial innovation, and international scientific collaboration.
As Professor Emeritus at Uppsala University's Department of Chemistry and a member of the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala (Kungliga Vetenskaps-Societeten, founded 1710), Professor Janson has made fundamental contributions to modern protein purification science. His work has directly enabled the industrial production of vaccines, cancer medications, and other biopharmaceuticals that benefit millions of people worldwide.
Professor Janson is widely recognized for his seminal book Protein Purification: Principles, High Resolution Methods, and Applications, which has become an authoritative reference in the field, praised by FEBS Letters as "a much welcomed source of information for protein biochemists."
Career
Academic Foundation
Jan-Christer Janson received his doctoral training at Uppsala University under Professor Jerker Porath, one of the most influential figures in separation science. Porath, who held the prestigious Jacobsonian Professorship of Biochemistry, was instrumental in developing gel filtration and affinity chromatography methods that revolutionized protein research. This mentorship placed Janson at the very heart of chromatography's golden age in Uppsala.
"He was a most generous host who opened up his beautiful homes in Uppsala and Stockholm to his students, guest research workers, and friends from all over the world." — Jan-Christer Janson, on his mentor Jerker Porath
Industry Leadership
Professor Janson built a distinguished career at Pharmacia AB in Uppsala, which later became Amersham Pharmacia Biotech and subsequently part of GE Healthcare. At these companies, he served as Principal Scientist, leading the development of chromatographic media and separation technologies that became industry standards.
- 1950s-60s: Training under Jerker Porath at Uppsala University during the development of Sephadex
- 1968: Contributed to development of "Gel Filters" and stainless steel columns at Pharmacia
- 1970s: Led development of Sepharose CL and Sepharose FF chromatographic media
- 1980: Began formal collaboration with Chinese scientists
- 1989-2011: Editor of Protein Purification textbook (multiple editions)
- 2011: Co-founded USun Bio in Jiangyin, China
- 2016: Received China's International Science and Technology Cooperation Award
- 2021: Co-founded Enlitisa pharmaceutical company
Academic Positions
Throughout his industrial career, Professor Janson maintained strong ties to academia. He served as Adjunct Professor of Technical Biochemistry at Uppsala University while working at Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, and later became Professor Emeritus at the Department of Chemistry - BMC (Biomedical Center).
Research Contributions
Chromatographic Media Development
Professor Janson is credited with developing Sepharose CL and Sepharose FF chromatographic media and columns, which have achieved widespread adoption in protein science research and biotechnology industrialization globally. His work on "Stack" or sectional columns helped overcome the pressure-flow restrictions of soft gels, enabling large-scale protein purification.
Key Innovations
- Development of Sepharose CL and Sepharose FF media
- Sectional "Stack" column design for scale-up
- On-column protein refolding techniques
- Anti-denaturation technologies for protein processing
- Novel chromatographic methods for Traditional Chinese Medicine
Scientific Publications
With over 30 peer-reviewed publications and thousands of citations, Professor Janson's research has shaped modern understanding of protein separation. His work spans gel filtration, ion exchange chromatography, affinity chromatography, and hydrophobic interaction chromatography.
Historical Documentation
In 1987, Professor Janson published a definitive review article on the history of Sephadex development, dedicating it to his teacher Professor Porath. This work, along with his 2009 article "50 Years of Sephadex Media" (co-authored with E. Grund), documented the remarkable scientific legacy of Uppsala's chromatography pioneers.
Cooperation with China
Since 1980, Professor Janson has maintained an extraordinary 35+ year collaboration with Chinese scientists and institutions, making him one of the most significant bridges between Swedish and Chinese biochemistry.
Chinese Academy of Sciences Partnership
Professor Janson served as technical advisor and international advisory board member at the State Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering (SKLBE) at the Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. His collaboration with Professors Ma Guanghui and Su Zhiguo resulted in:
- Numerous researcher and student exchanges between Sweden and China
- Joint publications and doctoral dissertations
- Development of products including Superdex Increase at GE Healthcare Uppsala
- Establishment of protein separation platforms
- More than 15 joint publications on Traditional Chinese Medicine separation
Technology Transfer
Professor Janson contributed significantly to China's biopharmaceutical capabilities by helping design protein pharmaceutical processing technologies. His work on on-column protein techniques and anti-denaturation technologies has been applied in the industrial production of vaccines and cancer medications in China.
2014 CAS Award
The Chinese Academy of Sciences recognized Professor Janson with their annual international cooperation award in 2014. Selected from nominations by over 100 CAS research institutes across China, he and co-recipient Peter J. Stang (University of Utah) were chosen after multiple rounds of evaluation, including oral presentations to a committee chaired by CAS President Bai Chunli.
Awards and Recognition
2015 China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award
On January 8, 2016, Professor Janson received China's prestigious International Science and Technology Cooperation Award at a formal ceremony in the Great Hall of the People by Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The ceremony was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, with an audience of approximately 3,000 people.
"I was first among the seven awardees, so I had the great honour of shaking hands and having a few words with President Xi Jinping."
— Jan-Christer Janson
Other Recognition
- Member, Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala (Kungliga Vetenskaps-Societeten)
- 2014 Chinese Academy of Sciences International Cooperation Award
- Recognition as "a distinguished bio-separation scientist well known for his famous book Protein Purification and the great contributions to modern protein chromatography theory, practice, equipment and application"
Entrepreneurship
In addition to his academic and industrial research career, Professor Janson has co-founded innovative biotechnology companies that translate scientific discoveries into medical applications.
USun Bio (Founded 2011)
Co-founded with Nobel Laureate Professor Bengt Samuelsson and Dr. Gu Ming in Jiangyin, China. USun Bio became the first company globally to formally apply mussel adhesive protein (MAP) in the medical field.
- Holds 3 Chinese and 3 international invention patents (11 regions including US and Europe)
- Obtained 16 Class II Medical Device Product Registration Certificates
- Established four Medical Industry Standards of the People's Republic of China
Enlitisa (Founded 2021)
A Chinese-Swedish pharmaceutical venture spun off from USun Bio, focusing on developing anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrosis treatments. Enlitisa operates as a clinical-stage biotech with a business model emphasizing out-licensing partnerships.
- Focus areas: ARDS, Radiation-induced Oral Mucositis, COPD
- 16 international patent applications with granted patents in China, US, and other territories
- Silver medal winner, 2024 China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition
Selected Publications
Books
- Protein Purification: Principles, High Resolution Methods, and Applications (Editor). John Wiley & Sons, 3rd Edition 2011. First published 1989.
Selected Articles
- "An account on the innovative path of cooperation with Prof. Zhiguo Su in bioseparation" (2021), Engineering in Life Sciences
- "50 Years of Sephadex Media" (2009), with E. Grund, BioProcess International
- "On the history of the development of Sephadex" (1987), Chromatographia
- "Large-scale chromatography of proteins" (2019), with T. Pettersson
- "Agarose-based media for high-resolution gel filtration of biopolymers" (1985), Journal of Chromatography
- "The development of gel media and columns for large-scale chromatography of proteins, a historical review" (2002)
For a complete list of publications, see Uppsala University DiVA Portal.