MAX IV – where atomic scale gives industry a competitive edge
Using one of the world’s brightest and most powerful lights ...
... researchers at MAX IV in Lund can see structures that are invisible to the human eye. Explaining exactly how the facility works is difficult – even for many of those who have seen it first-hand. Yet the research affects all of us, from the milk carton in the fridge to the medicines of the future.
"Being able to see exactly how medicines work at the atomic level is extremely important and helps us to speed up our research considerably," says Anders Holmén, vice president and head of pharmaceutical sciences at AstraZeneca.
The invisible step in the quest for medicines
In a small basement room at AstraZeneca in Mölndal, Sweden, a researcher sits glued to an array of giant screens. With just a few keystrokes, she controls a robot carrying out experiments 260 kilometres away, at MAX IV in Lund. Data is streaming onto the displays in real time. With every new sample analysed, the tension rises.
Then comes the result. It confirms what she and her colleagues had suspected – they have not yet discovered a new drug, but they have taken a major step in the right direction. The news quickly spreads through the corridors.
“The chemists who’ve been working in the dark are delighted, the computational chemists are throwing themselves into the models, and the whole team starts to feel, ‘we’re onto something’. That just makes for great excitement,” says Tove Sjögren, team leader at AstraZeneca.
It is moments like these that fuel her passion for the job, even though she may have to wait years to see her research turn into a finished medicine. Even after 20 years, the eureka moment when new data comes in is still hard to beat.
“Suddenly, it all clicks into place: ‘right, this is how we’re going to do it’. It's so, so much fun,” she says.
But to get there, researchers must first see detail that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
A light that reveals materials right down to the atomic level
To understand how a drug candidate works, researchers need to see exactly what happens when the drug meets with the protein in the body that it is intended to affect. The solution is known as synchrotron light, a form of X-ray light strong enough to penetrate matter. Whereas hospital X-rays show a skeleton, synchrotron light reveals the exact position of every single atom in a molecule.
The light is created in a building surrounded by fields in north-east Lund. Inside, electrons circle at close to the speed of light around a storage ring the size of the Colosseum. Magnets bend their path and cause them to emit synchrotron light, which is guided through beamlines out to experimental stations. And it is here, with the help of the light that has been created, that researchers can observe things that they would otherwise have had to discover through trial and error over several decades.
Why AstraZeneca sends its samples to Lund
AstraZeneca is developing medicines to treat some of our most common diseases, ranging from heart and kidney diseases to pulmonary diseases and immunological disorders. Behind every drug candidate are hundreds of molecules that have been designed, manufactured, tested, analysed and refined. So it goes without saying that time is an important factor.
“Proximity to MAX IV is absolutely crucial. There have been instances in the past where we’ve missed experiment times because samples got held up at the airport for three days,” says Tove.
The fact that MAX IV is only a few hours away is one of the reasons why around 65 per cent of the drug candidates being developed in Mölndal are analysed here in Lund. Samples can be sent quickly, experiments carried out at short notice, and researchers can easily travel here if necessary. But it is not just the proximity that has led the pharmaceutical giant to choose MAX IV.
“It is the combination of rapid measurement methods, technology and expert support that has made MAX IV a hub for drug development in Sweden. When I ask my researchers if there is anything that could be improved, they reply: ‘No, it’s spot on,’” says Anders.
And AstraZeneca is far from the only company to bring its most complex research problems here.
Research using light from MAX IV
MAX IV is used primarily by researchers from higher education institutions and research institutes. Here are a few examples of the work they are carrying out.
Better batteries
Researchers are investigating how batteries work and how their materials change. This could provide insights into how batteries can store more energy, charge more quickly and last longer. The aim is also to develop batteries that do not require rare or environmentally harmful substances.
Materials inspired by nature
The mantis shrimp’s claw, the narwhal’s tusk and the scorpion lizard’s skin are some examples of materials that are unusually strong or durable. By understanding the structure of materials developed by nature itself, it is possible to develop ideas for new materials and designs.
New insights into diseases
With MAX IV, researchers can study tissue at the cellular level. The technology is used to investigate conditions such as pulmonary fibrosis, femoral fractures and diseases of the brain and blood vessels. This can provide new insights into diseases and contribute to better diagnosis and treatment.
From paper straws to milk cartons
The same light that shows how a molecule binds to a protein can also show why a paper straw holds together – or doesn’t – when it gets wet. For Tetra Pak, this issue became a pressing concern in 2019 when the EU decided to ban plastic straws. A new option was needed for the drinks in the chiller cabinet – and quickly. The challenge was that paper behaves differently depending on how it is manufactured, how long it remains wet and what stresses it is subjected to. At MAX IV, the researchers were able to study the structure of the material in detail and see which designs held up.
“Without MAX IV, we would never have been able to produce these paper straws in such a short space of time and thereby support our customers through the transition,” says Marie Sandin, managing director of Tetra Pak Swede
In another research project, the company set its sights on something considerably bigger: the drinks carton itself, which had essentially looked the same since the 1960s. Thanks to new insights from MAX IV, the aluminium layer was replaced by a paper-based barrier, and the plastic was made from sugar cane rather than oil. According to Tetra Pak’s calculations, this reduces the carbon footprint by 43 per cent. To drive this development forward, Tetra Pak invested SEK 630 million in a new pilot plant in Lund in 2026. The location was chosen because of its proximity to materials research, the collaboration with Lund University and the opportunities to carry out advanced tests at MAX IV.
“To create the next generation of sustainable packaging, three things are needed: innovation, industrialisation and world-leading research infrastructure. In Lund, all three are in the same place,” says Marie.
The same problem, different sectors
MAX IV is situated in the heart of Lund Innovation District, where the facility’s host Lund University, research centres, the university hospital and over a thousand companies come together. The result? In the corridors and at the experimental stations, researchers and businesspeople – who would otherwise rarely have found themselves in the same room – cross paths. That is how Magnus Fredriksson, who heads Alfa Laval’s collaboration with MAX IV, came to speak to Anders Holmén at AstraZeneca.
“We come from the engineering sector. They are from the pharmaceutical industry. Yet we’ve realised that we’re trying to solve the same sort of problem: getting materials to work the way we want them to,” says Magnus.
In Alfa Laval’s case, the material was stainless steel. The company’s equipment is used in the food industry, where milk and juice are heated and cooled in large steel machines before being packaged. Stainless steel does not rust, thanks to a protective layer that most people never think about: an invisible, thin layer that forms naturally on the surface when the metal comes into contact with the air. However, in high-temperature or corrosive environments, the coating may break down. The difficulty was that Alfa Laval could not say exactly when the problem arose – until they enlisted the help of MAX IV. Here, researchers were able to study the surface whilst it was exposed to heat and corrosive environments and observe where the protective layer failed first and why. Following that experience, MAX IV became an integral part of the company’s development work.
“When we encounter a problem, one of the first questions we ask ourselves is: Could MAX IV help us understand this?”
Not all problems fit in the ring
The story could in theory end here. Companies facing difficult problems, and a facility that can help solve them. But MAX IV is not a machine into which companies feed problems and receive fully-formed answers. Companies must take an active role in the process themselves, understand what can be measured, and help shape the questions in collaboration with MAX IV’s researchers. It is time-consuming, but at the same time it offers an opportunity to influence the research facility.
“Industry can be a development partner. They help us to develop new ways of working that others can then benefit from. Two such examples are remote-controlled experiments and automatic data collection,” says Magnus Larsson, head of industrial relations at MAX IV.
Companies are, however, competing with researchers from all over the world. Beamtime is in high demand and allocated through an application process. Anyone who commits to publishing their results openly is granted beamtime free of charge, regardless of whether they come from academia or the business sector. Anyone who wants to keep the results to themselves will have to pay.
At the same time, there are certain things that never change in research, regardless of whether it is carried out at MAX IV or in a university laboratory.
“The vast majority of attempts, the vast majority of samples come to nothing,” says Tove.
One word keeps cropping up ...
… in all the stories about MAX IV. Regardless of whether the conversation is about pharmaceutical molecules, paper fibres or stainless steel: time. Not just the time it takes to produce a new product – but all the time that hasn’t had to be spent on guesswork, dead ends and mistakes.
“MAX IV helps us to reduce the time between an idea and an innovation. And in today’s competitive environment, time is the most important thing we have,” says Marie at Tetra Pak.
Facts about MAX IV
Where is MAX IV located?
MAX IV is situated in the Brunnshög district in north-east Lund. The facility forms part of Lund Innovation District and is situated in close proximity to ESS, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, Ideon Science Park and Medicon Village. The nearest major international airport is Copenhagen Airport (CPH/Kastrup), about an hour away by public transport.
What is MAX IV?
MAX IV is a national research infrastructure in the fields of materials science and life sciences, hosted by Lund University. At MAX IV, one of the world’s most intense and highest-resolution forms of light – known as synchrotron light – is generated. With its help, researchers can investigate the structure of materials at the atomic level. MAX IV opened its doors to researchers in 2016.
What is synchrotron light?
Synchrotron light is a very intense form of X-ray light that is produced when electrons are accelerated to near the speed of light and their path is bent by magnets. The light is guided through beamlines to experimental stations, where researchers use it to study the arrangement of atoms and molecules within a material and how they behave under different conditions.
What is MAX IV used for?
Thanks to the high quality of the light, researchers can examine a material’s structure and surface in greater detail than was previously possible. The technology is used, amongst other things, in nanoscience, to develop new materials and to create new medicines. MAX IV’s experimental facilities are open to a wide range of research fields and are used by universities and the business sector.
What is the difference between MAX IV and ESS?
MAX IV and ESS are two different research facilities in Lund that complement one another. MAX IV uses synchrotron light, that is X-rays, whilst ESS uses neutrons produced by a process known as spallation. X-rays and neutrons provide different information about a material; neutrons, for example, are particularly useful for identifying light elements such as hydrogen. Many researchers use both facilities to study the same material from different angles.
How can businesses use MAX IV?
Companies that use MAX IV gain access to measurement methods and expertise that few can develop in-house. By observing what happens at the molecular and material levels, they can identify a problem at an earlier stage in the development process and, in some cases, save several years of trial and error. AstraZeneca uses MAX IV in the development of drug candidates, Tetra Pak has studied paper fibres for drinking straws and packaging, and Alfa Laval has investigated corrosion in stainless steel to develop more durable heat exchangers.
Who funds MAX IV?
The main funding bodies behind MAX IV are the Swedish Research Council, Vinnova, Swedish universities, Formas, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
Published: 7 september 2026
Last updated: 7 september 2026
Written by: Amanda Lindström
Produced by: Amanda Lindström, Catrin Jakobsson, Ellen Albertsdóttir, ellen [dot] albertsdottir [at] kommunikation [dot] lu [dot] se (ellen[dot]albertsdottir[at]kommunikation[dot]lu[dot]se)
Sources:Anders Holmén and Tove Sjögren (AstraZeneca), Marie Sandin (Tetra Pak Sweden), Magnus Fredriksson (Alfa Laval) and Magnus Larsson (Head of Industrial Relations, MAX IV)
Photographs: Catrin Jakobsson, Kennet Ruona, Johan Persson, Tove Sjögren (private photo)