NADMED launches $30,000 metabolomics competition
A Finnish biotechnology company has opened applications for a global scientific competition designed to advance understanding of cellular redox metabolism, offering successful applicants access to precision measurement technology and expert support valued at up to $30,000.
NADMED, a University of Helsinki spinout founded in 2022, announced the NADMED Award 2026 early December, targeting researchers and clinicians working to decode the molecular mechanisms underlying energy production, ageing, and disease progression.
Addressing measurement limitations in redox biology
The competition responds to persistent technical challenges in quantifying cellular redox metabolites, molecular indicators that have historically proved difficult to measure with accuracy and reproducibility. NADMED’s platform enables direct quantification of all four forms of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide – NAD⁺, NADH, NADP⁺, and NADPH – alongside reduced and oxidised glut athione (GSH and GSSG) from biological samples including blood.
“The goal of the NADMED Award is to lower the barriers for scientists to explore what has until now been largely invisible in biology: the dynamics of redox metabolism,” said Kai Herdin, chief marketing officer at NADMED. “By making our tools available to the research community, we want to accelerate discoveries that could transform how we understand cellular function and disease.”
The technology, which the company says surpasses traditional mass spectrometry approaches, has received CE marking for clinical use.
Three-tier competition structure
The award programme comprises three categories tailored to different research stages: Innovative Ideas, Advanced Research, and Clinical Data Research. Academic institutions, clinical laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, and biotech organisations worldwide are eligible to submit applications. A scientific jury including Prof Charles Brenner from City of Hope and Prof Rita Horvath, professor of neurogenetics and director of clinical neurosciences at the University of Cambridge, will evaluate submissions. Selected projects will receive CE-marked metabolomics kits, consultation services, and in-house measurement support. “Redox metabolites are central to life, yet historically, they’ve been nearly impossible to measure reliably,” said Prof Brenner, a member of the award jury. “NADMED’s technology is changing that, and this award is a powerful way to stimulate discovery across multiple fields of biology and medicine.”
Application timeline and support period
Application templates become available on 15 December 2025, with the submission window opening 1 January and closing 31 January 2026. NADMED will announce successful applicants on 28 February 2026, with project support extending from March 2026 through March 2027. The initiative forms part of NADMED’s broader mission to make redox biology measurement accessible to the scientific community, translating complex metabolic signals into clinically actionable data for therapeutic development and disease mechanism research.
• For information about entering the competition, visit: https://www.nadmed.com/nadmed-award
