I was born in Halmstad, Sweden, on May 21, 1934 to Anders and Kristina Samuelsson. After attending public schools I studied medicine at the University of Lund where I met my wife Karin (Bergstein). We have one son (Bo) and two daughters (Elisabet and Astrid).

After a few years in Lund I moved to Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm in order to do graduate work in biochemistry in parallel with medical studies. In 1960 I finished my dissertation and became docent in medical chemistry. A year later I also obtained my MD degree from Karolinska Institutet. After a year as research fellow in the Department of Chemistry at Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A., I returned to Karolinska Institutet. In 1967 I was appointed professor of medical chemistry at the Royal Veterinary College in Stockholm, and after a few years I moved back to Karolinska Institutet to become professor and chairman of the department of physiological chemistry. Concurrently with my research positions I have also held administrative posts. I was dean of the medical faculty from 1978 to 1983, and is presently rector of Karolinska Institutet.

My research interests were originally in cholesterol metabolism with emphasis on reaction mechanisms. After the structural work on prostaglandins with Sune Bergström in 1959-1962 I have mainly been interested in transformation products of arachidonic acid. This has led to the discovery of endoperoxides, thromboxanes and the leukotrienes, and my group has mainly been involved in studying the chemistry, biochemistry and biology of these compounds and their role in biological control system. The research has implications in several clinical areas, particularly in thrombosis, inflammation and allergy.

This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and later published in the book series Les Prix Nobel/ Nobel Lectures/The Nobel Prizes. The information is sometimes updated with an addendum submitted by the Laureate.