2 Americans, 1 Swede share Crafoord science prize for arthritis research

The Crafoord Prize, a $600,000 scientific award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to honor achievements not always covered by its more famous Nobel Prizes. (The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences)

Lars Klareskog of Stockholm's Karolinska institute, who shared the 2012 Crafoord Prize for discoveries related to rheumatoid arthritis. (Jan-Olav Wedin)

Peter Gregersen of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, who shared the 2012 Crafoord Prize for discoveries related to rheumatoid arthritis. (The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences)

Two Americans and a Swede have won this year's Crafoord Prize, a 4 million kronor ($600,000) scientific award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to honor achievements not always covered by its more famous Nobel Prizes.

Peter Gregersen of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research near New York, Robert Winchester of Columbia University and Lars Klareskog of Stockholm's Karolinska institute were cited for discoveries related to rheumatoid arthritis.

The academy said Thursday that the three scientists, who will share the award, "contributed to a basic understanding of how the most common and serious form of rheumatoid arthritis develops."

Named after Holger Crafoord, the Swede who designed the first artificial kidney, the award has been given annually since 1982.