Thu, 05 Dec 2024 11:42:34 +0000Latest news in neuroscience/article/52-million-sek-towards-uncovering-genetic-drivers-parkinsons-diseaseThu, 05 Dec 2024 11:42:34 +0000/article/52-million-sek-towards-uncovering-genetic-drivers-parkinsons-diseaseA team of international researchers led by Professor Johan Jakobsson at �۶���Ƶ has secured a 52 million SEK grant from the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) initiative, in partnership with the Michael J Fox Foundation, to investigate how mobile genetic elements —commonly referred to as "jumping genes"—contribute to neuroinflammation and the progression of Parkinson’s disease./article/making-invisible-visible-magic-microscopic-imagesWed, 04 Oct 2023 14:16:05 +0000/article/making-invisible-visible-magic-microscopic-imagesIn today's scientific world, microscopic images have become a powerful resource for research. With access to advanced microscopes, researchers can now create unique images of structures and objects. Beautiful and captivating images that can also convey complex context to a wider audience./article/new-blood-marker-can-identify-parkinsonian-diseasesTue, 19 Sep 2023 15:30:06 +0000/article/new-blood-marker-can-identify-parkinsonian-diseasesIs it possible that a single biomarker can detect all types of diseases related to dopamine deficiency in the brain? Yes, that's what a research group in Lund is discovering. "We have observed that an enzyme in cerebrospinal fluid and in blood is a useful marker for identifying all types of Parkinson's-related diseases with high accuracy," says Oskar Hansson, who led the study./article/first-patient-receives-milestone-stem-cell-based-transplant-parkinsons-diseaseTue, 28 Feb 2023 08:02:36 +0000/article/first-patient-receives-milestone-stem-cell-based-transplant-parkinsons-diseaseOn 13th of February, a transplant of stem cell-derived nerve cells was administered to a person with Parkinson’s at Skåne University Hospital, Sweden. The product has been developed by �۶���Ƶ and it is now being tested in patients for the first time. The transplantation product is generated from embryonic stem cells and functions to replace the dopamine nerve cells which are lost in the parkinsonian brain. This patient was the first of eight with Parkinson’s disease who will receive the transplant./article/nerve-cells-could-transform-treatment-parkinsonsThu, 22 Dec 2022 09:47:49 +0000/article/nerve-cells-could-transform-treatment-parkinsonsAt the end of October 2022, the Swedish Medical Products Agency gave the go-ahead for a clinical trial of the stem cell-based therapy STEM-PD for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease./article/swedish-medical-products-agency-grants-approval-clinical-study-new-stem-cell-based-parkinsonsThu, 20 Oct 2022 11:05:17 +0000/article/swedish-medical-products-agency-grants-approval-clinical-study-new-stem-cell-based-parkinsonsAn investigational stem cell-based therapy for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease, STEM-PD, has been given regulatory approval for a Phase I/IIa clinical trial. Ethical approval of the trial has already been obtained from the Swedish Ethics Review Authority, and the STEM-PD team, led from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden, is thereby ready to proceed with the trial./article/international-collaboration-strengthen-development-atmpsThu, 13 Oct 2022 09:39:17 +0000/article/international-collaboration-strengthen-development-atmpsSkåne University Hospital, �۶���Ƶ and Leiden University Medical Center will collaborate to develop research, education and care delivery in the field of ATMPs (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products). That is the essence of a Memorandum of Understanding that was signed at the SciLifeLab near Stockholm on Wednesday 12 October, during the state visit of the Dutch Royal couple in Sweden./article/researchers-reprogram-human-skin-cells-aged-neurons-study-neurodegenerative-disordersWed, 17 Aug 2022 10:55:38 +0000/article/researchers-reprogram-human-skin-cells-aged-neurons-study-neurodegenerative-disordersResearchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have developed a new method for studying age-related brain disorders. The researchers have focused on the neurodegenerative disorder Huntington’s disease and the results have now been published in the journal Brain./article/what-makes-us-human-answer-may-be-found-overlooked-dnaFri, 08 Oct 2021 07:39:42 +0000/article/what-makes-us-human-answer-may-be-found-overlooked-dnaOur DNA is very similar to that of the chimpanzee, which in evolutionary terms is our closest living relative. Stem cell researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have now found a previously overlooked part of our DNA, so-called non-coded DNA, that appears to contribute to a difference which, despite all our similarities, may explain why our brains work differently. The study is published in the journal Cell Stem Cell./article/new-gene-variant-linked-strokeThu, 28 Jan 2021 10:01:51 +0000/article/new-gene-variant-linked-strokeResearchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden believe they have identified a gene variant that can cause cerebral small vessel disease and stroke. The study is published in Neurology Genetics./article/new-method-provides-unique-insight-development-human-brainMon, 25 May 2020 21:56:32 +0000/article/new-method-provides-unique-insight-development-human-brainStem cell researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have developed a new research model of the early embryonic brain. The aim of the model is to study the very earliest stages of brain to understand how different regions in the brain are formed during embryonic development. With this new insight, researchers hope to be able to produce different types of neural cells for the treatment of neurological diseases more efficiently. The study is published in the journal Nature Biotechnology./article/researchers-successfully-repair-stroke-damaged-rat-brainsWed, 08 Apr 2020 10:08:09 +0000/article/researchers-successfully-repair-stroke-damaged-rat-brainsResearchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have succeeded in restoring mobility and sensation of touch in stroke-afflicted rats by reprogramming human skin cells to become nerve cells, which were then transplanted into the rats’ brains. The study has now been published in the research journal PNAS./article/high-tech-method-uniquely-targeted-gene-therapy-developedFri, 13 Dec 2019 09:16:59 +0000/article/high-tech-method-uniquely-targeted-gene-therapy-developedNeuroscientists at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have developed a new technology that engineers the shell of a virus to deliver gene therapy to the exact cell type in the body that needs to be treated. The researchers believe that the new technology can be likened to dramatically accelerating evolution from millions of years to weeks./article/study-sheds-light-darker-parts-our-genetic-heritageFri, 19 Jul 2019 10:16:30 +0000/article/study-sheds-light-darker-parts-our-genetic-heritageMore than half of our genome consists of transposons, DNA sequences that are reminiscent of ancient, extinct viruses. Transposons are normally silenced by a process known as DNA methylation, but their activation can lead to serious diseases. Very little is known about transposons but researchers in an international collaboration project have now succeeded for the first time in studying what happens when DNA methylation is lost in human cells. These findings provide new insight into how changes in DNA methylation contribute to diseases./article/honorary-lecturer-feng-zhang-crispr-research-treasure-hunt-natureThu, 25 Apr 2019 09:47:43 +0000/article/honorary-lecturer-feng-zhang-crispr-research-treasure-hunt-natureFeng Zhang, professor at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard visited �۶���Ƶ at the beginning of March to deliver the annual honorary lecture organised by the Royal Physiographic and Mendelian Societies in Lund. /article/large-grants-awarded-research-brain-repair-and-diatomsFri, 05 Oct 2018 12:28:26 +0000/article/large-grants-awarded-research-brain-repair-and-diatoms�۶���Ƶ has received SEK 56 million from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation to finance two research projects. One will aim to find innovative ways of repairing an injured brain, and the other will investigate the crucial effect silicon has on the climate./article/living-parkinsons-challenge-everyday-lifeWed, 22 Aug 2018 22:00:00 +0000/article/living-parkinsons-challenge-everyday-lifeParkinson’s disease, a condition whose complications worsen as the years go by, can mean that getting older becomes particularly challenging. How can life be made easier for these individuals, so that they can continue to be active and participate in society? This is the aim of a multi-year study that examines the interplay between health and home among people ageing with Parkinson’s disease./article/how-do-dementia-diseases-affect-our-brainsWed, 22 Aug 2018 22:00:00 +0000/article/how-do-dementia-diseases-affect-our-brains“We must understand the ageing process itself in order to help people with conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia, and to possibly enable us to prevent these diseases from arising”, says Henrik Ahlenius of the Stem Cell Centre at �۶���Ƶ. His aim is to develop an experimental model for human nerve cell ageing that enables the researchers to understand why a disease is triggered. In the long term, the aim is to tackle the problems, either using new drugs or stem cell-based treatment./article/new-method-grows-brain-cells-stem-cells-quickly-and-efficientlyWed, 22 Aug 2018 10:12:34 +0000/article/new-method-grows-brain-cells-stem-cells-quickly-and-efficientlyResearchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have developed a faster method to generate functional brain cells, called astrocytes, from embryonic stem cells. Astrocytes play a significant role in neurodegenerative diseases. The new method reduces the time required to produce the cells from months to two weeks, and the study has been published in Nature Methods./article/powerful-molecules-provide-new-findings-about-huntingtons-diseaseTue, 21 Aug 2018 12:05:54 +0000/article/powerful-molecules-provide-new-findings-about-huntingtons-diseaseResearchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have discovered a direct link between the protein aggregation in nerve cells that is typical for neurodegenerative diseases, and the regulation of gene expression in Huntington’s disease. The results pave the way for the development of new treatment strategies for diseases that involve impairment of the basic mechanism by which the body’s cells can break down and recycle their own component parts. This process, called autophagy, is disrupted in for example Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases./article/collaboration-between-lund-university-researchers-and-novo-nordisk-paves-way-large-scale-cellWed, 16 May 2018 09:16:57 +0000/article/collaboration-between-lund-university-researchers-and-novo-nordisk-paves-way-large-scale-cellOne of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, Novo Nordisk, are starting a new stem cell program for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease in close collaboration with �۶���Ƶ./article/final-episode-erccomics-series-cells-lifeTue, 17 Apr 2018 13:37:15 +0000/article/final-episode-erccomics-series-cells-lifeIn 2017, the European Research Council (ERC) adopted a new approach to making research accessible to a broader audience – creating cartoons. Malin Parmar, a professor of cellular neuroscience at �۶���Ƶ and recipient of an ERC grant, is one of the Swedish researchers whose research formed the basis for an ERCcOMICS cartoon. The last episode in a series of ten has now been published. /article/pursuit-early-signs-alzheimers-diseaseThu, 22 Feb 2018 23:00:00 +0000/article/pursuit-early-signs-alzheimers-diseaseWhen everyday life is not recognisable, when conversation is silenced, when memories disappear. Alzheimer’s disease is contracted by 60 000 people in Sweden annually and accounts for 60 per cent of all types of dementia disease. There is no cure, but research has come a long way in diagnosing the disease at an early stage. “Over the past ten years there has been a revolution concerning our possibilities to make reliable diagnoses. Using modern methods, we can show if a person actually has the pathologies in the brain that cause Alzheimer’s”, says the neurologist Oskar Hansson, one of Sweden’s leading researchers on Alzheimer’s disease./article/new-gene-technique-inspired-bacterias-immune-defenceThu, 22 Feb 2018 23:00:00 +0000/article/new-gene-technique-inspired-bacterias-immune-defenceVariations and changes in the genetic code in our cells are of great significance for many of the most widespread diseases. In recent years, researchers have made important progress in finding new ways to correct the genes that are causing problems. They have developed a technique that enables changes to the genetic sequence in living cells./article/prestigious-erc-grants-awarded-lund-researchersThu, 30 Nov 2017 15:06:56 +0000/article/prestigious-erc-grants-awarded-lund-researchersCapsules for transporting drugs, knee injuries that are really osteoarthritis, skin cells reprogrammed into nerve cells, variations in our DNA affecting the production of blood cells, and the urban sharing economy as a potential solution to our sustainability challenges. These are the research areas which have been awarded ERC Consolidator Grants from the European Research Council (ERC) in the 2017 round of awards. /article/large-scale-production-living-brain-cells-enables-entirely-new-researchMon, 26 Jun 2017 11:52:48 +0000/article/large-scale-production-living-brain-cells-enables-entirely-new-researchImportant pieces of the puzzle to understand what drives diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are still missing today. One crucial obstacle for researchers is that it is impossible to examine a living brain cell in someone who is affected by the disease. With the help of a new method for cell conversion, researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have found a way to produce diseased, aging brain cells on a large scale in a cell culture dish. /article/cells-grow-more-naturally-spaghettiMon, 27 Mar 2017 08:03:57 +0000/article/cells-grow-more-naturally-spaghettiThe usual way of cultivating cells is to use a flat laboratory dish of glass. However, inside a human body, the cells do not grow on a flat surface, but rather in three dimensions. This has lead researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden to develop a porous “spaghetti” of tissue-friendly polymers with cavities in which the cells can develop in a more natural way./article/transplanted-neurons-incorporated-stroke-injured-rat-brainMon, 23 Jan 2017 09:40:38 +0000/article/transplanted-neurons-incorporated-stroke-injured-rat-brainToday, a stroke usually leads to permanent disability – but in the future, the stroke-injured brain could be reparable by replacing dead cells with new, healthy neurons, using transplantation. Researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have taken a step in that direction by showing that some neurons transplanted into the brains of stroke-injured rats were incorporated and responded correctly when the rat’s muzzle and paws were touched. /article/first-archive-ips-cells-parkinsons-patientsTue, 17 Jan 2017 10:43:14 +0000/article/first-archive-ips-cells-parkinsons-patientsThe Stem Cell Laboratory for CNS Disease Modeling (CSC Laboratory) in Lund, has created one of the largest iPSC biobanks from patients diagnosed with familial and idiopathic PD, and associated synucleionopathies. iPSCs are obtained by reprogramming patient’s somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells. This unique technique, which allows generating embryonic pluripotent stem cell-like cells, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2012. /article/breakthrough-production-dopamine-neurons-parkinsons-diseaseSat, 29 Oct 2016 10:02:15 +0000/article/breakthrough-production-dopamine-neurons-parkinsons-diseaseThe first transplantation of stem cells in patients with Parkinson's disease is almost within reach. However, it remains a challenge for researchers to control stem cells accurately in the lab in order to achieve successful and functional stem cell therapies for patients./article/stem-cell-researcher-receives-fernstrom-prizeTue, 20 Sep 2016 06:33:58 +0000/article/stem-cell-researcher-receives-fernstrom-prizeIs it possible to convert a patient’s own skin cells into functioning nerve cells? Or insert healthy genes to reprogram the cells of a damaged brain? Stem cell researcher Malin Parmar at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden is studying these types of issues, in close collaboration with clinical researchers. She is now awarded a prize of SEK 100 000 from the Eric K. Fernström Foundation for her work. /article/transplanted-nerve-cells-survive-quarter-century-parkinsons-disease-patientWed, 04 May 2016 08:26:08 +0000/article/transplanted-nerve-cells-survive-quarter-century-parkinsons-disease-patientIn the late 1980s and over the 1990s, researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden pioneered the transplantation of new nerve cells into the brains of patients with Parkinson’s disease. The outcomes proved for the first time that transplanted nerve cells can survive and function in the diseased human brain. Some patients showed marked improvement after the transplantation while others showed moderate or no relief of symptoms. A small number of patients suffered unwanted side-effects in the form of involuntary movements. /article/immune-cells-can-help-brain-self-heal-after-strokeFri, 15 Apr 2016 07:41:57 +0000/article/immune-cells-can-help-brain-self-heal-after-strokeAfter a stroke, there is inflammation in the damaged part of the brain. Until now, the inflammation has been seen as a negative consequence that needs to be abolished as soon as possible. But, as it turns out, there are also some positive sides to the inflammation, and it can actually help the brain to self-repair./article/stem-cell-transplants-parkinsons-disease-edging-closerThu, 06 Nov 2014 18:22:01 +0000/article/stem-cell-transplants-parkinsons-disease-edging-closerA major breakthrough in the development of stem cell-derived brain cells has put researchers on a firm path towards the first ever stem cell transplantations in people with Parkinson’s disease. A new study presents the next generation of transplantable dopamine neurons produced from stem cells. These cells carry the same properties as the dopamine neurons found in the human brain.