Thu, 05 Dec 2024 11:42:34 +0000Latest in stem cells/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/three-lund-researchers-receive-erc-consolidator-grants-0Fri, 24 Nov 2023 10:28:18 +0000/article/three-lund-researchers-receive-erc-consolidator-grants-0Daniel Bexell, Joan Yuan and Andreas Nilsson have each been awarded the prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant. They will spend five years conducting research on childhood cancer neuroblastoma, the crucial role of B cells in our immune system and the Earth’s magnetic field./article/new-bioinfomatics-pipeline-solves-50-year-old-blood-group-puzzleFri, 29 Sep 2023 10:52:28 +0000/article/new-bioinfomatics-pipeline-solves-50-year-old-blood-group-puzzleCurrently, a lot is known about which genes are responsible for our individual blood groups, however not much is understood about how and why the levels of the blood group molecules differ between one person to another. This can be important for blood transfusion safety. Now a research group at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden has developed a toolbox that finds the answer – and in doing so, has solved a 50-year-old mystery. /article/eu-funding-killer-cells-fight-cancerThu, 24 Aug 2023 11:13:14 +0000/article/eu-funding-killer-cells-fight-cancerAs certain tumor cells are able to conceal themselves in the body, it often means that patients with aggressive cancers experience a recurrence of the cancer after treatment. By programming genetically modified killer immune cells to seek and destroy the hiding tumor cells and tumor stem cells, it is hoped that we can develop more effective treatment options. An international research project, with key technologies developed by �۶���Ƶ in Sweden will be used to advance immunotherapies for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), glioblastoma, and pancreatic cancer. This consortium has been granted approximately 40 million SEK by EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe./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/new-insights-foetal-development-may-protect-against-leukaemiaTue, 21 Feb 2023 12:14:34 +0000/article/new-insights-foetal-development-may-protect-against-leukaemiaDuring the foetal stage, a number of so-called cell programs run that are vital to the development of the foetus. In a study published in Cell Reports, researchers from �۶���Ƶ demonstrate that one of these foetal programs appears to protect against acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). /article/erc-grants-research-diabetes-and-immunotherapyWed, 25 Jan 2023 11:36:21 +0000/article/erc-grants-research-diabetes-and-immunotherapyTwo innovation-driven research projects at �۶���Ƶ have been awarded a Proof of Concept Grant by the European Research Council, ERC. They relate to biomarkers for predicting who benefits from metformin in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and new technology to enable powerful and focused therapies for the treatment of solid tumours./article/toward-personalized-approach-study-and-treatment-bone-cancersWed, 11 Jan 2023 10:21:29 +0000/article/toward-personalized-approach-study-and-treatment-bone-cancersResearchers at �۶���Ƶ have generated human mini bones in the lab which mirror the composition and function of human bone. The results published in Science Translational Medicine detail this step toward the future development of patient-tailored, personalized models of bone cancers and tumors./article/reprogramming-cancer-cells-immune-defendersThu, 22 Dec 2022 09:54:09 +0000/article/reprogramming-cancer-cells-immune-defendersBy reprogramming tumour cells to become the body’s defenders, Filipe Pereira and his colleagues hope to improve current cancer treatments./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/advanced-treatments-future-are-soon-hereThu, 22 Dec 2022 09:45:59 +0000/article/advanced-treatments-future-are-soon-hereStem cells programmed to produce insulin in people with type 1 diabetes or to repair the heart muscle after a heart attack. Gene and cell therapies that improve cancer treatments. These new and innovative therapies have the potential to cure, alleviate and treat diseases where traditional medicines are currently insufficient./article/kind-methods-mean-happy-cellsThu, 22 Dec 2022 09:42:46 +0000/article/kind-methods-mean-happy-cellsStem cells from umbilical cords in Skåne are improved with nanotubes. By cross-pollinating nanotechnology with stem cell biology, researchers are creating gentle methods to ensure that more cells perform better. Blood stem cells are altered without showing that they have been modified./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/new-treatment-could-result-more-donor-lungsFri, 02 Sep 2022 10:58:29 +0000/article/new-treatment-could-result-more-donor-lungsA large amount of lungs donated cannot be used for transplantation. Researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden and Skåne University Hospital have conducted an animal study bringing hope that more donor lungs could be used in the future. The researchers have launched a pilot study to investigate whether the treatment will have the same positive effects on human beings. /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/metabolism-found-regulate-production-killer-cellsWed, 09 Feb 2022 10:39:02 +0000/article/metabolism-found-regulate-production-killer-cellsIn a recent study from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden, researchers discovered that metabolic changes affect how blood cells are formed during embryonic development. They found a previously unknown metabolic switch with a key role in how different types of blood cells develop. This means blood cell formation can be directed towards producing natural killer cells in the laboratory to ultimately be used in a new anti-cancer treatment./article/how-nanostraws-can-increase-number-blood-stem-cellsTue, 08 Feb 2022 10:22:33 +0000/article/how-nanostraws-can-increase-number-blood-stem-cellsAn interdisciplinary research team has successfully used innovation to solve a persistent major problem in stem cell research. More specifically, to gently introduce therapeutic biomolecules into target cells to increase their growth. The project has now been awarded the ‟Proof of Concept” grant by the European Research Council (ERC)./article/watch-virtual-reality-tool-be-used-fight-against-diseaseTue, 23 Nov 2021 14:24:03 +0000/article/watch-virtual-reality-tool-be-used-fight-against-diseaseScience has the technology to measure the activity of every gene within a single individual cell, and just one experiment can generate thousands of cells worth of data. Researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have now revolutionised the way this data is analysed – by using 3D video gaming technology. The study is published in the journal iScience./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-bioink-brings-3d-printing-human-organs-closer-realityWed, 17 Mar 2021 10:09:35 +0000/article/new-bioink-brings-3d-printing-human-organs-closer-realityResearchers at �۶���Ƶ have designed a new bioink which allows small human-sized airways to be 3D-bioprinted with the help of patient cells for the first time. The 3D-printed constructs are biocompatible and support new blood vessel growth into the transplanted material. This is an important first step towards 3D-printing organs. The new study has been published in Advanced Materials. /article/new-model-human-airways-speeds-battle-against-covid-19Fri, 12 Mar 2021 10:42:55 +0000/article/new-model-human-airways-speeds-battle-against-covid-19The fight against COVID-19 continues. In Lund, researchers are working to identify a compound that could be used to prevent viral infection, and thus save lives. “This model that has been developed with our collaborators will fill an important gap for current and future drug screening efforts for the upper or lower airways using human airway cells”, says Sinem Tas, associate researcher./article/new-method-facilitates-development-antibody-based-drugsFri, 05 Mar 2021 11:45:40 +0000/article/new-method-facilitates-development-antibody-based-drugsIn recent years, therapeutic antibodies have transformed the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. Now, researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have developed a new, efficient method based on the genetic scissors CRISPR-Cas9, that facilitates antibody development. The discovery is published in Nature Communications./article/six-lu-researchers-receive-erc-starting-grantsFri, 04 Sep 2020 08:59:09 +0000/article/six-lu-researchers-receive-erc-starting-grantsColourful common wall lizards, an innovative X-ray microscope and advanced research on Alzheimer’s, leukaemia, photographic evidence and the origin of life. Six researchers from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have been granted five-year starting grants totalling EUR 9.5 million from the ERC./article/new-promising-treatment-uses-smart-nanoparticles-target-lung-cancerWed, 15 Jul 2020 13:56:08 +0000/article/new-promising-treatment-uses-smart-nanoparticles-target-lung-cancerA new and promising approach for treatment of lung cancer has been developed by researchers at �۶���Ƶ. The treatment combines a novel surgical approach with smart nanoparticles to specifically target lung tumors. The new study has been published in the July issue of Advanced Therapeutics./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/can-stem-cells-treat-covid-19Fri, 24 Apr 2020 11:20:54 +0000/article/can-stem-cells-treat-covid-19Niels-Bjarne Woods, a researcher at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden, has developed lung-specific mesenchymal stem cells to treat inflammation of the lungs and fibrosis. This research now may be the needed breakthrough for treatment of the severe respiratory issues related to COVID-19. A clinical study may soon be underway contingent on a successful application to the Swedish Medical Products Agency./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/worlds-largest-stem-cell-biobank-launchedWed, 26 Feb 2020 12:08:05 +0000/article/worlds-largest-stem-cell-biobank-launchedDiabetes, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease make up the world’s most common diseases. A new biobank at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden - the largest of its kind - with stem cells from both those affected and healthy individuals, will contribute to an increased understanding of how these diseases arise./article/hemophilia-being-treated-gene-therapyWed, 29 Jan 2020 11:05:50 +0000/article/hemophilia-being-treated-gene-therapyWithin the framework of an international study, �۶���Ƶ and Skåne University Hospital have started treating patients with hemophilia with gene therapy, something that began in January this year. The hope is that the new treatment will significantly simplify everyday life for those with severe hemophilia./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/prestigious-erc-grant-innovative-immunotherapy-researchTue, 10 Dec 2019 12:56:47 +0000/article/prestigious-erc-grant-innovative-immunotherapy-researchThe European Research Council today announced the winners of its latest Consolidator Grant competition: 301 top scientists and scholars across Europe. Funding for these researchers, part of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, is worth in total EUR 600 million. Filipe Pereira at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden is one of the 89 selected researchers, and will be awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant of EUR 2 million over a period of five years. /article/how-self-reactive-immune-cells-are-allowed-developWed, 13 Nov 2019 11:21:43 +0000/article/how-self-reactive-immune-cells-are-allowed-developDirectly after birth, the immune system completes production of a subtype of antibody-producing immune cells, B-1, that are to last for a lifetime. No more B1-cells are formed after that point. However, these cells are self-reactive – they produce not only antibodies against foreign substances, but also against the body’s own substances, and it is unclear why the immune system allows for the development of these particular cells. Now a research team at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden has found the mechanism that controls the growth of B1-cells in mice. The findings, which may lead to a deeper understanding of certain forms of cancer and autoimmune diseases, was recently published in the journal Science Immunology./article/research-project-develop-innovative-strategy-cancer-therapyMon, 26 Aug 2019 09:51:32 +0000/article/research-project-develop-innovative-strategy-cancer-therapyThe first evidence was recently presented demonstrating how the immune system can be controlled by directly reprogramming connective tissue cells into immune cells. The discovery provides the opportunity to develop an entirely new strategy for targeted immunotherapy against cancer. /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/protein-linked-aggressive-skin-cancerFri, 28 Jun 2019 12:53:41 +0000/article/protein-linked-aggressive-skin-cancerAlmost 300,000 people worldwide develop malignant melanoma each year. The disease is the most serious form of skin cancer and the number of cases reported annually is increasing, making skin cancer one of Sweden’s most common forms of cancer. A research team at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden has studied a protein that regulates a gene which is linked to metastasis of malignant melanoma. /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/prize-awarded-research-zebrafish-could-lead-new-treatments-diabetesTue, 05 Mar 2019 09:55:20 +0000/article/prize-awarded-research-zebrafish-could-lead-new-treatments-diabetesIn his research in zebrafish, Olov Andersson of Karolinska Institutet strives to generate insulin-producing cells and new treatment methods for diabetes. This has led to his selection as a recipient of the Leif Groop award for outstanding research, awarded by the �۶���Ƶ Diabetes Centre and sponsored by Novo Nordisk Sweden. /article/immune-systems-supercell-how-it-maturesThu, 13 Dec 2018 14:41:18 +0000/article/immune-systems-supercell-how-it-maturesNK cells, or natural killer cells, play an important role in the body’s defences against cancer and various infections. Now, in a joint project, researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden, the University of Oxford and Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm have mapped how the different steps of the maturation process of these supercells from blood producing stem cells in the bone marrow are regulated: knowledge which is crucial for the development of new immunotherapies against cancer./article/watch-code-reprogramming-immune-sentinelsFri, 07 Dec 2018 20:10:31 +0000/article/watch-code-reprogramming-immune-sentinelsFor the first time, a research team at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden has successfully reprogrammed mouse and human skin cells into immune cells called dendritic cells. The process is quick and effective, representing a pioneering contribution for applying direct reprogramming for inducing immunity. Importantly, the finding opens up the possibility of developing novel dendritic cell-based immunotherapies against cancer./article/mechanism-turning-skin-cells-blood-stem-cells-uncoveredWed, 05 Dec 2018 11:25:23 +0000/article/mechanism-turning-skin-cells-blood-stem-cells-uncoveredResearchers have succeeded in converting human skin cells into blood stem cells in an international collaboration project. “This is a first step on the way to generating fully functional blood stem cells in a petri dish which, in the future, could be transplanted into patients with blood diseases”, says Filipe Pereira, the researcher from �۶���Ƶ in Sweden who led the study now published in Cell Reports. /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/four-lu-researchers-receive-erc-starting-grantsMon, 10 Sep 2018 09:53:16 +0000/article/four-lu-researchers-receive-erc-starting-grantsWhy do proton collisions resemble the early universe? Will we see X-ray imaging of the connections between neurons in brain tissue one day? Can lung tissue be 3D bioprinted to help patients in need of a lung transplant? And what can you film in in less than 0.000000000001 seconds?/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/researchers-crack-code-final-blood-group-systemMon, 16 Jul 2018 09:44:03 +0000/article/researchers-crack-code-final-blood-group-systemEver since the blood type was discovered in 1962, no one has been able to explain why some people become Xga positive while others are Xga negative. But now, researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden have finally solved the mystery, and their study is being published in the scientific journal Blood./article/fluorescent-molecules-reveal-how-cancer-stem-cells-are-selectively-inhibitedMon, 25 Jun 2018 09:41:28 +0000/article/fluorescent-molecules-reveal-how-cancer-stem-cells-are-selectively-inhibitedA team of researchers at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden has developed a fluorescent variant of a molecule that inhibits cancer stem cells. Capturing images of when the molecule enters a cell has enabled the researchers, using cell-biological methods, to successfully describe how and where the molecule counteracts the cancer stem cells./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/mechanism-vital-keeping-blood-stem-cells-functional-uncoveredFri, 06 Apr 2018 10:23:20 +0000/article/mechanism-vital-keeping-blood-stem-cells-functional-uncoveredHematopoietic stem cells, that form mature blood cells, require a very precise amount of protein to function – and defective regulation of protein production is common in certain types of aggressive human blood cancers. Now, a research team at �۶���Ƶ in Sweden has uncovered a completely new mechanism that controls how proteins are produced to direct stem cell function.