The Swedish Cancer Society’s research board recently presented next year’s allocation of cancer research grants. The University of Gothenburg will receive almost 46 million SEK of the total 355 million SEK allocated. Caterina Finizia and Nils Lycke are two of the successful applicants.
‘Thanks to donations from citizens and individuals, we will allocate 355 million SEK to Swedish cancer research in 2014 – more than ever before,’ says Klas Kärre, chair of the Swedish Cancer Society’s research board.
Most of the recipients at the University of Gothenburg belong to the Institute of Biomedicine. In fact, almost ten per cent of the Swedish Cancer Society’s total allocation for 2014 will go to this group. The vice head of the Institute, Claes Gustafsson, believes that the establishment of Sahlgrenska Cancer Center has had a strong positive effect both on the Institute’s cancer research and on the recruitment of several renowned cancer researchers to the Sahlgrenska Academy.
‘The success can also be attributed to our large group of talented young cancer researchers, who have been able to attract brand new funding from the Swedish Cancer Society in fierce competition with other scientists. I’m thinking of for example Fredrik Berg-Thorén, Helena Carén, Meena Kanduri, Anders Ståhlberg and Sukanya Raghavan,’ says Claes Gustafsson, who also tells us that several external recruitments that will help reinforce the Institute’s position as a leader in cancer research are underway.
Professor Nils Lycke will receive one million SEK per year for three years for research on a new way to prevent stomach cancer. More exactly, the project concerns the development of a vaccine, administered via the mouth or nose, that will provide protection against the ulcer-causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori.
‘The grant from the Swedish Cancer Society will enable us to develop the idea of combining a Helicobacter vaccine with nanoparticles to strengthen the immune system and the long-term effect. We will study new ways of directing the vaccine to the dendritic cells in the mucosal membranes with a view to minimise the risk for side effects. This will be very exciting!’ says Lycke, professor at the University of Gothenburg.
Stomach cancer is the second most common cancer in the world, and most cases are caused by Helicobacter pylori – a bacterium found in about half of the world’s population. Although the infection can be treated with antibiotics, resistance to this group of drugs is becoming an increasingly common problem. A vaccine would therefore be an extremely useful tool in the prevention of stomach cancer.
Lycke’s research team has already presented a prototype of a vaccine with promising results. Together with researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, they are now developing the vaccine further by combining modern nanotechnology with vaccine development.
Caterina Finizia, adjunct professor and ear-nose-throat doctor, will receive 800 000 SEK per year for three years for research on cancer in the head and throat. Her research team will focus on complication prevention and improved quality of life in patients with cancer in these areas. These cancers, and the treatment required, often affect the patient’s breathing, voice, ability to swallow and sense of smell and taste. Good rehabilitation practices are therefore crucial. The purpose of the project is to identify patients with these symptoms early and offer them more effective rehabilitation than the techniques and methods used today.
