Martin Bergö and Chandrasekahr Kanduri have each received 5-year grants from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. Professor Bergö’s SEK 42 million grant is for his research on malignant melanoma, while Professor Kanduri’s SEK 41 million grant is for his research on the role of noncoding RNA molecules in tumor growth.
The foundation has also awarded SEK 100 million to the SCAPIS research project, led partially by Göran Bergström, of the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation.
“I am very pleased,” says Staffan Edén, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Gothenburg with responsibility for research matters. “This leaves no doubt that we have top-class researchers among our ranks.”
Innovative animal models for malignant melanoma
Professor Bergö, who specializes in molecular medicine, will now be able to expand his research on malignant melanoma.
“A number of treatment methods and targeted drugs have been discovered over the past 30 years,” he says. “Nevertheless, the disease is one of the few forms of cancer that has become both more prevalent and more lethal. The grant offers us the opportunity to make a concerted effort to learn more about how it progresses.”
Excision of the primary tumor cell can save the lives of people with malignant melanoma. But mortality rates are extremely high once metastasis begins. Professor Bergö and his associate Jonas Nilsson are conducting a project entitled A Two-front Attack on Malignant Melanoma to study the underlying mechanisms and use innovative animal models to identify new treatment strategies. The grant covers a period of five years.
Role of noncoding RNA in tumor growth
Professor Kanduri’s grant is for research on the role of noncoding RNA in tumor growth. Genes encode proteins, which perform vital functions in the cells. Mapping of human DNA has revealed that only 3% of the genetic material consists of protein-coding sequences. The purpose of the remaining 97% is largely unknown. Research has found that much of that DNA is transcribed to noncoding RNA molecules, which can regulate the expression of protein-coding genes. This entirely new level of gene regulation is revolutionizing the way that researchers look at genetic material and its functions. Professor Kanduri, who specializes in medical and clinical genetics, is leading a research project entitled Master Regulatory Long Noncoding RNA Molecules in Cellular Differentiation to study the mechanisms by which noncoding RNA affects tumor growth. He and his associates hope that their findings will contribute to improved methods of diagnosing cancer and to new targets for drug discovery.
Participants in Chalmers Projects
Four other researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy are participating in projects that have received grants from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. The project in which Mikael Elam, Johan Wessberg and Justin Schneiderman are involved has been awarded more than SEK 34 million to develop a new approach to measuring activity in the brain. The Swedish CArdioPulmonary bioImage Study (SCAPIS), in which Dr. Bergström is involved, at Uppsala University has been awarded SEK 100 million.
Drops of water in clouds
The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation is awarding a total of SEK 163 million for research at the University of Gothenburg.
Bottlenecks for Particle Growth in Turbulent Aerosols, a project in which physics professor Bernhard Mehlig and his associates will study the growth of drops of water in clouds and related questions, has been awarded SEK 33 million for the next five years. The process is relevant in many different fields, including the development of climate models. The size of the various drops affects the percentage of sunlight that makes its way through the atmosphere. Previous research has described the way in which small drops form and grow by falling, colliding and merging into larger ones. What researchers still do not know is how drops can become so large that they are able to continue growing by falling through a cloud. Professor Mehlig and his associates plan to find out.
Effect of electromagnetic radiation on the cytoskeleton
Richard Neutze, Professor of Biochemistry, will study the effect of electromagnetic radiation on the cytoskeleton. His project, which is entitled Coherent Cytoskeleton Dynamics Captured with Cutting-edge X-Ray Methods, has received a SEK 26.5 million grant. A cell contains tens of thousands of different molecules that govern the complex chemistry on which life is based. Various areas specialize in particular activities. The nucleus stores all the genes and controls the rest of the cell. The mitochondria generate energy and the lysosomes break down waste products and debris for recycling. The cytoskeleton consist of long fibers that crisscross the cell and are involved in intracellular transport. If researchers are able to affect the cytoskeleton, a whole new area of inquiry will beckon to them.
The NMR for Life project, a collaborative effort of Umea University and the University of Gothenburg, has received a SEK 21 million follow-up grant. The research project focuses on the field of magnetic resonance.
