The Swedish Research Council has awarded new Marie Skłodowska-Curie International Research Grants.
A total of 24 of the 95 applications were approved. Three of the projects are based at the University of Gothenburg.
Lisa Buvall has been awarded SEK 7,692,000 for four years to study regulation of actin signaling in kidney disease.
“The grant will enable me to launch and pursue a research effort at Sahlgrenska Academy and the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology,” Dr. Buvall says. The timing is perfect—I just got back from five years as a postdoc at Harvard Medical School.”
Most renal disorders are the result of glomerular filtration barrier leakage, leading to loss of protein in the urine. It is also a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Dr. Buvall studies the molecular mechanisms of proteinuria associated with kidney disease—her specialization is actin signaling in the podocyte cells.
“Kidney research is in a very exciting stage at the moment,” Dr. Buvall says. “Potential new treatment options are emerging and podocytes turn out to be involved in a number of them. My fondest wish is that the research I am conducting will spur the discovery of new drugs that can improve the lives of kidney patients.”
Dr. Buvall received a Sahlgrenska Academy repatriation grant last year.
Anders Ranegaard Clausen has been awarded SEK 7,732,000 for four years to study incorporation, processing and removal of ribonucleotides in the DNA of cell nuclei as cancer progresses.
After receiving a PhD in genetics, he was a a postdoc at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Specializing in next generation sequencing, he is also working on a brand new method that has the potential to map a specific string of ribonucleotides and identify individual nucleotides.
Dr. Clausen received a Sahlgrenska Academy repatriation grant last year.
Jörg Hanrieder has been awarded SEK 7,560,000 for four years to study plaque pathology in Alzheimer’s through the use of advanced imaging mass spectrometry.
“I am looking at the chemical interactions that cause plaque formation in Alzheimer’s,” Dr. Hanrieder says. “We are currently exploring the involvement of various lipid substances.”
Dr. Hanrieder will be affiliated with the Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology in collaboration with Henrik Zetterberg, Kaj Blennow and other researchers. The international effort will be based at University College London, where he plans to find out more about the pathology of Alzheimer’s and various models for understanding it.
“The grant will permit me to take the next step in examining the chemical mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders,” Dr. Hanrieder says. “Not to mention the opportunity to set up a research team of my own, which will be an enormous help.”
International Career Grants
Young researchers in all fields are eligible to apply for an International Career Grant. An applicant must have received a PhD between two and seven years ago. The purpose is to help applicants become better researchers and coordinators by means of leadership training and extended affiliation with a foreign university. The University of Gothenburg benefits by the opportunity to engage in strategic recruitment and advanced training of researchers. For at least two-thirds of the grant period, the researcher is to be affiliated with a university in a country other than the one (s)he has worked in for the past two years.
