GRANTS. The Research Support Office at Sahlgrenska Academy lists here news for The Swedish Research Council’s upcoming calls for proposals in medicine and health spring 2023. The Swedish Research Council will have an information meeting (via Zoom, in Swedish) about the call year 2023: https://www.vr.se/aktuellt/evenemang/evenemangsarkiv/2022-12-16-informationsmote-om-utlysningsaret-2023.html NEW! Consolidator grant within medicine and health. Announced every year from 2023 and onwards. The purpose of the grant is to give the most prominent…
Metformin treatment seems to prolong pregnancy in preterm preeclampsia
CLINICAL TREATMENT RESEARCH. Lina Bergman, senior obstetrician at Sahlgrenska University Hospital and associate professor at Sahlgrenska Academy’s Institute of Clinical Sciences, has been awarded over SEK 19 million for a Swedish Research Council project in clinical therapy research on preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is one of the most common causes of preterm birth, since delivery of the placenta cures the disorder. Bergman’s research involves using the pharmaceutical drug metformin (or a placebo)…
20 open permanent staff positions for the new Data platform and Data Science Nodes (DSNs)
One of the main objectives of the SciLifeLab and Wallenberg National Program for Data-Driven Life Science (DDLS), is to train and recruit the next generation of data-driven life scientists and by doing so, create strong and globally competitive computational and data science capabilities in Swedish life science. Furthermore, advanced technical staff will be essential and a central part of the program. In order to fulfill this vision, the DDLS is…
Arvid Carlsson’s drug candidate tried for treatment-resistant depression
GRANT. SSRI drugs are often effective against depression, but they fail to help around one-third of patients. An extensive clinical trial is now beginning in which ongoing treatment with an SSRI will be supplemented with a drug candidate developed by Nobel Laureate Arvid Carlsson before his death. The clinical trial is being led by Elias Eriksson, professor of pharmacology, who is also an old colleague and friend of Arvid Carlsson.…
Small changes in remote work regulations
VICE-CHANCELLOR’S DECISION. When regulation for remote work for technical and administrative staff was updated in the autumn of 2021, it was decided that the new routines must be evaluated and potentially revised before they would be extended for another year. Now the process of evaluation is done, and updated regulations will be in force from January 2023. The regulations for remote work and temporary work from home apply for university’s…
New regional graduate school in Close Care field
GRANT. The Swedish Research Council is awarding a grant for a graduate school on the topic of Close Care, which involves collaboration among the universities in the region: the University of Borås, University West, the University of Skövde, and the University of Gothenburg. The graduate school will provide training on the transition to Close Care for at least 40 doctoral students, which will contribute important skills for both the universities…
Sukanya Raghavan is Research Supervisor of the Year
AWARD. Sukanya Raghavan, a researcher in clinical immunology and transfusion medicine and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, has been named this year’s Research Supervisor of the Year. The prize was awarded by Students in Research (SiF) following Raghavan’s nomination by pharmacy student Linn Lund Karlsson. The news that she had been selected as Research Supervisor of the Year came as a surprise to Raghavan. “It means a lot to…
No proven health impact of free primary care from age 85
NEW STUDY. Introducing copayment elimination in primary care for the over-85s has not caused a rise in the number of health care visits. In terms of achieving the intended effect, the reform thus appears to have failed, a University of Gothenburg study shows. The study, published in the Journal of Health Economics, is based on register data from 2014–2018 in Region Stockholm and Region Västra Götaland. Nationwide, primary care has…
Three Vice-Chancellor candidates through to consultative assembly
NEW VICE-CHANCELLOR. Malin Broberg, Georgia Destouni and Åke Ingerman are the three Vice-Chancellor candidates who will meet the consultative assembly on 11 January. ”It is three strong candidates,” says University Board Chair Peter Larsson. Today, 7 December 2022, the University Board has decided that three people will move forward in the process that on 1 July 2023 will result in the University of Gothenburg having a new Vice-Chancellor. The three…
New prostate cancer diagnostic pathway paves way for general screening
NEW STUDY. In screening for prostate cancer, the risk of overdiagnosis can be halved, a University of Gothenburg study shows. With the diagnostic pathway that has now been tried out, considerably fewer harmless tumors are found. This solves a big problem and makes general screening feasible. Researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, part of Gothenburg University, and Sahlgrenska University Hospital performed the present study, which is now published in The New England…
Runners gain no advantage from compression stockings
NEW THESIS. Compression stockings are popular among runners, but there is no scientific evidence that they actually enhance exercise performance. On the contrary, muscle oxygenation in the stocking wearer’s lower leg during running is reduced. This is shown in a doctoral thesis from University of Gothenburg. In the study, 20 experienced runners ran 10 kilometers (approx. 6.3 miles) on a treadmill. The test was conducted on two occasions, once with…
The Swedish Research Council’s Proof of Concept grant to Martin Lagging and Heléne Norder
GRANTS. The Swedish Research Council has accepted applications by Martin Lagging and Heléne Norder to the Proof of Concept call for proposals in the field of infections. They will each receive SEK 2 million. Martin Lagging and Anna Martner have developed a simple method to detect SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells in blood samples to complement traditional antibody assays. “For example, we have observed that highly specific T cells that help…
Elinor Ben-Menachem receives prestigious award for epilepsy research
AWARD. Elinor Ben-Menachem, a long-time adjunct professor at Sahlgrenska Academy, has been awarded one of the world’s finest prizes in epilepsy research–the American Epilepsy Society’s Founders Award. “I am delighted,” says the 77-year-old doctor and professor, who is still active both as a clinician and researcher. What does this award mean to you? “For me, it’s like receiving the Nobel Prize. I’m delighted! To have the importance of my work…
Nobel Prize laureates lecture at Gothenburg University and Chalmers ‒ registration required
NOBEL. During three days, five winners of the Nobel Prize will be giving lectures for students and other interested parties at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers. They will consist of two chemistry prize laureates, two peace prize laureates, and one economics prize laureate. In addition, the third Nobel laureate in chemistry will give a lecture in January. On the 13th of December, Professor Paul Milgrom will give the lecture Why…
Optimal blood tests for development of new therapies of Alzheimer’s disease
NEW STUDY. A new study have identified which blood tests are best at detecting Alzheimer’s disease during the earliest stages, and another blood test that is optimal for detecting relevant treatment effects. These findings will speed up the development of new therapies that can slow down the disease progression. The Swedish study lead by Professor Oskar Hanssson, Lund University, and Professor Kaj Blennow, University of Gothenburg, looked at several newly…
Grant from the Lundberg Research Foundation for virtual planning enables better and cheaper wrist surgery
GRANTS. Surgeries on malunion wrist fractures and children’s malformed forearms are planned using standard X-ray images. These provide the surgeon with relatively little information, leading to unpredictable and prolonged operations. A grant from the IngaBritt and Arne Lundberg Research Foundation will be used to purchase an apparatus for virtual planning of wrist operations–a method that Professor Anders Björkman at Sahlgrenska Academy in Gothenburg is now developing to simplify surgery in…
Book your place at Research Day 2023 – held in Swedish
COOPERATION. Research Day 2023 puts research at the center, and highlights several center formations. The day is open to employees both within Sahlgrenska Academy and Sahlgrenska University Hospital. Research Day is a reminder of how closely healthcare and academia work together and how important it is that we work together to develop the healthcare of the future. Several center formations The theme of Research Day 2023 is “With research at…
Top ten research questions on spinal cord injury
RESEARCH FOCUS. How can breathing problems in people living with spinal cord injury (SCI) be prevented? How should their stomach and intestinal problems be treated? And what support do their family members need? These are a few of the priority research questions now identified by the Gothenburg competence centre for spinal cord injury (Ryggmärgsskadecentrum Göteborg) at the University of Gothenburg. Katharina Stibrant Sunnerhagen, Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University…
Young adults with caries can improve their health behavior fast
DOCTORAL THESIS. Young adults with extensive caries disease often have a high propensity for risk in terms of oral health. At the same time, with the right support and treatment, they can modify their unhealthy behaviors. A thesis at the University of Gothenburg describes the challenges involved in helping patients in this vulnerable category. In Sweden, oral health has improved markedly over the past few decades. Most people’s oral health…
Short report from the General Academy Meeting
FACULTY DIALOG. The General Academy Meeting on Wednesday November 16 was held in the Arvid Carlsson Auditorium and included five brief presentations focusing on work with profile areas and construction projects. The hybrid meeting could also be followed via Zoom. This article provides an overview of the meeting; for those who want to see the complete meeting, a video (Swedish only) is available until November 30. Dean Agneta Holmäng’s introduction…