ACADEMIC CEREMONY. At the celebration lecture before his conferment of an honorary doctorate, Bo Håkansson described his 45-year journey in the development of bone-anchored hearing aids–from the first patient to receive bone-anchored hearing aids, via mind-controlled prostheses and new diagnostic tools, to the hearing aids now being developed that can be entirely implanted under the skin. Bo Håkansson, born in 1953, is a professor of electrical engineering. His world-class research…
First in-person master’s thesis project fair in health and technology
STUDENTS. For the first time, the master’s thesis project fair for health and technology students was held on site at Medicinareberget. A concept that left both students and supervisors eager for future fairs. A lively murmur in several languages fills the lecture hall at the Wallenberg Conference Center. It falls silent only when the vice dean at the Faculty of Science takes the stage. “Hello, everyone and welcome,” says Pelle…
GPCC strengthens its research to achieve the goals for the new centre period
INTER-ACTION. The Centre for Person-centred Care GPCC is now starting up new research projects and new collaborations. The projects will strengthen the GPCC’s research program for the new six-year period, which corresponds to the transition to person-centred care that is ongoing nationally and internationally. The Centre for person-centred care GPCC will start another six-year period as a center after the summer, which the University of Gothenburg decided on last winter.…
Science, heathcare, and loneliness in Anja Smits’ debut novel
BOOK RELEASE. Anja Smits, professor of neurology at the University of Gothenburg, has debuted as a fiction writer. Though both science and the hospital environment are important parts of the story, the book is not about her. It is called Den tysta korridoren (“The Silent Corridor”) and was published by Ekström & Garay on April 28. If you are employed by Sahlgrenska Academy or affiliated with it, you can win…
OligoNova Network gathers research on drugs of the future
INTERACTION. Yet another important step for the development of Life Science in the Gothenburg region was taken recently, when leading oligonucleotide experts gathered for a first physical meeting. The network conference took place on April 25-26 at GoCo Health innovation City in Mölndal. The conference was organized by OligoNova, Sweden’s national infrastructure for oligonucleotide therapies and part of the SciLifeLab Drug Discovery and Development platform (DDD). The Director of Science…
The 2022 Assar Gabrielsson Foundation prize-winners selected
PRIZE. The Assar Gabrielsson Foundation has named Angela Molinaro as a prize-winner in the basic scientific research category and Emilia Alfonzo Rodriguez as a prize-winner in the clinical research category. The prize-winners, both of whom conduct research at the University of Gothenburg, each receive SEK 100,000, which is paid to Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg as additional research grants. Angela Molinaro receives the prize for advanced and innovative…
Requirement profile regarding Vice-Chancellor for the next appointment period ready in spring
ACADEMIC ELECTION. In May and early June, the recruitment committee will prepare and send out for comment a proposed requirement profile for the Vice-Chancellor for the next appointment period. The University will also hire a recruitment agency, but it will also be possible to apply for the position of Vice-Chancellor or nominate candidates. The University Board made this decision on Thursday, April 28.th. Last month, the University Board approved the…
Towards improved diagnostics for several types of dementia
GRANT. Twenty years of research have culminated in blood tests that can be used for clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Henrik Zetterberg, professor of neurochemistry, has just been awarded the European Research Council’s prestigious Advanced Grant to establish similar markers for other forms of dementia. Long-term research into clinical neurochemistry at the University of Gothenburg has resulted in three well-established cerebrospinal fluid markers that are used around the world to…
Construction information Medicinareberget – Work on Natrium’s entrance is in progress
CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION. Akademiliv provides information on construction projects on Medicinareberget for the period weeks 18 – 21 (May 2 – 27, 2022). The periodic information about constructions on Medicinareberget is distributed with special mailings and in Akademiliv every four weeks. During 2022, the distribution of information occurs on May 30, June 27, August 22, September 19, October 17, November 14 and December 12. If you have questions about the construction…
Wastewater can provide insight into antibiotic resistance in Africa
GLOBAL HEALTH. Analysis of wastewater is a promising method for monitoring resistance to antibiotics, but can the method also work in countries with the greatest need for improved monitoring? Researchers at the University of Gothenburg are collaborating with colleagues in three African countries to answer this question. Resistance to antibiotics continues to increase among disease-causing bacteria and is a serious and growing public health problem in both Sweden and globally.…
Onward and upward with speech therapy for 40 years
PEOPLE. In the early 1980s, Professor Lena Hartelius was one of the very first speech therapists to be trained in Gothenburg. Now that she is retiring almost 40 years later, she can see that speech therapy as an academic subject has significant advancements but is not entirely without setbacks. When the Speech and Language Pathology Program in Gothenburg began in 1980, Lena Hartelius was one of the first students to…
Agneta Holmäng: Our institutes are doing impressive work in education and research
COLUMN. The Faculty Management has now conducted its annual visits to all institutes and Core Facilities. In her latest column, Dean Agneta Holmäng describes the fruitful discussions she had during her visits and how impressed she was by both research and education in the institutes. The annual tour of our institutes and Core Facilities is an important tradition for members of the Faculty Management. It gives us the opportunity…
Coronavirus level in wastewater still low
COVID-19. The wastewater concentration of coronavirus in Gothenburg is still relatively low, the University’s latest measurements and analyses show. Last week, a sharp fall in the level of SARS-CoV-2 in the wastewater in Gothenburg was reported. The results showed that a 16-week period of corona levels at or above the peaks of previous pandemic waves was over. The current weekly measurement is based on samples taken in the week of…
Better residents’ health after switch to electric buses
NEW STUDY. The health of residents living alongside a bus route in Gothenburg became considerably better when hybrid buses were replaced by buses fully powered by electricity. Along with the noise levels there was a reduction of fatigue, day time sleepiness and low mood, a study at the University of Gothenburg shows. In the fall of 2019, all-electric buses were introduced on bus route 60 in Gothenburg. The implementation was…
OligoNova HUB – Innovative Development of a New Class of Drugs
INFRASTRUCTURE. OligoNova Hub is Sweden’s new national infrastructure for drug development, specifically focused on therapeutic oligonucleotides. Here, researchers with expertise in e.g. bioinformatics, chemistry and cellular biology will work with innovative development projects of drugs for patient groups that currently lack appropriate treatment. Pär Matsson, professor of pharmacokinetics at the Department of Pharmacology, Sahlgrenska Academy, is head of the OligoNova Hub. “My research focuses on drug development, especially how to…
Feeling worse after single session with health coach
NEW STUDY. One appointment with a health coach does not make you feel better. On the contrary, your health as perceived by you may even deteriorate, a University of Gothenburg study shows. Health coaching is a growing area. It has been successfully enlisted in what is known as primary prevention, averting disease before it arises, and improving people’s own management of several chronic diseases. Most studies in this area have…
The Biomedical Library is preserving historic books on maternity care
MEDICAL HISTORY. As science gained a foothold in the 17th century, physicians turned their attention to childbirth, leading the oral traditions and knowledge of midwives finally being preserved in books. The Biomedical Library is now restoring several historic books that they received as a donation from the Institute of Health and Care Sciences. Jenna Harju, conservator at the Biomedical Library, provides some insight into this preservation work. The books show…
Drug reduced frequency of breathing pauses in sleep apnea
NEW STUDY. A new University of Gothenburg study has paved the way for the first drug treatment for sleep apnea. Compared to before receiving the treatment, breathing pauses decreased with on average more than 20 per hour for patients given the drug. The treatment that has been tested is carbonic anhydrase (CA) inhibition, CA being an enzyme that serves to maintain a balance between carbonic acid and carbon dioxide in…
Anders Rosengren receives Swedish Heart Lung Foundation’s Prevention Grant
GRANTS. This year’s recipient of the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation’s prevention grant of SEK 3 million is Anders Rosengren, a professor at the University of Gothenburg. He heads a project to investigate how a digital tool might help prevent cardiovascular disease. “Anders Rosengren’s study may open up a new way of preventing cardiovascular disease. The tool can easily be used by many people free of charge to encourage healthy living…
Surgeons need more bodies to practice on
SKILLS TRAINING. At the University of Gothenburg, a lack of donated cadavers limits surgeons’ scope for honing their skills. Especially in trauma surgery and new, advanced operative techniques, there are not enough bodies for courses to be held. Many Swedes are positively inclined toward organ donation, but few know that you can also donate your whole body to promote better medical education, research, and health care. In whole-body donation, you…