NEW STUDY. Two new biomarkers for a type of cancer in children called neuroblastoma have been identified in a study published in the journal Cancer Cell. The findings are expected to have immediate significance for disease prognosis, and eventually also for treatment. “There is a need for new methods of treatment for high-risk patients, and that’s where our research can lead to truly great benefits,” says Chandrasekhar Kanduri, professor of…
New dictionary increases the visibility of significant Swedish women
COLLABORATION. On International Women’s Day, March 8, the Biographical Dictionary of Swedish Women was launched. It highlights a thousand women and their contributions in Swedish society over the centuries. And in the future there will be a thousand more women – at least. Among the women presented in the dictionary so far, you will find midwives, pharmacists, doctors and nurses as well as professors, researchers, parliamentary speakers, telephone operators and…
Fast-acting antidote in sight for cholera epidemics
NEW STUDY. Groundbreaking discoveries regarding the onset of cholera are paving the way for a future, fast-acting antidote for cholera epidemics, according to research published in the journals PLOS Pathogens and ACS Infectious Disease. “This is not about a vaccine but rather a drinkable protection that can be distributed during an ongoing cholera epidemic to reduce its spread, a drink that blocks the cholera toxin so that it doesn’t…
The nurse, then and now – a new exhibition at the Institute of Health and Care Sciences
CULTURE. How have the role, expectations and standards of the nurse changed over time? What does the prevailing image of a nurse look like, and is it really accurate? The Institute of Health and Care Sciences saw a need for new images to portray the nursing profession, photos showing the versatility of the profession and challenging the stereotypical image of the nurse as a blonde girl. At its vernissage the…
Give one or more teachers SEK 100,000; nominate someone for the Sahlgrenska Academy Pedagogical Award
AWARD. You can now nominate a teacher or group of teachers at Sahlgrenska Academy for the 2018 Pedagogical Award. The award recognizes excellent contributions to study courses and programs at the undergraduate and master’s levels and amounts to SEK 100,000 to be used for educational development and advancement. The award will recognize a teacher or group of teachers, which contributes to the fact that our educational programs are among the…
Successful workshop for better Research Council applications
YOUNG RESEARCHERS. Ten researchers attended a recent workshop organized by Future Faculty and the Grants and Innovation Office that offered participants a chance to sharpen their applications to the Swedish Research Council. One of the participants was epilepsy researcher Johan Zelano, who thinks the workshop was useful – and well executed. During the workshop, lectures on the various parts of the application were interspersed with individual work, feedback from advisors…
Get your bike fixed at Medicinareberget – staff pay SEK 395 for a full service
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. Sportson’s bike service has become a sign of spring at Medicinareberget. Now it’s time again. On May 15 you can serve your bike at Medicinareberget for SEK 395. On another date, students are offered a simpler version of service, completely free of charge. The spots at the bicycle service are limited. Staff register by emailing Jonathan Danell. The bicycle service takes place in the inner courtyard at Academicum. You will…
The world’s largest conference on stroke is taking place in Gothenburg
SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS. In May more than 4,000 delegates will gather at the Swedish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Gothenburg for the 4th European Stroke Organisation Conference. Stroke Centre West is behind the successful efforts to attract the conference here. The conference takes place May 16-18 at the Swedish Exhibition and Conference Centre in Gothenburg. Until March 13 you can register at a reduced registration fee. The fact that the conference…
Changes in the appointments procedure clarify career paths
UNIVERSITY-WIDE. The University of Gothenburg’s appointments procedure has now been revised following a decision by the University Board. The revision entails changes in professional titles for postdoctoral research fellow, associate lecturer and senior professor. The changes become effective on April 1. At its first meeting in 2018, the University Board decided on a revised appointments procedure. The background is mainly the change in the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance that will…
New advances in medication for muscle disease in children
NEW STUDY. Spinraza, the gene therapy medication, also provides significant improvements in cases with the next most severe form of neuromuscular disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which afflicts children from 6 to 18 months of age. That is shown by a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). “The effects are convincing, and this reinforces results from the earlier study,” says Mar Tulinius, professor of pediatrics at…
Small animal MRI – an excellent resource at EBM
RESEARCH METHODS. Do you need MR (magnetic resonance) technology for your small animal studies? Well, in that case there’s an MR camera at your disposal on the ground floor of the EBM (Experimental Biomedicine) building at Medicinareberget. If your laboratory animals are at EBM, just take the elevator down to the ground floor and take advantage of the resources there. In 2002, in connection with the Swegene initiative, Chalmers University of…
New announcement gives young researchers access to Core Facilities
RESEARCH. Thanks to a private donation, young researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy can now apply for funding for access to Core Facilities. SEK 250,000 will be distributed yearly among as most five fellows, to be used on any of six research platforms. The application period has just opened – deadline is April 30, 2018. The scholarship offers the opportunity to get access to the knowledge and use of platforms for the techniques bioinfomatics, proteomics,…
The foundation is being laid here for learning environments of the future
THE FUTURE OF MEDICINAREBERGET. In 20 years – how have the circumstances for learning changed and what teaching premises and other learning environments will be needed at Sahlgrenska Academy? Akademiliv visited the last of three workshops in which teachers and students tried to provide answers that will lead to a premises program for teaching in the future. The workshops were conducted in order to create a basis for future efforts…
RNA-based therapy cures lung cancer in mouse models
By turning down the activity of a specific, so-called RNA molecule, researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy have cured lung tumors in mice by 40-50 percent. The results, published in Nature Communications, represent the tip of the iceberg in an extensive research project in which 633 new biomarkers for 14 types of cancer have been identified. A research group led by Chandrasekhar Kanduri, professor of Medical Biochemistry and Cell Biology, studied how…
Care managers at primary health care centers provide faster recovery from depression
NEW STUDY. Earlier return to work and faster recovery for patients with depression – that is the result of the care manager role at health care centers that researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy have developed jointly with the Västra Götaland region’s primary health care. “Psychiatric illness is a major challenge for primary health care,” says Cecilia Björkelund, senior professor in general medicine at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg. “For those affected,…
New findings on disease risk after early heart surgery
NEW STUDY. Infections and autoimmune diseases are more common among people who have undergone heart surgery as children and had their thymus removed at the same time, which is often done to get access to the heart. This is evident in a study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. “One should pay heed to the increased risks for these patients and, if possible, avoid removing the thymus,”…
The Pro-Dean election begins on 28 February – the voting list is now being compiled
ELECTION OF NEW PRO-DEAN. The voting list is currently being compiled for the advisory election for the appointment of a new Pro-Dean at Sahlgrenska Academy. The election will take place between 28 February and 11 March. If you are eligible to vote, please check that you are included on the preliminary voting list that is currently being circulated among the departments. The candidate is Henrik Hagberg, Professor of Obstetrics and…
The upcoming advisory pro-dean election – frequently asked questions
ELECTION OF NEW PRO-DEAN. How is the election held? What do I do if I want to vote for my own candidate? When will we know the election results? Akademiliv compiles a list of questions and answers prior to the election of the new pro-dean. If you have more questions about the election, please contact the Nominating Committee by emailing one of the members of the Nominating Committee (see below).…
Nordic education in infection control is being planned
TRAINING. A new Nordic master’s program in infection control and health care hygiene may become reality in Gothenburg next year. The two-year master’s degree program is primarily aimed at healthcare professionals and is intended to be arranged as both contract education and for other applicants. The Nordic Council of Ministers is behind the initiative and as support during the start-up. The University of Gothenburg received the assignment in competition with the University of Skövde…
Positive closing of accounts for the faculty
FINANCES. Sahlgrenska Academy’s finances are in good shape. When the accounts were closed for 2017, there was a surplus of SEK 36 million. On the whole, all of the institutes are in good financial condition, although there are variations both among and within the institutes. In closing the books, it was noted, among other things, that both the Institute of Biomedicine and the Institute of Health and Care Sciences began…