DISTINCTIONS. Erik Larsson Lekholm is this year’s recipient at Sahlgrenska Academy of the Young Fernström Prize, or as the prize is officially known, the Eric K. Fernström Prize for young, particularly promising and successful researchers. Earlier this year Erik was also appointed professor of bioinformatics, with a special focus on large-scale analysis of DNA and RNA. The personal prize of SEK 90,000 is timely, Erik tells me when I meet…
Ka-Wei Tang seeks answers about a cancer virus almost everyone has
YOUNG RESEARCHERS. As a physician in clinical microbiology with research time in the Wallenberg Centre for Molecular and Translational Medicine (WCMTM), Ka-Wei Tang is investigating a potential Achilles heel of the Epstein-Barr virus. If the hypothesis holds true, the research may eventually lead to a new cancer treatment. It’s clear that the translational concept, in which basic scientific methods provide answers to clinical questions and hopefully are quickly converted to…
Splitting blood vessels offers new hope for old idea in cancer research
RESEARCH. Previous attempts to stop tumours from gaining access to new blood vessels have not been successful. But what if the blood vessels not only expand by branching out, but also by splitting lengthwise? The idea breathes new life into a 50-year-old idea in cancer research and offers hope of a better treatment for malignant melanoma, an aggressive form of cancer. Tumours need blood just as our organs do. As…
New biomarkers for neuroblastoma, a type of cancer in children
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…
Possible clinical cooperation tempted David Bryder to Gothenburg
NEW PROFESSOR. Lund researcher David Bryder, who has made pioneering discoveries regarding blood stem cells, now resides at the Sahlgrenska Cancer Center at Medicinareberget. The translational environment, and the good opportunities for cooperation with clinical researchers was, first and foremost, what attracted him here. “I have had a good time in Lund. I started my researcher group there over ten years ago. But I think it is important to do…