Greta Hultqvist: Creating the tools to stop Alzheimer's before it starts

Greta Hultqvist

Seven years into Uppsala University's investment in Biopharmaceuticals, the Big break is within reach. "Our goal is to enable completely new treatments against Alzheimer's disease," says Greta Hultqvist, whose body-specific protein and the technology to transport it through the blood-brain barrier gives healthcare hope to stop one of the world's deadliest diseases.

Since the discovery of insulin in 1921, protein-based drugs is a science accelerating fast forward. With targeted action and a long half-life, they currently make up more than 20 percent of all new drugs receiving approval for healthcare. Both industry and authorities emphasize the great need for new expertise, and when the first students at Uppsala University's Master's Programme in Biopharmaceuticals graduate in the summer of 2024, they are long-awaited additions to an intense job market.

Masterstudenter i Biologiska läkemedel

High-performing Master's students in Biopharmaceuticals

“Despite an almost exponential growth, there are very few Biopharmaceutical educations offered in Europe. When I and two colleagues at the Faculty of Pharmacy started outlining a Master's Programme, we pretty mych had to build from scratch. In return, it immediately became very popular and today we welcome high-performing students from across the world to Uppsala. Among our first students to enroll, more or less everyone has moved straight on to graduation, which is a positive confirmation of a Programme in harmony,” says Greta Hultqvist, Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmacy.

In 2017, Uppsala University launched a new research environment with a focus on Biopharmaceuticals. Two positions as Associate Senior Lecturer were announced and shortly thereafter, the Faculty of Pharmacy presented the recruitments of Sara Mangsbo, researcher and entrepreneur in immuno-oncology, and Greta Hultqvist, joining from Uppsala University's environment for Molecular Geriatrics where she integrated research with a focus on protein biochemistry, antibodies and Alzheimer's disease.

“The very first time I met Sara, we agreed on the importance of choosing the same department. Seven years later, I am fully convinced that this was decisive for our progress. Partly via the strength of working close to a scientifically related team through the start-up phase, but above all we complement each other in ways that continue to generate valuable synergy effects for our work, even if we seldom share scientific publications,” states Greta Hultqvist.

The research environment for Biopharmaceutical is definitely an investment that pays off. Sara Mangsbo's vaccine-like technology for cancer treatment is already well documented, and in 2021 Greta Hultqvist's team introduced a specially designed antibody with the potential to slow Alzheimer's disease in its infancy. That the group had previously presented a protein transporter with the capacity to take peptide hormones past the blood-brain barrier further fueled international curiosity. Three years later, the team leads several parallel studies based on the doors they themselves opened.

Lab Greta Hultqvist

Research underway at Lab Greta Hultqvist

“Neurodegenerative diseases are currently the fastest growing cause of death globally, and already in 2050 the WHO estimates that the number of people affected by dementia will have tripled. Today, an estimated 44 million people are living with Alzheimer's disease, which is caused by the protein amyloid beta aggregating into clumps that damage the brain's nerve cells. Our antibody is unique in binding to even the smallest aggregates, and we are now also trying protein therapies to, if successful, enable healthcare to break down the building blocks before they even start to aggregate.”

The group's progress is also arousing the interest of the pharmaceutical industry. The patent for the protein transporter was bought by BioArctic, which - like the Genenova consortia - have enrolled in scientific collaboration with Lab Greta Hultqvist. In parallel, the team remains visible in news feeds via recurring successes in the big calls. In the past year, among others, the Swedish Research Council, the Alzheimer Foundation and Bissen Brainwalk have invested in ongoing and future projects.

“I can only state that we work in an intense field with enormous potential, sufficient resources and a scientifically generous culture. Here in Uppsala Science Park, we are conducting creative collaborations with, among others, Stina Syvänen, Dag Sehlin and the Preclinical PET-MRI Platform. So with this solid structure in place and the muscles to take our results further, my goal is that we, with curiosity-driven research, will contribute results of great and real importance to both society and the individual patient.”

This is Greta Hultqvist

Lives in Eriksberg in Uppsala
Profession Associate Professor in Protein drug design
Chose life as a researcher When I applied for Senior high school and realized that one of my goals in life
was to cure a disease.
Enjoy eating Something with Thai basil. At least today, I often get hooked on different ingredients.
In my headphones I play a lot of funk, right now I'm very much into Makossa.
On my reading list There are a lot of scientific articles, fiction often have to wait until the holidays.
My special place Is the Gräsö outer archipelago, the most beautiful place in the world with barren cobs and an amazing birdlife.
A good day See My special place, preferably equipped with kayak and tent.
My talk show would be on the importance of critical thinking. I lecture about it on the Master's Programme in Biopharmaceutical and considering the state of the world it is a skill we all need.

Contact

Greta Hultqvist, Associate Professor
Department of Pharmacy
Greta.Hultqvist@farmaci.uu.se

text: Magnus Alsne, photo: Mikael Wallerstedt a o

FOLLOW UPPSALA UNIVERSITY ON

facebook
instagram
twitter
youtube
linkedin