Million SEK grant to research project on brain diseases
A 300 days old brain organoid cultivated with human endothelial cells (pink). Cells shown in white are astrocytes.
Researchers at Uppsala University have together with colleagues in Gothenburg and Linköping been awarded a grant of SEK 60 million from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) to study brain diseases and develop new therapies. The project is a collaboration between eight research groups and two companies.
The researchers involved in the CNSx3 project
The funded project is called “CNSx3: Transformative models for brain diseases” and it aims to develop new ground-breaking therapies against the severe diseases brain cancer and vascular malformations. To reach this goal, the researchers will create new disease models using three technologies together – organoid cultures in fluid circuits, patient-specific biobanks and advanced computational methodology. They will also use machine learning to find new treatments and tailor therapies for individual patients.
The CNSx3 project is led by Sven Nelander at the Department of Immunoloy, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University and it will be performed by a group of researchers with complementing expertise, and representatives from two companies. They will collaborate with patient organisations and partners in Europe, to develop the methodology and to use it in the best way.
“We are extremely happy to be awarded such a large grant from SSF. It will give us opportunities to study these diseases in new ways and identify treatment strategies that we hope will improve the prognosis for affected patients,” says Sven Nelander.
The grant is part of SSF's ongoing investment in Multidisciplinary Research Centres. So far, four centres have been granted funding, out of which three at Uppsala University and two of these at the Disciplinary Domain of Medicne and Pharmacy. The CNSx3 project will be initiated on 1 January, 2025.
About CNSx3
Participating researchers:
- Uppsala University: Sven Nelander, Niklas Dahl, Peetra Magnusson, Fredrik Swartling (Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology) and Maria Tenje (Department of Materials Science and Engineering)
- Linköping University: Daniel Aili
- University of Gothenburg: Rebecka Jörnsten
- Chalmers University of Technology: Philip Gerle