Research projects from Uppsala University on IVA’s 100 list

The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) has now presented this year’s ‘100 list’ of the most promising research projects from Sweden’s universities. All applications for the list have been reviewed by IVA’s expert group and the selected projects are deemed to have great potential to benefit society. The theme of this year’s list is innovation through interdisciplinarity, giving space to interdisciplinary projects in a wide range of fields of application that can create value for business and society. Four of the 103 research projects on the list come from Uppsala University.

The right drug for the right bug – Rapid diagnosis of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Johan Elf has developed a rapid diagnostic test for tuberculosis, based on research at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology. Every year, 1.5 million people die from tuberculosis, partly because it takes two weeks to determine which antibiotics will be effective to treat it. The researchers’ goal is to reduce that time to 12 hours. They are currently building a prototype and will start testing it on patient samples this winter. Johan Elf and his colleagues have previously developed a test (Antibiotic Susceptibility Test) that can be used for suspected urinary tract infections. In less than half an hour, their method of analysis can show whether there is a bacterial infection and which type of antibiotics should be used.

Protection against sexually transmitted infections by enhanced nature-inspired mucus gels

Hongji Yan and Mia Phillipson at the Department of Medical Cell Biology are developing protective gels to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in women – a group that is twice as vulnerable but currently lacks effective and customised infection protection. The gel is inspired by the body’s mucus and its built-in defences, which are enhanced to form a protective and adhesive layer that covers the mucous membrane of the vagina and traps viruses that are then naturally excreted. The research is being conducted in collaboration with Karolinska Institutet and the next step in the project is to test the safety and efficacy in animal models. The aim is ultimately to provide women with a powerful and user-friendly way to protect their sexual health.

Climate-proofing industry and society

Gabriele Messori at the Department of Earth Sciences is building a database of information on impacts from extreme climate events, for both business and the public sector. The researchers are using new AI tools to analyse vast amounts of text. Extensive textual documents such as web articles, public and private sector reports and scientific publications contain a wealth of information about climate-related Impacts, but this information is difficult to compile. Their interdisciplinary approach combines computational linguistics, climate science and information technology to automatically process the texts. This will enable the rapid development of robust, cost-effective and tailored databases of climate-related impacts.

SnowSat – an AI approach towards efficient hydropower production

Jie Zhang, researcher at the Department of Earth Sciences, leads the SnowSat project in a collaboration between Uppsala University, Mälardalen University and Vattenregleringsföretagen. A careful mapping of snow distribution and amounts is highly valuable for the hydropower sector. However, accurate quantification of snow amounts, especially in mountainous areas, remains a major challenge. In SnowSat, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) will be used to improve the estimation of snow water storage from satellite observations and prototype a snow service system in Sweden. This research can lead to improved hydropower management, increased hydropower production and enhanced preparedness for extreme events.

Sara Gredemark/Annica Hulth