Uppsala University receives most project funding from KAW

The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (KAW) has granted a total of SEK 900 million to 30 research projects that have been deemed, after evaluation by international experts, to be innovative and at the forefront of international research. Eight of the projects will be led by researchers at Uppsala University.

Optimisation of CAR-T cell therapy for brain tumours

In a project led by Professor Anna Dimberg, researchers will develop and improve CAR-T cell therapy for brain tumours. CAR-T cells have been successful in treating certain types of blood cancer but are not yet as effective against solid tumours. The project aims to investigate how the microenvironment of tumours affects the function of CAR-T cells, with a particular focus on so-called tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), which may act as favourable environments for the activation of T cells.

Project: “Harnessing immune niches for efficient CAR-T cell therapy of brain tumors”
Funding granted: SEK 25 million over five years

Microbes’ secret collaboration – hydrogen as the currency of life

Docent Courtney Stairs and her research team will investigate how microorganisms cooperate by exchanging hydrogen in oxygen-free environments. Hydrogen acts as a kind of currency that enables various microbes to perform chemical reactions that would otherwise not be possible. The project will focus on so-called hydrogenases, enzymes that produce and consume hydrogen and thus play a central role in the energy metabolism of microorganisms.

Project: “HYdrogen as CURRENcy - deciphering the multi-scale architecture and thermodynamic limits of the electron marketplace in microbial consortia”
Funding granted: SEK 33 million over five years

Antibiotics, gut bacteria and the development of cancer

In a project led by Professor Dan Andersson, researchers will investigate how the interaction between antibiotics, gut bacteria and the mucous membrane of the intestine may affect the risk of developing bowel cancer. The project is based on the premise that antibiotics can alter the composition of gut bacteria and, consequently, their metabolism. Some bacteria may then produce substances that damage the genetic material in the cells of the intestine and, in the long term, contribute to the development of cancer.

Project: “Do antibiotics, bacteria and gut mucosa together drive cancer development?”
Funding granted: SEK 25 million over five years

Understanding extreme flooding

In a project, Professor Giuliano Di Baldassarre will investigate how the interaction between the forces of nature and human activities affects the risk of extreme flooding. Climate change, changes in land use and human interference with water systems can alter the way water moves across the landscape and affect both the scale of flooding and the areas and groups that are affected.

Project: “Decoding extreme floods driven by human–nature interactions (DecodeFloods)”
Funding granted: SEK 27 million over five years

The dynamics of black holes and gravitational phenomena

Henrik Johansson, docent, and his research team will investigate how black holes influence one another and how their interactions give rise to gravitational waves. The project brings together researchers from Sweden, Germany and Taiwan and combines ideas from general relativity, quantum field theory and string theory.

Project: “Black-Hole Dynamics and Gravitational Physics”
Funding granted: SEK 30 million over five years

Unusual nuclei in extreme stars

The “Stranger Things” project, led by Professor Karin Schönning, will investigate the so-called hyperon puzzle of neutron stars – the question of why neutron stars can be stable despite containing hyperons, particles related to the neutron. The researchers will study how hyperons and neutrons interact in the extreme environment of neutron stars by investigating so-called hypernuclei, in which a neutron or proton has been replaced by a hyperon.

Project: “Stranger Things - from Hypernuclear Interactions to Neutron Stars”
Funding granted: SEK 37 million over five years

New technology offers hope for brain tumour patients

In their project, Professor Maria Tenje and her team will develop an advanced ‘tumour-on-a-chip’ model to study how brain tumours develop and respond to treatment. The project focuses on glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain tumour, and aims to recreate a miniature version of the tumour environment, comprising tumour cells, blood vessels and immune cells.

Project: “Mapping and Understanding Spatio-temporal adaptation In Cancer (MUSIC)”
Funding granted: SEK 27 million over five years

New magnets for the quantum technology of the future

In a project led by Professor Olle Eriksson, researchers will develop and study new magnetic materials with properties that could contribute to the quantum technologies of the future. The project focuses partly on the theoretical design of materials lacking nuclear spin, which could make quantum bits more resilient to interference from their surroundings.

Project: “New magnets for new quantum technologies”
Funding granted: SEK 28 million over five years

Klas Larsson