Gothenburg stem cell researcher awarded grant from Hjärnfonden (Swedish Brain Foundation)

Gothenburg stem cell researcher awarded grant from Hjärnfonden (Swedish Brain Foundation)

Charlotta Lindwall, at the University of Gothenburg, receives SEK 280,000 for her research into stem cells.

We've learned 90 percent of what we know about the brain's way of working during the last 15 years, and there is a great need for further research. For this reason Hjärnfonden (the Swedish Brain Foundation) distributes more than SEK 6 million every year in grants to young researchers around Sweden, one of whom is Charlotte Lindwall, stem cell researcher;
"I hope to find out whether we can affect the brain's ability to repair itself. Despite the fact that this ability is present in the adult human brain it's extremely limited. I want to study whether we can improve the replacement of nerve cells damaged during different illnesses and injuries to the brain by studying the mechanisms involved in nerve cell migration in both healthy and unwell brains. The results of the project will be extremely important for our understanding of brain plasticity and whether it can change so as to improve the prospects for patients suffering from neurodegenerative illnesses or brain damage," says Charlotta Lindwall.

Hjärnfonden collects donations and supports research about the whole brain and nervous system. Dependencies, autism, pain, dyslexia, Alzheimer's disease, brain tumors, eating disorders, depression, Parkinson's disease, stroke, MS, traumatic brain injuries and epilepsy are all examples of brain-related diagnoses. It's in precisely these areas that this year's grant recipients conduct their research.

The grants enable the recipients to pursue their research independently — something that is otherwise difficult since the initial years following a dissertation are hard to finance. "The Hjärnfonden grants are significant in that more than one third of all Swedes suffer a brain illness at some time during their lives. The more scientific breakthroughs we make, the earlier proper diagnoses can be made and the more brain diseases can be prevented, treated or cured. We set great hopes on our grant recipients," says Hjärnfonden General Secretary, Gunilla Steinwall.

 
Source: Hjärnfonden