Announcement 2020-12-21
Swedish Foundations’ Starting Grant 2020
awarded three life scientists:
Linda Johansson, University of Gothenburg
Iben Lundgaard, Lund University
Carl Sellgren Majkowitz, Karolinska Institutet
LINDA JOHANSSON
Department of Medical Biochemistry and Cell biology, University of Gothenburg
Funded by: Ragnar Söderbergs stiftelse
Developing microscopic techniques in the study of melatonin receptors
Following a successful postdoctoral stint in the USA that lead to several extensive studies in the journal Nature, Linda Johansson recently returned to the University of Gothenburg to continue her path as lead researcher. Johansson is a medical structural biologist who develops pioneering microscopic methods to study the interaction between receptors for the hormone melatonin in our brain. This research may prove helpful in developing more effective methods and medicines for the treatment of type-2 diabetes and sleep difficulties.
Learn more: Research page at the University of Gothenburg
Photo: Elin Lindström. © Göteborgs universitet 2020.
IBEN LUNDGAARD
Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University
Funded by: Olle Engkvists stiftelse
At the forefront of studying our brain’s cleaning system
At the Biomedical Center in Lund, Iben Lundgaard leads a lab conducting translational studies of the human glymphatic system, a recently discovered network of vessels that serves to clear our brain of waste in the form of dissolved substances and proteins. Disruptions to our glymphatic system can increase the risk of central nervous system damage and the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease; Lundgaard’s studies can potentially contribute to novel discoveries for improved brain health of great benefit to a large group of affected patients.
Learn more: Research page, Lunds universitet
Photo: Kennet Ruona. © Lunds universitet 2017.
CARL SELLGREN MAJKOWITZ
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet
Funded by: The Erling-Persson Family Foundation
Close to a breakthrough in the early treatment of schizophrenia
Sellgren Majkowitz leads a research group that develops and studies cellular models to better explain and predict the breakdown of nervous synapses, which has been observed in the brains of sufferers of schizophrenia. The psychiatric disease usually develops in late adolescence and the research group is well on its way to contributing to novel treatments that could be deployed early on for those at high genetic risk of disease onset.
Learn more: Research page at Karolinska Institutet
Photo: Ada Trepci. © Karolinska Institutet 2019.
About the call
Meet all the fellows >
17 prominent young researchers have now been granted approximately 240 million SEK in funding via the initiative.
The grant >
SFSG relies on the ERC:s well-renowned peer-review process as the basis of its quality assessment to minimise the administrative effort in offering prominent researchers a second chance at funding from one of the participating five, private Swedish research foundations: The Erling-Persson Family Foundation, Kempe Foundations, Olle Engkvist Foundation, Ragnar Söderberg Foundation and Riksbankens Jubileumsfond.
