NEWS Karin Forsberg and Per Zetterström at Umeå University are among the five who have been awarded research funding from the Börje Salming ALS Foundation. This is the foundation's first allocation, which includes a total of SEK 6.3 million for Swedish ALS research.
"We are very happy and proud that the foundation can already make a difference by supporting Swedish research in the fight against ALS," says Ulf Hedin, scientific coordinator of the Börje Salming ALS Foundation and professor and chief physician at Karolinska Institutet.
"The five researchers who have been awarded funding are all outstanding in their respective fields; to better understand how the disease occurs, to find new treatment methods, to improve ALS care and to provide support to sufferers and relatives.
Karin Forsberg, Department of Clinical sciences.
Karin Forsberg has been awarded SEK 1.5 million over three years for the project The importance of protein structures in ALS – from biological studies to clinical trials. The goals of the research group are to increase the understanding of ALS, contribute to new treatment methods, test potential treatments and provide knowledge that can be applied to other neurodegenerative diseases where faulty proteins cause cell damage in the central nervous system.
Per Zetterström is also awarded SEK 1.5 million over three years, for New treatment methods for ALS – studies of SOD1 prions to find new pharmacological targets. The project investigates the protein SOD1, which in patients with hereditary ALS can damage nerve cells by folding and clumping together in an incorrect way. With their project, the researchers hope to achieve results that provide new and more effective treatment methods.
Per Zetterström, Department of Medical life sciences.
"We are now looking forward to following these areas and will be able to take part in the results of their work on an ongoing basis. Awarding research funds during the foundation's first year of operation is thanks to the great support the foundation has received since its inception, and we are very grateful for the opportunity and to be able to work in Börje's spirit," says Ulf Hedin.
Börje Salming ALS Foundation
