Neuro-oncology and neurodegeneration
The IGP neuro-oncology programme comprises six research labs that employ complementary approaches to study cancers of the nervous system. We focus primarily on two forms of brain tumours – glioblastoma and medulloblastoma – and our long-term goal is to introduce new treatments that improve the outcome for patients with these diseases.
Glioblastoma – which mainly affects adults – is the most frequent form of brain cancer. Currently, the prognosis for glioblastoma patients is very poor and efficient therapies
remain to be discovered.
Medulloblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumour in children. Despite a better prognosis than for glioblastoma many children cannot be cured. In addition, those that survive often suffer from life-long side-effects of the aggressive and unspecific standard treatment.
Addressing a major health problem, our labs seek to answer fundamental questions about brain cancer, and to develop new strategies for diagnosis and therapy. For this, we use a broad range of tools, ranging from bio-banks, patient-derived cell models, clinically relevant animal models, and computational modelling. We are also working with a broad and international network of collaborators.
Research groups
Karin Forsberg Nilsson – Neural stem cells
Finn Hallböök – Stem cells, retinal development and regeneration
Mats Hellström – Translational research on immunotherapy for glioblastoma
Sven Nelander – Characterization of brain tumors using systems biology
Fredrik Swartling – Mechanisms behind childhood brain tumors
Lene Uhrbom – Molecular and functional investigations of primary malignant glioma
Bengt Westermark – Human malignant glioma; from oncogenic mechanisms to treatment