Young Researcher Receives European Grant of SEK 16 Million
Martin Bergö, Associate Professor at the Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University will receive a grant that is the equivalent of over SEK 16 million from the EU for studies on cancer and accelerated aging. His research project received the highest marks in tough competition with other young researchers in Europe .
The Starting Grant funding is being provided for the first time by the newly formed research foundation, the European Research Council (ERC). ERC´s objective is to increase scientific excellence in Europe by supporting the best researchers with relatively large research grants. Only a small percentage of the nearly 10,000 researchers who submitted applications last spring were accepted. At the Top of European Research
“This grant means that we are considered to be at the absolute top of European research in our field and it is important both for the Sahlgrenska Academy and for Göteborg University. For me personally, this grant means that I can focus more on my research for the next five years and will be able to expand my research group," says Associate Professor Martin Bergö.
Martin Bergö conducts research pertaining to two different diseases: cancer and accelerated aging (progeria). Cancer is a common disease whereas progeria is a rare, genetic one.
New Treatment Strategy For Progeria
Children with progeria are born normal but show early signs of aging: they stop growing, loose hair and develop cardio-vascular ailments. These children seldom live past the age of 16. At present, there is no treatment but Martin Bergö, together with a research group in the United States, has identified a new treatment strategy that is currently being tested on children with progeria. This research has also resulted in a new way of genetically studying mechanisms and the treatment of cancer.
Information on Aging Control
“My vision is for this research to lead to an increased understanding of what causes cancer and progeria, and to find new treatments. We also hope that our studies of progeria will provide us with new information about what controls normal aging," says Martin Bergö.
What, then, is the connection between cancer and progeria? Both diseases are caused by mutations in a CAAX protein. Martin Bergö´s research has taken a step further and shows that both diseases can be treated with the same type of medicine.
For the past three years, Martin Bergö has led a research group at the Wallenberg Laboratory at Göteborg University´s Sahlgrenska Academy.
