Research
Professor Barbara Canlon
PhD in Hearing Physiology
Research fields: Neuroscience
Research Interests and Accomplishments
Damage to hair cells of our inner ears is a leading cause of deafness and other hearing impairments. Professor Barbara Canlon has spent her career exploring the fundamental workings of the hair cells of the inner ear with the goal of understanding why they are so vulnerable to damage, and ultimately, how they may be protected, repaired, or even replaced.
Pharmacotherapy for inner ear disorders is hampered by the difficulties in local application. Together with researchers at the Swedish Medical Nanoscience Center and Linköping University, a novel technology using organic bio-electronics has been developed to create an interface between electronics and the inner ear. Organic conducting polymers were used as programmable delivery electrodes, in which an electronic in-put signal translates into release of bio-signals (ions, neurotransmitters). Using the peripheral auditory system, we show that the device can selectively stimulate nerve cells responding to glutamate. This technology has great potential as a therapeutic platform, where malfunctioning signal transduction pathways can be modulated by programmable, dose-controlled delivery of signal substances from an implanted bio-electronic device. This new method of communication between electronics and the inner ear will help accelerate the development of therapeutic strategies for hearing disorders. These studies are published in Nature Materials (Simon et al., 2009).
Associate Professor Peter Nilsson
PhD
Research fields: Novel Tools
Research Interests and Accomplishments
The focus of our resarch is to use luminescent conjugated oligothiophenes (LCOs) to study disease related biological events, such as aggregation of proteins. We are also interesting in using the LCOs as templates for synthesizing novel pharmacopores that can be used as treatment for Alzheimer`s disease and for other protein aggregation disorders.
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Work phone: |
+46 (0)13 28 27 87 |
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Cell phone: |
+46 (0)13 28 27 87 |
| E-mail: | petni@ifm.liu.se |
Address: |
Department of Chemistry House B Room 2B:656 |
Assistant Professor Ana Teixeira
PhD
Research fields: Neuroscience
Research Interests and Accomplishments
The stem cell microenvironment holds the balance between stem cell proliferation and differentiation, essential in embryonic development and organ homeostasis. Micro environmental cues include chemical signals originating from the extracellular matrix, from growth factors or through cell-cell communication. In addition, the physical nature of the microenvironment provides mechanical and topographical cues to cells. The proper integration of microenvironmentalcues with cell intrinsic genetic and epigenetic programs regulates stem cell state and fate. Increased knowledge of these processes can provide insights into developmental processes and has the potential to find applications in stem cell therapy and in cancer treatments targeting cancer stem cells.
The overarching goals of our research group are to:
- Gain understanding of the responses of stem cells and cancer stem cells to extracellular inputs using micro- and nanotechnologies to engineer the stem cell microenvironment.
- Identify opportunities for cancer therapy that target the cancer stem cell/microenvironment interface.
- Improve the outcomes of stem cell therapy by manipulating the stem cell microenvironment in vivo.
With a focus on the nervous system, we are presently engaged in addressing the following questions: CNS development: Do mechanical forces regulate cell-cell communication through Notch signaling? Mechanical properties of the microenvironment are increasingly being recognized as important stem cell signals. Indeed, recent work suggests that stem cells may be poised to respond to mechanical stimuli (Engler et al. 2006). In neural stem cell cultures, we have previously observed that soft substrates with elasticity similar to the elasticity of the brain, promote neuronal maturation and astrocytic differentiation (Teixeira et al. 2009).
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Work phone: |
+46 (0) 8 524 87979 |
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Cell phone: |
+46 (0) 8 524 87979 |
| E-mail: | ana.teixeira@ki.se |
Address: |
Dept of Cell and Molecular Biology(CMB) |
Professor Mikael Rhen
Research fields: Infection biology
Research Interests and Accomplishments
Mikael Rhen is Professor in Cellular Microbiology at Karolinska Institutet. His Research centers on the genetic regulation of host-pathogen interaction and on the functionality of bacterial virulence factors. Professor Rhen is affiliated to the Swedish Medical Nanoscience center, with a focus on applying nanoscale devices for dissecting pathogen interactions with epithelial and professional phagocytic cells
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Work phone: |
+46 8 524 86 252 |
| E-mail: | mikael.rhen@ki.se |
Address: |
Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology |
Professor Helene Andersson Svahn
PhD in Electrical Engineering
Research fields: Novel tools
Research Interests and Accomplishments
Professor Helene Andersson Svahn is heading the Nanobiotechnology department at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. Dr. Andersson Svahn received her Ph. D. in Electrical Engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology in 2001 and holds a M. Sc. in Molecular Biotechnology from Uppsala University. Her main research focus is micro- and nano-fluidic devices for biotech and medical applications. In 2002-2005 Dr Andersson Svahn was Marketing Director at Silex Microsystems. In 2005-2008 she was professor in Applied BIOMEMS at MESA+ Research Institute in Holland. Currently she is CEO of the startup company Picovitro AB (part time) and scientific advisor for Silex Microsystems. In 2011 she was elected as chairman for the Young Academy of Sweden.
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Work phone: |
+46 8 55 37 83 22 |
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Cell phone: |
+46 708 239 702 |
| E-mail: | helene.andersson-svahn@biotech.kth.se |
Address: |
Div of Nanobiotechnology |