Team: Zhichao Zhou, docent at the Department of Medicine (Solna) and Linda Mellbin, researcher at the same department.
Project: Non-coding RNAs in erythrocytes as mediators and biomarkers of cardiovascular injury in diabetes
Project description: Patients with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of developing atherosclerosis, leading to myocardial infarction and stroke. One causal factor is dysfunction of the endothelial cells that form the innermost cellular layer of all blood vessels.
Red blood cells contain non-coding (nc) RNA, which can control endothelial cell function. The researchers are studying the injurious effect of diabetes on vascular function and exploring ncRNA in the blood cells as possible biomarkers for future cardiovascular events.
Team: Elizabeth Arkema, docent at the Department of Medicine (Solna) and Pernilla Darlington, researcher at the Department of Clinical Research and Education, Stockholm South General (Söder) Hospital.
Project: Novel opportunities for personalised prognosis assessment in sarcoidosis
Project description: Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease, the clinical profile of which varies from asymptomatic to severe symptoms and disability. The team aims to study factors of significance to the development of chronic sarcoidosis, with a focus on pulmonary fibrosis, using data from patient registries.
It is hoped that the results will shed light on the disease trajectory and the effects of treatment, and why some patients develop the chronic form of the disease that leads to pulmonary dysfunction. Ultimately, the project could give rise to more personalised care.