Igor Adameyko

Igor Adameyko

Principal Researcher
Telephone: +46852487142
Visiting address: Solnavägen 9, Biomedicum, 17165 Solna
Postal address: C3 Fysiologi och farmakologi, C3 FyFa Utvecklingsbiologi och regenerativ medicin, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • Currently, Dr. Igor Adameyko is a Professor and a Department Chair at Center
    for Brain Research of Medical University of Vienna and a group leader at
    Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. Prof. Adameyko is known for the discovery
    of multipotency of nerve-associated Schwann cell precursors, a population of
    neural crest derived cells with exceptional plasticity and distribution in
    the body.
    *2015 *Swedish Academy of Sciences Flormanska
    Prize
    *2015* ERC Consolidator Grant
    *2016 * Selected EMBO Young
    Investigator
    *2017* Hans Wigzell Prize
    *2019* Fernstrom Prize
    *2020* ERC Synergy Grant (Coordinator)
    *2002 University degree with Honors (M.Sc.
    in Biochemistry), *Lobachevsky University, Russian Federation.
    *2006 Doctoral degree (PhD), *Lobachevsky
    University, Russian Federation./ /
    /Supervisors: Professor S. Tevosian; Professor A. Veselov/
    *2002-2006 */ /*Visiting PhD student* in the lab of Professor
    Tevosian,
    Department of Genetics, Dartmouth Medical School, USA

Research

  • The studies of Dr. Adameyko introduced a radically new concept for
    developmental biology in that defined precursor pools existing in a highly
    specialized niche use nerves as conduits to migrate and differentiate through
    temporally and spatially delineated nerve-Schwann cell communication. Can
    Schwann cells be genuinely multipotent? If so, this would transform the above
    discoveries into a global concept in which nerve-associated progenitors could
    generate various cell types during not only physiological development but
    also adulthood. Moreover, any such cell pool could be exploited to regenerate
    damaged tissues in tandem with regaining sensory nerve functions. This notion
    is plausible since nerves traverse the entire body from early embryonic
    development on and their in-growth coincides with the expansion of cell pools
    in the organs they target. For decades, the prevailing concept was that the
    only function of these peripheral nerves is to maintain activity patterns,
    thus mostly sending unidirectional information. Instead, Igor Adameyko
    proposed a non-canonical role in which nerve-associated glia also generates
    parasympathetic neurons (Science, 2014), neuroendocrine chromaffin cells
    (Science, 2017) and mesenchymal stem cells in tooth (Nature, 2014). These
    studies also showed that resident Schwann cells retain their potential to
    produce other cell fates in adulthood, advocating their utilization as a
    source of transplantable cells. At the moment, many other independent
    research groups have by now reproduced Adameyko’s original observations,
    and expanded the concept of multipotent nerve-associated Schwann cells
    building peripheral tissues. Thus, in a period spanning only a few years, the
    concept of peripheral nerves serving as a “niche” and migration
    “highways” has entered mainstream research, and led to a revision of how
    the parasympathetic and sympatho-adrenal systems become established at
    precise locations and with adequate cell numbers during fetal development.
    Historically, Igor Adameyko’s background is in developmental biology.
    Having extensive embryology-based experience, it is only natural that the lab
    continues on this path today by exploring the origin of norm and pathology,
    congenital diseases and paediatric cancers arising in the early or late
    embryo.
    “/We believe that our knowledge of embryonic development is extremely
    helpful, as it is exactly the time when cells (i.e., different cell types)
    experience a diversity of phenotypic states and transitions between such
    states. During development, cells change enormously, and the genetic
    programmes that are utilised by these altering cell states are later
    exploited by the cancer cells as well. Many tumour types show the
    developmental aspects in their dynamics, partly resembling a developing organ
    or an assembling tissue- as they try to replay aspects of developmental
    processes. This is where we think our ongoing work and understanding could
    come in and be useful./”
    */Recent key papers:/*
    1. Soldatov R, Kaucka M, Kastriti ME, Petersen J, Chontorotzea T, Englmaier
    L, Akkuratova N, Yang Y, Häring M, Dyachuk V, Bock C, Farlik M, Piacentino
    M, Boismoreau F, Hilscher M, Yokota C, Nilsson M, Bronner M, Croci L, Hsiao
    W, Guertin D, Brunet JF, Consalez GG, Ernfors P, Fried K, Kharchenko PV,
    *Adameyko I*. Spatio-temporal structure of cell fate decisions in murine
    neural crest. *Science* 2019.
    2. Furlan A., Dyachuk V., Kastriti M., Abdo H., Hadjab S., Chontorotzea T.,
    Akkuratova N., Usoskin D., Kamenev D., Petersen J., Sunadome K., Memic F.,
    Marklund U., Fried K., Topilko P., Lallemend F., Kharchenko P., Ernfors P.,
    *Adameyko I*. Multipotent Peripheral Glial Cells Generate Neuroendocrine
    Cells of the Adrenal Medulla. *Science*. 2017. Jul 7;357(6346).
    3. Dyachuk V., Furlan A., Khatibi Shahidi M., Giovenco M., Kaukua N.,
    Konstantinidou C., Pachnis V., Memic F., Marklund U., Müller T., Birchmeier
    C., Fried K., Ernfors P., *Adameyko I.* Parasympathetic neurons originate
    from nerve-associated peripheral glial progenitors. *Science*,
    4;345(6192):82-7, 2014.
    *ERC Synergy Grant*
    Our ERC Synergy project grant is focusing on neuroblastoma- a devastating
    paediatric cancer. There is a huge unmet clinical need as almost 50% of
    children that are positively diagnosed die. This cancer, which arises from
    the sympathetic nervous system, has some type of embryonic origin starting
    during the neural crest differentiation stage towards the sympathoadrenal
    cells. Given our domain speciality (i.e., neural crest cells during embryonic
    development), we believe that we will have some interesting new ideas to
    understand the origin of neuroblastoma and ultimately fight it.
    *NeuCrest Network*
    We are a part of The NEUcrest project is an Innovative Training Network
    funded by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme
    https://science.institut-curie.org/research/biology-chemistry-of-radiations-cell-signaling-and-cancer-axis/umr-3347-normal-and-pathological-signaling/team-monsoro-burq/european-neucrest-itn-network/
    [1]
    *State-of-the-art-methods*
    We extensively apply single cell transcriptomics analysis with an aim to
    discover the major principles of neural and immune cell type heterogeneity,
    stem cell regulation, evolution of novel cell types and transitions between
    gene regulatory networks. At the moment, we attempt to build a MERFISH system
    for spatial transcriptomics as well as to establish Slide-seq protocols in
    house.
    [1] https://science.institut-curie.org/research/biology-chemistry-of-radiations-cell-signaling-and-cancer-axis/umr-3347-normal-and-pathological-signaling/team-monsoro-burq/european-neucrest-itn-network/

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