MWLC Seed Grant Programme
The Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine (MWLC) Seed Grant Programme was established to fund and promote new research collaborations within stem cell differentiation, reprogramming and biomanufacturing toward translational application for KI researchers. In the first announcement of MWLC Seed Grants in 2023 seven projects were awarded and in the second announcement in 2024 another five were awarded.
Awarded Projects 2024
- Bioprinting of vascularized brown adipose tissue for the treatment of metabolic disease:
Volker M. Lauschke (FyFa), Yihai Cao (MTC)
- Partial reprogramming for hematopoietic system rejuvenation: Impact on systemic hallmarks of aging and health span:
Jette Lengefeld (MedH), Federico Pietrocola (CMB)
- Unlocking long-term impacts of radiotherapy on epidermal stem cells of cancer survivors:
Ning Xu Landén (MedS), Arne Lindqvist (CMB)
- Mapping dual organogenesis at single cell resolution:
Francois Lallemend (Neuro), Emma R. Andersson (CMB)
- Roles of focal and reticular adhesions in the maintenance of the pluripotent stem cell state:
Staffan Strömblad (MedH), Ana Teixeira (FyFa)
Awarded Projects 2023
- Cancer predisposition and epigenetic deregulation of hematopoietic stem cells:
Vanessa Lundin (MedH), Andreas Lennartsson (BioNut)
- From disease to recovery: Investigating the effects of APOB-lipoproteins on hematopoietic stem cells in cardiometabolic disease:
Petter Woll (MedH), Stephen Malin (MedS)
- Greasing the way for regeneration from gut to brain: Revealing the role of lipids in stem cell differentiation and regeneration:
Erdinc Sezgin (KBH), Jonas Frisén (CMB), Pekka Katajisto (CMB)
- Investigating the link between placental function and congenital heart disease using organoids-on-a-chip system:
Qiaolin Deng (FyFa), Elif Eroglu (CMB)
- Non-invasive analysis of cellular compositions during manufacturing of stem cell products via extracellular vesicle profiling:
Fredrik Lanner (CLINTEC), Samir EL Andaloussi (LABMED)
- Progenitor cell location as determinant of fate and regeneration:
Eduardo J. Villablanca (MedS), Maria Genander (CMB)
- Single cell analyses of in vitro-specified dopamine progenitors and their developmental trajectory after engraftment into a striatal context:
Johan Ericson (CMB), Erik Sundström (NVS)
The MWLC Seed Grant announcements were open for researchers employed at least 50 % by KI to support new collaborative projects, not continuation of ongoing collaborations. A Seed Grant team must consist of a minimum of two group leaders from different KI departments with an equal partnership and budget splits. The applications were reviewed by scientists from institutions outside KI and were rated according to scientific and technical merits.