TRED Annual Report FY2016

30 NSU CELL THERAPY INSTITUTE Our Research About the Karolinska Institutet Biomedical research in the NSU Cell Therapy Institute is centered around cell-based advanced therapies for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and degenerative diseases. The therapeutic approaches involve modifying immune cells for immunotherapy or developing stem cells for regenerative medicine. This research is complemented by cutting-edge genomics, recombinant DNA, flow cytometry, and cellular imaging technologies. The ultimate goal of research at the institute is to help transform the future practice of medicine with safer and more effective therapies. An example of immunotherapy research at the NSU Cell Therapy Institute include genetic modification of immune cells so they are able to more aggressively seek out and destroy cancer cells wherever they may be hiding in the body. Another approach to cancer immunotherapy involves immune cell activation using biological molecules such as cytokines to reverse immune evasion by cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment. In the area of regenerative medicine, researchers in the institute are focused on development of stem cell therapies to repair damaged heart and valve tissues. This involves differentiation of stem cells into heart muscle and blood vessel cells in vitro to replace the damaged cells in vivo. Additional stem cell research is aimed at reversing macular degeneration, a major cause of blindness among the elderly, and neurodegenerative diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). With an overriding mission to contribute to the improvement of human health through research and education, the Karolinska Institutet provides more than 40 percent of the medical academic research conducted in Sweden and offers the country’s broadest range of education in medicine and health sciences. Many of the discoveries made at the Karolinska Institutet have been of great significance, including the pacemaker, the gamma knife, the sedimentation reaction, the Seldinger technique, and the preparation of chemically pure insulin. Since 1901, the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has selected the Nobel laureates in physiology or medicine.