MedS-researcher Carolina Hagberg awarded ERC Consolidator Grant

Carolina Hagberg at the Department of Medicine, Solna was one of two researchers at KI to receive the highly competitive ERC Consolidator Grant, one of Europe’s most sought-after research grants. The grant is awarded by the European Research Council under the EU’s research and innovation program. The funding amounts to two million euros (just over 20 million SEK) over five years.

Congratulations, Carolina! Tell us, what will you study in the ERC-funded project?
– Thank you! We’re thrilled that our project was selected among so many outstanding applicants. We will study the interaction between adipose tissue and the onset of atherosclerosis. More specifically, we are interested in how changes in lipid uptake in adipose tissue during obesity affect circulating lipid levels and, consequently, lipid deposition in the arteries. Previously, obesity was thought to contribute only by increasing the incidence of risk factors for atherosclerosis, but we hypothesize that the role of adipose tissue in initiating cardiovascular disease is more direct in obesity. Our group stands out by having developed several unique experimental animal and culture models to study this, and we are very excited to now apply these models to gain new insights into why obesity impacts cardiometabolic health.

How will you use the grant?
– Over the past few years, I’ve built an amazing research team. The grant allows me to continue funding these fantastic colleagues and to recruit new expertise and capacity to the group. It’s a unique opportunity to turn exciting research ideas into reality over a long period and to thoroughly investigate obesity-related disease mechanisms.

What impact could your studies have in the future?
– Obesity is a complex condition involving multiple organs, which has made it difficult to untangle cause and effect. Our new research models will provide significant insights into the interplay between obese adipose tissue and comorbidities, especially at the molecular level. This will lead to a better understanding of early disease processes and, hopefully, help identify new ways to reduce or prevent comorbidities.

What contributed to receiving the grant?
– Above all, the fantastic researchers in my group and the incredible support I’ve received from my department, the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine. I would like to specifically mention and thank Per Eriksson, who recruited me to the department when I started the group in 2019, Rachel Fisher and Ewa Ehrenborg, whom I’ve worked closely with since then, as well as Stephen Malin and Peder Olofsson, who provided invaluable input to my project and helped review my application. Doctoral student Min Cai worked hard to produce all preliminary data with support from the rest of the team. The strong scientific environment and all the talented and supportive team members, managers, and colleagues I’ve had the privilege to work with are truly what made this possible!