Seven projects receive StratNeuro Starting Grants in 2026

StratNeuro has awarded a SEK 1,000,000 Starting Grant to each of the following researchers (in alphabetical order):

• Luis Arroyo-Garcia (Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society): "Molecular and functional implications of microglia during the onset of amyloid pathology".

  "This project investigates how microglia, the brain’s primary innate immune cells, contribute to the early development of Alzheimer’s disease. Using animal models and unique human brain samples with early amyloid pathology, the study will examine how microglial dysfunction affects neuronal activity and disease onset. The goal is to identify new microglia-based therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s disease. Receiving the StratNeuro Starting Grant has been a major boost for our research program. The funding enables us to build and support a dedicated research team, acquire essential materials, and perform the experiments needed to achieve the project's goals. By providing these resources at an early stage, the grant helps accelerate discoveries into the role of microglia in Alzheimer’s disease and strengthens our capacity to develop new avenues for treatment."

• Isabell Brikell (Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics): "Predicting severe psychiatric, behavioral and educational outcomes in youth with ADHD to aid patient prioritization".

  "My project aims to develop prediction tools for severe psychiatric, behavioral, and educational outcomes in youth diagnosed with ADHD. To achieve this, we are using cutting-edge AI methods applied to national Swedish and Danish registers, linked to detailed genetic and clinical data. To facilitate translation, we will also run a pilot study to assess the feasibility of implementing key predictors in clinical practice. By identifying ADHD individuals at highest risk for severe outcomes, this research will support early risk identification, aid patient triage, and a more individualized, efficient approach to ADHD care. The KI StratNeuro Funding is supporting me to hire personnel, cover running cost and enabling research exchange with colleagues in Denmark."

• Karl Carlström (Department of Laboratory Medicine): "Brain Epigenomics And the Metabolomics in Multiple Sclerosis"

  "We are studying how metabolites and protein subcellular compartmentalization shapes the epigenome to define cell lineage identity in health and disease with a special focus on oligodendroglia in the central nervous system. The StratNeuro Starting Grant has been fundamental to our group given the stage we are in as a newly established independent group. It has allowed us to recruit personnel and generate preliminary data future grant application and studies."

• Yvonne Johansson (Department of Neuroscience): "Unlocking a forgotten dopamine source in the retrorubral field".

  "My research focuses on the retrorubral field (RRF), one of the least understood dopamine populations in the mammalian brain. As I am currently establishing my independent research group at Karolinska Institutet, the StratNeuro Starting Grant comes at a particularly important time and provides important support to develop this new research direction. With the help of this funding, we will investigate how RRF dopamine neurons are organised, how they connect to other brain regions, and which behaviours they contribute to. By uncovering the function of this largely overlooked dopamine population, we aim to fill a major gap in our understanding of how dopamine shapes behaviour."

• Krzysztof Szkop (Department of Oncology-Pathology): "Spatial Regulation of Isoform-Level Translation: A Key Factor in ASD Brain Pathology".

  "mRNA translation is a key determinant of protein expression, and its precise regulation ensures that proteins are synthesised in the quantities and locations necessary for neuronal function. My project examines how this process is disrupted in autism spectrum disorder, focusing on individual mRNA isoforms, since changes in their expression can reveal more disorder-specific molecular signatures than changes in overall gene expression. Using human post-mortem brain tissue and neuronal cell models, we will investigate how these isoforms are translated across brain regions and within distinct neuronal compartments. The objective is to identify RNA features that drive these alterations and to uncover potential therapeutic targets. Building on these initial findings, this work will broaden the scope of these investigations into the molecular mechanisms underlying autism.”

• Caroline Wasén (Department of Medicine, Solna): "Preventing brain atrophy in rheumatoid arthritis".

  "My research aims to understand how chronic inflammation affects the aging brain and whether it contributes to brain atrophy, neuronal injury, and cognitive decline. Rheumatoid arthritis offers a unique opportunity to investigate these mechanisms, as patients experience chronic systemic inflammation and are treated with targeted therapies that block specific inflammatory pathways. This grant will allow us to study how inflammation and its treatment influence brain health, with the aim of identifying mechanisms underlying accelerated brain aging. The findings may ultimately improve our understanding of neurological complications in rheumatoid arthritis and provide broader insights into the role of inflammation in cognitive decline and dementia."
   

As an external recruitment, StratNeuro has awarded SEK 2,000,000 Starting Grant to Luca Ferrari (Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, joining KI in 2027) with the project "Leveraging proteostasis against protein aggregates linked to Alzheimer's Disease and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis". 

" In neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), harmful clumps of protein build up in the brain, and the cell's own clean-up systems fail to remove them. My group will study why. We will isolate these protein clumps, known as TDP-43 aggregates, from donated brain tissue of people with ALS, so that we can work with material as close as possible to the real disease. We will then investigate how they interact with the clean-up systems that should recognise and clear them. Our long-term goal is to reprogram these systems so they can remove the clumps, and in this way alleviate the disease. The StratNeuro Starting Grant comes at a key moment as I establish my independent group at Karolinska Institutet, and it will directly support recruiting the first members of the team and setting up the experiments to get this work started."