Dogs are often called man’s best friend. But can their genomes also help us find a cure for cancer? A researcher from Uppsala, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, believes so and has now been awarded the 10 million Swedish kronor Torsten Söderberg Academy Professorship in Medicine.
The Zoonomia project (a major international collaboration) lasted almost a decade and was published in 2023, after the researchers had mapped the genomes of 240 mammalian species. Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, professor of comparative genomics at Uppsala University, wants to utilize this comprehensive data to find mutations that cause cancer. Knowledge gained from the animal world can provide many insights that also apply to humans.
A tool for understanding
“We see this as a tool that will allow us to really understand the origins of cancer and find new genes that cause the disease. Also, we hope that looking at it on a larger scale will help us provide clearer diagnoses for patients with cancer and so move closer to what is known as precision medicine,” she says.
She is particularly interested in dogs, which are very similar to humans. The advantage of rerouting research to look at animals is that some dog breeds have what she calls a cancer “enrichment”. For example, skeletal cancer is more prevalent in large dogs, so studies of genetics can be used to understand the disease’s mechanism in humans as well. Kerstin Lindblad-Toh will now be able to perform these studies thanks to the five-year Academy Professorship from the Torsten Söderberg Foundation.
Identify genes
In terms of cancer, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh’s research team is particularly interested in glioblastoma (brain tumours that primarily occur in adults) and medulloblastoma (brain tumours that usually affect children), lymphoma and bone cancer. The team has developed a method for studying mutations in regulatory elements, which control how much protein is produced in a cancer cell. This has allowed them to identify genes that contribute to the development of medulloblastoma in children.
Makes a huge difference
Although Kerstin Lindblad-Toh likes animals, the animal world is not where she hopes to make a real difference.
“The most important thing for me is to see what we can do for people who are ill. That’s what drives me.”
The fact that she is now awarded the Torsten Söderberg Academy Professorship in Medicine for 2024 is of major importance in her chances of success.
“It makes a huge difference. Naturally, it is an honour and I am happy and grateful. It also gives me more freedom as a researcher,” she says.
About the Torsten Söderberg Academy Professorship in Medicine
The Torsten Söderberg Academy Professorship promotes internationally leading research in the field of medicine by allowing the holder to dedicate themselves to full-time research at a Swedish medical faculty for five years. The Torsten Söderberg Foundation donates ten million kronor to each Academy Professorship. Five of these run in parallel. The appointments are worked on and decided by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
About the Torsten Söderberg Foundation
The Torsten Söderberg Foundation promotes scientific research, primarily in the fields of medicine, economics and law, Read more about the Foundation’s initiatives at www.torstensoderbergsstiftelse.se
Contact
Kerstin Lindberg-Toh, Professor in comparative genomics, Uppsala University
kerstin.lindblad-toh@imbim.uu.se
+46-70-324 23 36
Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Uppsala university
Press contact
Eva Nevelius, Press Secretary at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
eva.nevelius@kva.se
+46-70-878 67 63
