New project support to a range of Neuro-SysMed researchers
The Western Norway Regional Health Authorities (Helse Vest) has recently announced their project funding for 2025, and we are happy to see many Neuro-SysMed researchers in their announcement. In addition, other funding agencies have also granted support to our projects this fall.
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Besides the many continued support grants, we are receiving support for several new projects within our focus areas.
Multiple sclerosis
The MS group is receiving support from Helse Vest to three new projects and one new PhD.
Kjell-Morten Myhr receives open project support with NOK 1.648.000 for 2025 for the project “Antiviral Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis – the ATIMS Study”, and a total of 5.0 NMOK for a three years period.
This proposed study is based on the assumption that the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is involved in the pathogenesis of MS and that direct targeting of the virus may be a more effective strategy for MS therapy. Based on this background, the aim is to perform a phase-II pilot trial to evaluate the efficacy of the antiviral agent tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF) on the degenerative processes in MS. Treatment efficacy will be evaluated by positron emission tomography (PET) as the most sensitive indicator of microglial inflammation, combined with spinal fluid biomarkers and a novel MRI outcome, that is currently established at Haukeland University Hospital.
Dimitrios Kleftogiannis receives open project support of NOK 1.200.000 for 2025 for the project "Assisting personalised treatment decisions in multiple sclerosis using data-driven immunological signatures", and a total of 3.2 NMOK for a three years period.
The project aims to identify distinct peripheral blood immunological signatures and evaluate their effectiveness in guiding treatment decisions for MS. To achieve this innovative goal, the project will establish a data-driven framework through an interdisciplinary approach, integrating expertise in neurology, immunology, and data science.
Øivind Fredvik Grytten Torkildsen receives open project support with NOK 1.081.000 for 2025 for the project "Long-term efficacy and safety of B-cell therapy in MS", and a total of 5.0 NMOK for four years period.
This is an extension study of the previous OVERLORD-MS study. The project investigates the long-term efficacy and safety of off-label rituximab for the treatment of early-relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS). The study follows 214 patients in Norway and Sweden who previously participated in the OVERLORD-MS study, which compared rituximab with ocrelizumab. Focus will be on an extended dosing interval to reduce the risk of adverse effects. At the same time, new biomarkers for individual adaptation of treatment are evaluated. The results can improve MS treatment guidelines nationally and internationally.
Marie Ytterdal receives a 3-year 100% PhD grant for the project “Exosomes from mesenchymal stem cells targeting chronic inflammation and disease progression in multiple sclerosis.”
This project aims to assess and increase the anti-inflammatory potential of exosomes, targeting innate inflammation caused by pro-inflammatory microglia in MS, for which there is no available treatment today. The project is divided in a clinical- and pre-clinical study that will run independently from each other: The clinical part will assess the anti-inflammatory effect of treatment with allogeneic exosomes from native MSCs in MS patients. The preclinical part aims to stimulate MSCs with pro-inflammatory cytokines and hypoxia to increase the anti-inflammatory effect of the secreted exosomes, and to screen anti-inflammatory capacity by using established in vitro and in vivo models.
Jonas Bull Haugsøen receives a 2.5-year 100% PhD grant at the University of Bergen on the project “Predictive Immune Signatures for Personalized Treatment in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis.”
The objective of this PhD project is to identify predictive immune signatures that correlate with sustained remission, relapse, or disease progression in patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) undergoing treatments such as autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) and B-cell depletion therapies. By employing advanced single-cell technologies, such as mass cytometry and CITE-Seq, alongside biomarkers like neurofilament light chain (NfL) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), the project aims to enhance personalized treatment strategies by enabling early detection of disease activity, optimizing therapeutic interventions, and ultimately improving long-term outcomes for MS patients.
The MS research group has also been received 3.6 MNOK from the Kjell Almes legacy for ongoing MS-research projects.
Parkinson’s disease
The PD group is delighted to receive strategic project support for a large new trial initiative, as well as a clinical career grant:
Irene Flønes receives strategic project support from Helse Vest under the topic “New therapy forms” for 20 mill NOK over 5 years with the project "HYDRA – an adaptive design, multi-arm, multi-stage platform trial for Parkinson's disease."
The HYDRA initiative is a platform trial that aims to accelerate breakthroughs in the field of PD therapeutics by testing of multiple potential disease modifying therapies in parallel, with significantly less participants, shorter trial time by several years, and only a fraction of the cost, compared to testing the same agents in individual trials. The trials will be randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled, and will launch with 3 active treatments and 1 placebo group. An interim futility analysis will be conducted at a predetermined time during the treatment period and futile treatments will be discontinued.
The study will be directed and coordinated from Neuro-SysMed and will recruit participants from all of Norway. Work to establish the platform has been initiated.
Johannes Jernqvist Gaare receives a 6-year 50% Helse Vest Clinical Career Grant for the project "NOR-RBD: A Longitudinal Cohort and Clinical Trial Platform for Prodromal α-Synucleinopathies."
α-synucleinopathies are a group of relentlessly progressive, debilitating, and incurable neurodegenerative disorders, comprising Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and multiple system atrophy (MSA). Before the diseases become clinically manifest, they are preceded by a long prodromal phase that can last up to 20 years. This prodromal phase is marked by REM-sleep Behaviour Disorder (RBD), a parasomnia characterized by dream enactment. Isolated RBD (iRBD) is considered to be the most specific marker of prodromal α-synucleinopathies, with a 15-year conversion rate > 90%.
Since current treatments make no impact on disease progression, there is now an urgent need to shift our efforts from treatment to prevention by initiating interventions during the prodromal phase of the disease. The NOR-RBD platform is an initiative with three main goals: 1) establish a longitudinal cohort of individuals with iRBD to facilitate the development of predictive biomarkers for risk stratification; 2) establish a structured health care program for individuals in the prodromal stages of α-synucleinopathies; 3) initiate neuroprotective clinical trials in iRBD patients.
In addition, Irene Flønes, Gonzalo Nido, Christian Dölle, Svein Støve and Charalampos Tzoulis, together, secured over 2.5 mill NOK from the Norwegian Parkinson's Association to support multiple projects including SLEIPNIR: a clinical trial platform to assess target engagement of potential disease-modifying treatment in Parkinson's disease; A single-cell sequencing project aiming to identify novel treatment targets in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP); A preclinical study of NAD-therapy in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease; Our drug screening efforts to identify novel disease-modifying interventions for Parkinson's disease; and the NADAPT trial of NAD-replenishment in atypical parkinsonism.
Dementia
The dementia group will be welcoming a new PhD project:
Liv Toril Møen receives a 6-year 50% Helse Vest PhD grant for the project “Biomarkers for predicting clinical trajectories in dementia and precision medicine.”
Dementia is a highly heterogeneous disease group. This project will investigate whether new blood-based biomarkers (e.g. p-tau217, GFAB, NfL and BD-tau) can help predict the development of chronic disease and whether they can provide a more precise diagnosis. The project will also investigate whether different phenotypes and different underlying pathophysiology (A+T+ AD vs A+T-AD) lead to different prognoses, as well as look at the importance of other comorbidities (such as Lewy body pathology) for the development of dementia.
Congratulations to all!
You can see the complete Helse Vest announcement in this article (in Norwegian).