11 April 2025

The Swedish Heart Lung Foundation has awarded 30 million to research projects at Linköping University and The Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. These grants will support a variety of projects aimed at improving the understanding and treatment of heart, vascular, and lung diseases.

Maria Lerm (Archive photo) Photographer: Thor Balkhed
One of the researchers who received funding is Maria Lerm, professor of medical microbiology at the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV). Her research will investigate a new method to improve the diagnosis of serious lung diseases, including through a simple cough sample.

Maria Lerm's previous research has shown that DNA methylation can reveal diseases such as tuberculosis and post-COVID. Now, she and her colleagues want to investigate whether the method can also identify other respiratory diseases at an early stage.

In the study, they will test whether a cough sample, blood drop, or mouth swab is sufficient to identify patients who need specialist care.

"The goal is to develop the technology for early use, perhaps even as a home test, which can improve the care flow and speed up treatment," says Maria Lerm to the Heart Lung Foundation.

Here is an overview of the researchers and projects that have received funding:

Sofia Sederholm Lawesson
Jubilee Grant 2024
4,895,843 SEK
SweSCAD: Etiology, diagnostics, and consequences of spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) - towards a better understanding and management of a not so unusual condition causing myocardial infarction predominately in young to middle-aged women.

Lena Jonasson
Project Grant
3,600,000 SEK
Immune imbalance in coronary artery disease: novel insights into mechanisms, diagnostics and management

Anna Strömberg
Project Grant
2,400,000 SEK
Tele-Yoga in persons with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Evaluation of effects along with a process evaluation

Thomas Abrahamsson
Project Grant
2,400,000 SEK
Identification of biomarkers that predict risks for severe lung disease in extremely preterm infants

Fredrik Elinder
Project Grant
2,400,000 SEK
New drug strategy against atrial fibrillation

Tiny Jaarsma
Project Grant
2,100,000 SEK
Exergaming at home - our next step for improved physical activity in heart failure patients. A randomized multicenter study.

Maria Jenmalm
Project Grant
1,800,000 SEK
Can microbial and dietary interventions in mother and child prevent asthma and allergy development?

Hanna Jonasson
Project Grant
1,500,000 SEK
Improved Personalized CVD Risk Stratification with Mechanistic Models of Microvascular Function

Petter Dyverfeldt
Project Grant
1,500,000 SEK
Predictive value of carotid plaque characteristics to evaluate cardiovascular risk in asymptomatic middle-aged individuals

Robert Blomgran
Project Grant
1,500,000 SEK
The impact of helminth infection on reactivation of tuberculosis

Naoko Perkiö Kato
Project Grant
1,500,000 SEK
Effectiveness of the ReDS-guided heart failure management program in primary care settings in a multicenter randomized controlled trial: outcome and process evaluation

Jonas Holm
Project Grant
1,200,000 SEK
CoCAP, Coronary CT Angio evaluating Graft Patency in ACS patients treated with DAPT or single ASA after CABG

Maria Lerm
Project Grant
1,200,000 SEK
Precision Based on Lung Multi-Omics (PULMO) - DNAm biosignatures for pulmonary precision medicine

Helene Zachrisson
Project Grant
1,200,000 SEK
The link between chronic venous disease and cardiovascular disease

Anna Carlén
780,000 SEK


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