The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Distinguished professorship to Malin Parmar

Profile photo of Malin Parmar.
Photo: Kennet Ruona

The research group leader Malin Parmar is granted 50 million SEK over 10 years within the Distinguished professor program by the Swedish Research Council.

The purpose of the Distinguished Professor Program is to create conditions for the most prominent researchers to conduct long-term, innovative research with great potential to achieve scientific breakthroughs. Malin Parmar is Professor of cellular neurosciecne and leads her successful research group in Developmental and Regenerative Neurobiology at MultiPark.

The project title for the initiative is “Cell therapy for Parkinson's disease - new concepts and future treatments”.

Malin Parmar, professor of cellular neuroscience, is researching various possibilities for repairing the brain after injury or illness. Her research involves, among other things, investigating different ways to replace the nerve cells that are lost in Parkinson's disease.

Malin Parmar in her lab.
Photo: Kennet Ruona

What does the Distinguished professorship mean for you and your research environment?

- It means a lot. This support creates stability and independence for a long time to come. It also allows us to focus on our projects and develop our research environment. This, in turn, gives positive energy and creates creativity, which paves the way for innovative research.

What breakthroughs are you hoping for?

- In our research, we work with developing new, cell-based therapies for brain damage with a focus on Parkinson's disease. The distingusihed professorship provides an opportunity to make long-term investments in this area that I hope will lead to better treatments. The big overall goal of the project is that all individuals should be able to be treated with healthy variants of their own cells. I think we can get there within this 10-year period.

Where do you think you will be in 5-10 years when it comes to cell therapies?

- In this time perspective, our research findings in stem cell therapy have developed into a global treatment. It is a big step to start performing stem cell transplants on patients, but this is just the beginning! In the future, the use of stem cells may mean that many refinements and improvements can be made, as well as developing completely new treatment strategies.

It is a great honor to be awarded this Distinguished professorship. None of this would have been possible without all the members of my research group, the strong neuroscience and stem cell -environment in Lund and all my colleagues and partners around the world.