Image: Mattias Pettersson
Research group The focus of our research is the genetic causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The last decade has seen great advances in the field of genetics with regards to both techniques and knowledge, making the possibility of finding and understanding the genetic mechanisms underlying the disease greater than ever.
Angelica Nordin, researcher and physician, is preparing samples for genetic analysis.
Image Anja Hansen Knutsson/Region Västerbotten
Ulrika Nordström, staff scientist, and Angelica Nordin are looking at sequencing data from a sample from a patient or a research subject.
Image Mattias Pettersson
Angelica Nordin and Eva Jonsson, lab assistant, are discussing sequencing data. The analysis can reveal whether a mutation known to cause ALS is present in the genome.
Image Mattias Pettersson
Angelica Nordin sees patients at the Clinical Genetics Clinic or through the use of digital tools.
Image Anja Hansen Knutsson/Region Västerbotten
Hayoung Lee, Eva Jonsson, Isil Keskin, Arvin Behzadi, Ulrika Nordström, Angelica Nordin, Helena Alstermark and Karin Forsberg are members of different research groups but work together through the ALS collaboration at Umeå University and University Hospital of Northern Sweden.
Image Mattias PetterssonThe focus of our research is the genetic causes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Today more than 40 genes have been associated to ALS, but they only explain about 20% of all cases. There is still much we do not know regarding the genetic mechanisms underlying ALS, and this is something we work hard to address.
Our goal is to understand ALS better on both a genetic, molecular and clinical level. This in turn may lead to improvements in diagnostics, patient care and genetic information/guidance to patients and their families. We are currently in interesting times where drug development is more focused on precision medicine, making genetic studies of ALS more important than ever.
