The research group Molecular Neurogenetics at the Department of Experimental Medical Science at the Faculty of Medicine at Lund University is led by Professor Johan Jakobsson.

The research group focuses its work on genetic and molecular mechanisms contributing to various neurological diseases. This work has led to new insights into the disease process in Huntington’s disease. For example, a link between changes in autophagy, the cell’s debris center, and the regulation of genes, has been mapped. This may enable the development of new therapies. Ongoing studies are aimed at developing entirely new models for studying cellular changes in the Huntington’s disease. With a so-called reprogramming technology, neurons are now produced from skin cells taken from patients with Huntington’s disease. This will eventually lead to completely new insights into the disease process.

The research in the group is supported by grants from, among others, the Swedish Research Council, the Olle Engkvist Builders Foundation and the Swedish Brain Foundation.