Academy Research Fellow Katja Kanninen from the A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences of the University of Eastern Finland was awarded a 100,000 euro grant by the North Savo Regional Fund and North Carelia Regional Fund for research aiming to decipher the interplay between air pollutants and brain health.
In 2018, the two above mentioned Finnish Cultural Foundation regional funds awarded one large grant to a multidisciplinary, high quality research proposal that promotes collaboration across faculties at the University of Eastern Finland. The participating researchers are neurobiologists and environmental scientists active at the Kuopio and Joensuu campuses. In addition to Katja Kanninen, Academy Research Fellow Pasi Jalava (Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences), Academy Research Fellow Tarja Malm (A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences) and Senior Researcher Jaakko Pohjoismäki (Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences) are involved in the project.
A growing body of evidence shows that exposure to air pollutants is harmful to human health. However, while the possible association between air pollutants and loss of brain health, manifesting as neurodegenerative diseases, has been discussed for several years, the scientific evidence for this association has remained limited. As such, it is not yet known how distinct air pollutants exert their effects and how they affect specific brain cell types. Katja Kanninen and the team are now for the first time deciphering how specific air pollutants affect brain function and mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. It is expected that more investigation to link air pollution and human health on a molecular level would aid development of more effective prevention and treatment methods for diseases associated with air pollutants.
For further information, please contact:
Academy Research Fellow, Docent Katja Kanninen, katja.kanninen (a) uef.fi, tel. +358 40 1354377