We are happy to announce that we will be partaking in a newly funded initiative called 'The Nordic Center for Glymphatic Biology', which is an ambitious 5-year project generously funded by the Lundbeck Foundation and spearheaded by our close collaborator professor Maiken Nedergaard from Center for Translational Neuromedicine (CTN) at University of Copenhagen.
The project is expected to deliver a set of transformative outcomes with direct relevance for understanding and treating small vessel disease (SVD) and related neurodegenerative conditions. We anticipate:
- Identification of key anatomical and physiological bottlenecks that suppress glymphatic clearance in preclinical models of SVD.
- Development of a validated, gold-standard assay for quantifying glymphatic flow in awake animals.
- Discovery of one or more pharmacological agents that significantly enhance glymphatic clearance during sleep.
- Evaluation of long-term efficacy and safety of glymphatic enhancers in rodent SVD models, including cognitive and pathological outcomes.
- Validation of non-invasive human imaging techniques (MREG, contrast-enhanced MRI, SPECT) for assessing glymphatic function in patients.
- Establishment of blood-based biomarkers for brain clearance function.
- Translation of lead compounds and delivery strategies to the large-animal (pig) model.
- A cross-validated imaging and pharmacological platform that enables early identification and intervention in individuals at high risk of cognitive decline due to impaired brain clearance.
Together, these outcomes will lay the foundation for new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to SVD and Alzheimer's disease, with strong potential for clinical impact.
NRU's role in the project is to validate MREG readouts using nuclear imaging of CSF tracers. NRU will coordinate clinical SPECT imaging to establish correlations between tracer-based clearance and MREG-derived pulsatility signatures – critical for establishing MREG as a diagnostic tool. NRU's budget in the project totals 6,5 mio DKK.
Motivation for the Center: Dementia affects millions, yet prevention remains limited. The brain’s glymphatic system clears waste during sleep but fails in vascular diseases - a major dementia risk. This Nordic collaboration combines advanced imaging, animal models, and clinical studies to understand and restore glymphatic clearance. By identifying diagnostic tools and repurposing safe drugs, we aim to shift dementia care toward early detection and prevention. The project brings together internationally recognized investigators with complementary expertise in glymphatic research, brain imaging, fluid dynamics, molecular neuroscience, and translational medicine. The consortium includes academic leaders from Denmark, Norway, Finland and Sweden, each contributing distinct methodological and conceptual strengths. Together, the team spans the full translational pipeline – from molecular discovery in animal models to clinical implementation of imaging tools and therapeutic strategies for patients with vascular disease. The proposal capitalizes on the uniquely strong and collaborative glymphatic research community in Scandinavia.