Two University of Gothenburg researchers awarded major European research grants

Mitochondria are the cell’s powerhouses, generating the energy required for our organs and tissues to function. To do so, they depend on their own DNA. Despite decades of research, scientists still do not fully understand how this DNA is regulated, replicated, and protected.

“What excites me most is that we finally have the tools to address questions that have remained unanswered for decades. If we can understand these mechanisms, we will also gain a better understanding of what goes wrong in disease,” says Maria Falkenberg, Professor of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Gothenburg.

In the MITOLOOP project, the researchers will investigate a small region of mitochondrial DNA that acts as a control center for both DNA replication and gene expression. They aim to understand how cells regulate the amount of mitochondrial DNA and how these processes are coordinated to maintain mitochondrial function.

In the long term, this knowledge could open the door to new strategies to increase the amount of healthy mitochondrial DNA in cells. This may be important both for improving our understanding of mitochondrial diseases and for developing new treatments. Mitochondrial diseases are severe and often life-threatening disorders, but the findings may also be relevant to other, more common diseases in which impaired mitochondrial function is a hallmark.
 

Work, identity, and political change

Having an occupation is about more than earning a living. Occupations shape people’s identities, social status, and sense of belonging. But what happens when an occupation gradually disappears?

“Many people today worry that automation and artificial intelligence will replace their jobs. At the same time, many occupations have declined or disappeared entirely over the past century, and democratic societies have successfully navigated these changes. By learning from that experience, we can better prepare for the future,” says Johannes Lindvall, Professor of Political Science at the University of Gothenburg.

In the OCCPOL project, Johannes Lindvall and his research team will examine the political consequences of major occupational decline and disappearance. By studying developments in Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States from the late nineteenth century to the present day, the researchers will analyze how changes in the labor market influence political participation, political attitudes, and party choice.

The researchers hope to explain why the effects vary across countries, time periods, and occupational groups. Their findings may provide important perspectives on current debates about automation, artificial intelligence, and the future of work.