K.G. Jebsen Centre for Brain Fluid Research

The center will develop tools for precision diagnostics of dementia, provide more personalized treatment of brain cancer and gain more knowledge about the brain’s cleansing system. The center is led by Professor Per Kristian Eide, University of Oslo (UiO).

UiO is the host institution and Oslo University Hospital (OUS) and Simula Research Laboratory are partners. In the last 10 years, great progress has been made in our understanding of brain fluid and its importance for brain health. Brain fluid plays a key role in the brain’s so-called cleansing system. Through this brain cleansing system, waste products that can be harmful to the brain are removed; it is estimated that a healthy adult brain must get rid of approximately 3 grams of waste products from metabolism per day. The researchers at the center will investigate the role of cerebrospinal fluid in dementia, brain cancer and sleep using interdisciplinary research and modern methods such as advanced imaging and modeling. Failure of this brain cleansing system means that harmful substances are not excreted in a normal way. The result is that they accumulate in the brain. For example, Per Christian Eide’s research group found that such accumulation of waste products in the brain is common to many dementia diseases. Over 100,000 Norwegians have dementia today, and the number is expected to more than double by 2050, according to figures from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

We know that the cerebrospinal fluid and the brain cleansing system are important for normal brain health. It is difficult to see brain diseases where the cleansing system does not play a role. Gaining more knowledge about our brain cleansing system will therefore be of great importance for a number of brain diseases, says Eide. Sleep or lack of sleep also affects the brain’s cleansing system. The new K.G. Jebsen Center will therefore study how they affect the cleansing system from a molecular perspective. The center will develop tools that will measure how effectively the brain’s cleansing system works in individual patients. Such individual measurement can be used to predict a person’s risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. This tool also gives researchers the opportunity to diagnose dementia diseases earlier than we can today.

The researchers will also look at how brain fluid helps transport drugs into the brain along the outside of the blood vessels. This is particularly relevant for patients with brain cancer who receive drugs via the brain fluid. With current treatment, they receive a standard dosage. There is no personalized dosage of chemotherapy given in the brain fluid, and this can be unfortunate. High dosage can be harmful to the patient, but too low a dosage can result in a lack of treatment effect. The K.G. Jebsen Center will therefore establish new imaging diagnostics that will make it possible to determine how much cancer medicine reaches the individual parts of the brain. This is a new type of diagnostics that will have direct significance for clinical practice and can make a big difference for patients. The center is based on a well-established and interdisciplinary collaboration between UiO, OUS and Simula Research Laboratory. Simula contributes cutting-edge expertise in applied mathematics, machine learning and simulation technology, and will lead the development of new software and models for precision diagnostics: combined biophysics and artificial intelligence models will provide new knowledge about how the brain’s cleansing system works. These models will be trained on MRI images and blood samples, and can be used for personalized diagnostics or treatment.

Overview of key people:
Per Kristian Eide, UiO /OUS
Kyrre Eeg Emblem, OUS
Rune Enger, UiO
Susanne M Sørensen Hernes, Sørlandet Hospital and UiB
Kent-Andre Mardal, UiO
Marie Rognes, Simula
Geir Ringstad, OUS