email: ernest.arenas@ki.se

Born the 13th of June, 1962, in Lleida (Spain), Dr Arenas studied Medicine in the University of Barcelona and graduated in 1986. Completed his PhD on neurotransmission in the basal ganglia in 1991, in the University of Barcelona. Obtained a postdoctoral fellowship from the European Molecular Biology Organization to work at the Karolinska Institute to study neuroprotection by neurotrophic factors in animal models of Parkinson’s disease. In 1994 he obtained an Associate Professor position from the Swedish Medical Research Council and in 1998 a tenure track Assistant Professor position from the Karolinska Institute. Since 2002 he has been Professor in Stem Cell Neurobiology and is currently working in the Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology (MBB) at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Research Interests: Development of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Identification and characterization of the function of glial-derived signals in the development of dopaminergic neurons. Regeneration of the nigrostriatal pathway. Development of human dopaminergic neuronal cell lines for transplantation. Cellular and molecular characterization of stem cells. Induction of dopaminergic neurons and development of stem cell therapies for Parkinson’s disease. Awards and Honors: Thesis Award: Best thesis in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona (Spain), in 1991. Coordinator of a project of the European Commission (BIOMED-2 program): “Neurotrophic factors in Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease models: A gene therapy approach” from 1996-1999. Award by the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences in the area of Medicine, in 2001. Award from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research within the area of Stem Cells and Dopaminergic Neurons, in 2001.