Issue 17th September 2020: Research, Innovation, Technology

How do we navigate from one place to another, and how do we know where we are? There are connections in the brain that enable us to do so, and it has taken a long time to understand something so important.

Edvard and May-Britt Moser’s experiments with rats showed what really happens. They discovered cells in an area of the brain that help us to understand our position in a room or outdoors and thus know where we are.

Moser and Moser were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2014 for their work. As highly skilled scientists with excellent product ideas, they have received funding from both the Norwegian and the European Research Councils and from the American Kavli Foundation.

The Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, founded by Moser and Moser, is recognised as a leading international institute on space, time and memory in the brain and attracts top scientists and researchers from all over the world. It is of major importance not only for research but also for the recruitment and training of young talent from all corners of the globe to this field of research.

Ultrasound technology for the heart

A partnership between engineering and medicine has resulted in an ultrasound technique and technology that are indispensable today.

Echocardiography is a test that uses ultrasound to diagnose heart conditions by measuring the speed of blood flowing through blood vessels and the heart. It makes it easier to perform cardiac evaluations and provides a more accurate diagnosis.

The technology used to diagnose cardiovascular diseases, used by doctors and surgeons worldwide, was developed by Norwegian researchers. A lack of equipment and resources for the research was one of the challenges facing the research community.

An industrial company, Vingmed, in the Norwegian town of Horten stepped in as a partner and it was thanks to them that it was possible to drive forward the technology.

Had it not been for Vingmed’s support, the technology would probably not have been developed in Norway. GE Vingmed Ultrasound, which is the name of the company today, is a world-leading manufacturer of cardiovascular ultrasound equipment.