From Cell to Society

From Cell to Society

2019

KI’S NEW PROFESSORS ON THEIR RESEARCH MEET THE PRIZEWINNERS

Cover image: Historia naturalis ranarum August Johann Rösel von Rosenhof, 1705–1759 Hagströmer Library, Karolinska Institutet

The historical posters on the cover and on pages 2, 6, 21, 22, 31 and 32 are from the collections of The Hagströmer Medico-Historical Library.

The library is managed by the Unit for Medical History and Heritage at Karolinska Institutet. hagstromerlibrary.ki.se

From Cell to Society

2019

Die gemeine Erdbeere Icones plantarum medicinalium Joseph Jacob Plenck, 1788–1792 HagstrÜmer Library, Karolinska Institutet

Contents FOREWORD Ole Petter Ottersen President

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PROFESSORS Juan Jesus Carrero Professor of Epidemiology Kilian Eyerich Professor of Dermatology and Venereology Susanne Gabrielsson Professor of Immunology Thomas Gustafsson Professor of Clinical Physiology Marie Hasselberg Professor of Public Health Epidemiology Keith Humphreys Professor of Biostatistics Björn Högberg Professor of Molecular Systems Biophysics Johan Lundin Professor of Medical Technology specialising in digital diagnostics Erik Melén Professor of Paediatrics Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz Professor of Insurance Medicine Ulrica Nilsson Professor of Nursing Camilla Svensson Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pain Physiology Uwe Tietge Professor of Clinical Chemistry

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ADJUNCT PROFESSORS, VISITING PROFESSORS AND FOREIGN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR Iva Gunnarsson Adjunct Professor Henna Hasson Adjunct Professor Martin Holzmann Adjunct Professor Rebecka Hultgren Adjunct Professor Ulrik Sartipy Adjunct Professor Maria Södersten Adjunct Professor Lena Törnkvist Adjunct Professor Carl-Magnus Wahlgren Adjunct Professor Guðmundur Hrafn Guðmundsson Visiting Professor Jonas Mattsson Visiting Professor Kostas Stamatopoulos Visiting Professor Pieter Jelle Visser Visiting Professor Xuetao Cao Foreign Adjunct Professor

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PRIZES AND AWARDS The Grand Silver Medal The Dimitris N. Chorafas Prize The Eric K. Fernström Prize The Med. Dr. Axel Hirsch Prize The Håkan Mogren Prize The Sven & Ebba-Christina Hagberg Prize Karolinska Institutet’s Pedagogical Prize Lennart Nilsson Award

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Foreword It is a special honor for me to congratulate our new professors. Your dedication to improving health and wellbeing, along with your excellent scientific and pedagogic merits, have brought you to where you are today – to the highest academic level of one of the world’s leading medical universities. I am confident that with you on board, Karolinska Institutet will be even more successful as an institution of higher education, even more prominent as a breeding ground for breakthroughs in medical research, and even more visible in the international arena.

During the installation ceremony we recognise your achievements and experience. This recognition comes with high expectations. Karolinska Institutet’s mission is to expand the frontiers of knowledge in order to improve human health. This is ultimately what we are all here to do. It is in the true spirit of this mission that we celebrate you, our new professors.

As professors you are role models – for the students, for your colleagues, and for the world at large. In your role as professors you are expected to pursue your own ideas and nurture your own fields of interest, in research as well as in education. Curiosity-driven research is what brings society forward. This is why we should always champion the idea that academic freedom is not a privilege for the few, but a benefit for the many.

Modern medicine provides us with powerful tools and methods that can do more harm than good if imposed on societies that are ill-equipped to handle them. Thus, ethical dilemmas should not be glossed over but brought forth for critical reflection and open discussions. As a leading university, Karolinska Institutet should be at the forefront in discussing the limits of medicine and in debating the societal impact of new technologies and breakthroughs. I trust you are eager to take part in these discussions.

Karolinska Institutet has been investing heavily in buildings and new infrastructure in recent years – investments that will now serve to benefit your research. We take pride in offering excellent opportunities for both experimental and clinical research, and we are eager to lift our learning environments to even higher levels. Through our educational activities we provide society with much needed competence. In doing so, we should not only respond to extant demands but also cater to the urgent need for new solutions and new ways of thinking. As new professors I am sure you will help us live up to these ambitions.

To serve as a professor is a double privilege: you can push the frontiers of science and you can impact a new generation. A university is a place where these privileges are inextricably intertwined.

In this twenty-fourth issue of From Cell to Society, we present all of our new professors, adjunct professors and visiting professors as well as esteemed individuals who have been awarded prized for their services. I wish you all the very best in your new assignments.

Stockholm, October 2019

Ole Petter Ottersen President, Karolinska Institutet

Photo: Erik Cronberg

PRIZES AND AWARDS

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

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Das unaechte Gummigut Icones plantarum medicinalium Joseph Jacob Plenck, 1788–1792 HagstrÜmer Library, Karolinska Institutet

PROFESSORS

PROFESSOR S

Using big data to avert kidney disease Chronic kidney disease often goes undetected until its late stages, but is of great significance to individuals’ overall health.

Juan Jesus Carrero uses clinical epidemiology to improve the identification and management of those afflicted with the disease.

Juan Jesus Carrero Professor of Epidemiology at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Juan Jesus Carrero was born in 1977 in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. He studied pharmacy at the University of Granada and has an MBA from the Business School of Andalucia.

Juan Jesus Carrero received a doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Granada in 2005. From 2006 to 2008 he was a postdoctoral researcher at KI’s Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), and in 2008 he was awarded a second doctorate in the field of medicine from Karolinska Institutet. Juan Jesus Carrero has conducted research at the Center for Molecular Medicine (CMM) and at CLINTEC, and was appointed Associate Professor of Renal Medicine in 2013. He has conducted research at MEB since 2017.

Juan Jesus Carrero was appointed Professor of Epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet on 1 March 2019.

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What are you researching?

“I am conducting epidemiological research on kidney disease. I use healthcare registers to identify problems related to impaired kidney function, such as risk factors and comorbidity. For example, I examine how lifestyle, obesity, medications, and different diets affect the development and progression of kidney disease. We have shown, among other things, that inappropriate use of several common medications, such as non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and proton pump inhibitors, can accelerate the disease. My research group is also looking at kidney failure screening and collaborating with the healthcare sector in the development of decision-support systems to avoid medication errors.”

Why is this research needed?

“When kidney function is impaired, even mildly, it affects the whole body. It causes toxic waste products to accumulate in the blood, which negatively impacts many organs.

Today we know that this disease affects far more people than previously thought; 10-to-15 per cent of the population is estimated to have kidney disease, and the majo-

rity of them are not aware of it.

By utilising the vast amount of data currently being generated within the healthcare sector, I aim to increase awareness and improve decision support in the care of these patients.

With earlier detection and better knowledge, we can significantly slow the course of their disease.”

What are you hoping for in the long term?

“I hope that we can introduce good screening programs for the early detection of chronic kidney disease, and that the healthcare sector will become a lot better at taking information on kidney function into consideration when making medical assessments. The same applies to prescribing medications and providing lifestyle advice to patients.

I also look forward to exploring uncharacterized links between the kidney and other important diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stress, and impaired cognitive ability.”

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

PROFESSOR S

The causes and treatment of inflammatory skin disease Kilian Eyerich is researching the causes and driving forces behind chronic inflammatory skin diseases, as well as new ways of treating them. An important part of his work is proposing a new classification of diagnoses in the field based on modern science.

Kilian Eyerich Professor of Dermatology and Venereology at the Department of Medicine, Solna Killian Eyerich was born in 1979 in Freiburg, Germany. He studied medicine at the University of Würzburg and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) School of Medicine, where he received his medical degree in 2007 and doctorate in 2010. Between 2007 and 2008, he held a postdoctoral appointment at Instituto Dermopatico dell’Immacolata in Rome, Italy. He was appointed professor at TUM in 2014.

As a clinician, Kilian Eyerich specialises in dermatology and venereology (2012), allergology (2013) and laboratory diagnostics (2015). As part of his move to KI, he has also become a senior consultant at Karolinska University Hospital.

Kilian Eyerich was appointed Professor of Dermatology and Venereology at Karolinska Institutet on 1 August 2019.

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

What are you researching?

“I am researching chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and psoriasis – a group of diseases that affects a large number of people, and in severe cases, can have a profoundly negative impact on people’s quality of life. Among the hundreds of diagnoses in this field, many were established more than a century ago, and the classification no longer corresponds to our knowledge of what actually happens to the skin and the immune system.

My research is about resolving that conflict by developing a modern classification for chronic inflammatory skin diseases based on their molecular characteristics. Updating this ‘map’ will benefit both researchers and medical professionals.”

How are you researching this topic?

“We are operating along the whole chain – from basic research on molecular mechanisms through preclinical tests using cell cultures, or artificial skin, to patient treatment studies. One of the milestones was when we compared psoriasis and atopic dermatitis in the same patient.

This allowed us to show how the

complex interactions between the skin and the immune system can simultaneously generate two distinctly different diseases in the same patient – just a few centimetres apart.”

What do you hope to achieve in the long term?

“Primarily that more patients will receive effective treatment. The first step in that development is to broaden the use of existing medicines for multiple diagnoses. We believe that there is a lot of untapped potential there, and the better we understand how different diagnoses are related, the greater our chances of realising that potential. At some point, I hope that we will be able to contribute both to new forms of treatment and to more individualised treatment through precision medicine. I also believe that once we’ve mapped out all the mechanisms that cause the diseases to emerge, we may be able to develop new cures that simply do not exist today.”

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PROFESSOR S

Studying the function and utility of exosomes Exosomes are tiny particles secreted by cells. They are involved in important processes in the body and may have useful clinical applications, including improved cancer treatments. Susanne Gabrielsson is one of the veterans of this young field of research.

Susanne Gabrielsson Professor of Immunology at the Department of Medicine, Solna Susanne Gabrielsson was born in 1970 and grew up in Örebro. She studied molecular biology at Linköping University, graduating in 1994. In 1999 she defended her doctoral thesis at Stockholm University. From 1999 to 2001 she conducted postdoctoral research at the Institut Curie in Paris.

Since 2001 she has been conducting research at KI – much of it with funding from the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, and the Swedish Cancer Society.

In 2008 she became an associate professor. From 2009 to 2011 she served as chair of KI’s Junior Faculty and was affiliated to KI’s Board of Research.

Since 2013 she has been its representative in the KI Council for Environment and Sustainable Development.

Susanne Gabrielsson was appointed Professor of Immunology at Karolinska Institutet on 1 September 2018.

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What are you researching?

“My research is about exosomes – small vesicles that are secreted by many of the body’s cells. We believe that they are important in several important physiological processes – not least in the immune system – but they are difficult to study and we still know very little about them.

My group is examining what exosomes do and how we can use them, for example in new treatments for cancer and lung diseases such as sarcoidosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.”

What have you discovered?

“Two of my most important discoveries are that exosomes can be found in the lungs, where they can have a pro-inflammatory role, and in breast milk, where they instead appear to have an anti-inflammatory effect.

The study of exosomes in breast milk has actually grown into a separate field in which hundreds of researchers are now involved. Our latest research results pertain to cancer; experiments have demonstrated that treatment with exosomes has a positive effect on malignant melanomas.

We have also contributed knowledge about the role of exosomes in aller-

gies. Our various research tracks drive one other – from nature we learn how exosomes trigger the immune system, and we then try to use these mechanisms therapeutically. When I first started working with exosomes 20 years ago, it was a completely new field of study. Much of my work has involved laying the foundations within this area.”

What do you hope to achieve in the long term?

“I believe that in the future, exosomes may be used clinically in a variety of ways. They have great potential as biomarkers for many different diseases. Therapeutically, they can be used to both stimulate and suppress immune reactions – possible applications, in addition to cancer and lung disease, including neurodegenerative diagnoses such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s, as well as inflammatory conditions like inflammatory bowel disease.

External interest is increasing significantly and we are now collaborating with several research groups to study the role of exosomes in other contexts including diabetes and muscle tissue.”

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

PROFESSOR S

Researching muscle loss due to ageing We become weaker as we get older. For those who suffer from severe muscle loss at an early age, the consequences in everyday life are often significant. Thomas Gustafsson is researching the causes of these changes and how they can be counteracted.

Thomas Gustafsson Professor of Clinical Physiology at the Department of Laboratory Medicine Thomas Gustafsson was born in Falköping in 1968. He graduated with a medical degree from KI in 1994 and obtained his medical licence in 1997.

From 1999 to 2000 he was a research assistant at Duke University, North Carolina, USA, and in 2005 he received a doctoral degree from KI after defending his thesis on growth factors in skeletal muscle. He became an associate professor at KI in 2010, and since 2014 he has been head of the Division of Clinical Physiology at the Department of Laboratory Medicine.

Since 2000, Thomas Gustafsson has been active as a clinician at Karolinska University Hospital; he is currently a senior consultant and head of the Department of Clinical Physiology.

Thomas Gustafsson was appointed Professor of Clinical Physiology at Karolinska Institutet on 1 January 2019.

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

What are you researching?

“I’m researching skeletal muscle and how it is weakened by ageing and disease. We are trying to understand the mechanisms behind this muscle loss, why individuals are affected so differently, and how this deterioration may be counteracted. Loss of muscle mass, sarcopenia, is a typical change that relates to the ageing process. It has a major impact on many elderly individuals’ ability to manage their daily lives independently, and it increases their risk of injury due to falling. My research group consists of both pre-clinicians and clinicians.

We move between patients, healthy individuals, and experimentation with cell cultures, and we combine classical physiological function measurements with new molecular biotechnology. We are also specifically studying the role of sex hormones in sarcopenia.”

One of your research tracks concerns heart failure. Why is that?

“With heart failure, skeletal muscle deterioration in particular plays an important role. It explains in large part the reduced physical performance capacity in heart failure and is actually more decisive for survival

and quality of life than the deterioration of the heart muscle itself. Our studies aim to understand both how skeletal muscle affects wellbeing and prognosis in cases of heart failure, and what mechanisms are causing changes in the structure and function of the muscle.”

What are you hoping for in the long term?

“The goal is to help people be healthier and maintain life quality as we get older. To achieve this, we need a fundamental understanding of the disease and we need to be able to adapt different treatments to different patients. Our bodies all respond very differently, not least to physical activity, which should be reflected in our medical advice and prescriptions. Developing new medicines or using existing medicines in new ways is one possible path. When we identify the reasons why some individuals suffer more, we can try to dampen those mechanisms.”

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PROFESSOR S

Researching the causes of traffic injuries Marie Hasselberg conducts epidemiological research on various types of injuries, including traffic injuries. Her aim is to identify both causes and possible improvements. Much of her research takes place in low- and middle-income countries.

Marie Hasselberg Professor of Public Health Epidemiology at the Department of Public Health Sciences Marie Hasselberg was born in Gävle in 1961. She studied sociology at Stockholm University where she graduated in 1985. During the 1980s and 1990s she worked with public healthrelated issues at the Stockholm County Council and the National Board of Health and Welfare, among others. In 2002-2003 she worked at the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs as part of the Child Safety Commission.

Hasselberg successfully defended her doctoral thesis in social medicine at KI in 2004. Since that time she has been conducting research at KI’s Department of Public Health Sciences.

She was appointed Associate Professor in 2008 and has been head of the department since 2018.

Marie Hasselberg was appointed Professor of Public Health Epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet on 1 July 2019.

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What are you researching?

“I am a sociologist researching traffic and burn injuries from a public health perspective. Much of my research focuses on traffic injuries in low- and middle-income countries – what causes them and how the number of injuries can be reduced.

Our analysis is mainly focussed on the systemic level, which means that we study how changes in the environment and social structure affect people’s safety and freedom of movement. This can be anything from the licensing process for driver’s licences to the use of alcohol and drugs among motorcycle taxi drivers. It sometimes also concerns the design of the traffic environment, for example, how bigger investments in pedestrian bridges over heavy traffic routes impact the safety of different groups.”

Why is this research important?

“Globally, traffic injuries are one of the main causes of invalidity and death – yet there is minimal research being done on road safety in lowand middle-income countries. Most of the research has pertained to high-income countries like Sweden, and the conclusions from this

environment cannot be applied effectively to other countries. One concrete example is that different modes of transport – including cars, motorcycles, bikes, draught animals, and pedestrians – share the same space in low- and middle-income countries to a higher degree than in Sweden.”

Are you also interested in Swedish road safety?

“Yes, the traffic system is constantly changing, so research in this area also needs to continue. Our research in Sweden includes, among other things, a study on quality of life after traffic injuries. We observed surprisingly large social, economic, and psychological consequences for those who have been injured. Many people feel unsafe in traffic following these incidents, which restricts their lives considerably – they spend less time in traffic, and some stop driving completely. There has been a lot of focus on the rehabilitation of physical injuries after traffic accidents, but our research indicates that psychological rehabilitation should also receive attention.”

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

PROFESSOR S

Biostatistician contributing to breast cancer epidemiology Keith Humphreys develops and uses statistical methods for epidemiological research. He has a special interest in breast cancer risk assessment and in the studying the effectiveness of mammography screening.

Keith Humphreys Professor of Biostatistics at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Keith Humphreys was born in 1965 in Bishop’s Stortford, Great Britain.

He studied statistics at Sheffield City Polytechnic and Southampton University where he graduated in 1988 and 1990, respectively. He successfully defended his doctoral thesis at Southampton University in 1996.

Humphreys has had postdoctoral appointments at Stockholm University between 1996-1997 and at Glasgow University between 1997-2000. He began his research at KI’s Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (MEB) in 2001, where he became an associate professor in 2002.

Keith Humphreys was appointed Professor of Biostatistics at Karolinska Institutet on 1 June 2019.

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

What are you researching?

“I am a biostatistician, that is, a statistician who specialises in biological, clinical, and public health data analysis. My research primarily concerns two fields. One of these is breast cancer, which is the most common cancer form among women in Sweden. The research is conducted in close collaboration with medical researchers such as oncologists, radiologists, and epidemiologists.

I have worked on statistical methods for studying the genetics of the disease. Today I primarily study variability in the disease’s progression.”

What does that mean?

“Variations in the disease’s behaviour – for example, that the tumour grows rapidly or spreads aggressively in certain patients but progresses more slowly in others. In order to better understand these differences, we are developing statistical methods for analysing large amounts of complex data combined from many sources: population registers, clinical data including x-ray images from mammograms, and molecular data from biobanks. My hope is that our results can provide insights into screening

effectiveness and make it easier to identify women with a high risk of developing an aggressive form of breast cancer.”

What is the other field of focus in your research?

“It concerns the subject of biostatistics as its own independent research discipline. It is important for a medical university such as KI to continue developing its position in this area.

The conditions are changing rapidly.

Modern biomedical technology has resulted in an explosive increase in data, which could be used for research purposes – but in order to fully utilise it, we also need a vibrant biostatistics discipline. A closely related issue in which I am interested is how new research infrastructures for large-scale computations might be used more effectively in medical research.”

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PROFESSOR S

The art of folding DNA DNA origami involves ways in which DNA can be used to build nanoscale constructions. Björn Högberg has improved this technique and uses it for both basic research and the development of clinical applications.

Björn Högberg Professor of Molecular Systems Biophysics at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics Björn Högberg was born in 1975 and grew up in Sundsvall. After receiving his Master of Science in Engineering degree in Engineering Physics at Uppsala University in 2000, he conducted specialist studies in superconductivity at Chalmers University of Technology and earned a Licentiate of Engineering degree in 2002. He received his doctorate in 2007 at Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, with a doctoral thesis on DNA-mediated nanostructures.

From 2008 to 2010, Björn Högberg worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School. He came to KI and the Department of Neuroscience in 2010. In 2015 he became an associate professor and moved to the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics.

Björn Högberg was appointed Professor of Molecular Systems Biophysics at Karolinska Institutet on 1 January 2019.

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What are you researching?

“In my lab we are researching DNA as a building material for nanoscale construction. The technique is often called ‘DNA origami’ because it involves folding DNA into a threedimensional structure. Previous methods of DNA origami were very limited in terms of what forms they could create. The structures also fell apart easily outside the lab environment and were therefore unsuitable for use in the body. My group has developed a completely new method that yields more resilient structures and the ability to create more complex geometry. We design the forms in a computer programme that then translates these blueprints into DNA sequences.”

Why build with DNA? “It is a suitable material for nanostructures for many reasons. DNA can store a great deal of information and is also programmable. It is an endogenous molecule that is very carefully mapped, and the technology for producing customised DNA strings already exists. DNA has also proved to be very reliable – it nearly always folds the way we intend. I am becoming increasingly inclined to

believe that DNA origami has been previously used in evolution.”

What would DNA origami be used for?

“One hope is that we can build nanobots that could, for example, transport drugs to precisely the right place in the body. My group researches this type of clinical application, but we also use DNA origami for basic research. Its precision makes it a rewarding tool. Among other things, we study how cells detect proteins on the surface of adjacent cells – what one might call the cells’ tactile communication. Another area is immunology, where we have studied how the strength of an antibody’s binding is affected by the distance between the two antigens to which it binds itself. It turns out that the strongest binding occurs at around 16 nanometres. Now we are continuing our research along all these tracks.”

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

PROFESSOR S

Artificial intelligence for medical diagnostics Johan Lundin is using mobile digital solutions and artificial intelligence to make diagnostics accessible, safe, and accurate in low-income countries. The tools he is developing can also reduce the workload of doctors and laboratory personnel in high-income countries.

Johan Lundin Professor of Medical Technology specialising in digital diagnostics at the Department of Public Health Sciences Johan Lundin was born in Helsinki in 1964. He graduated with a medical degree from the University of Helsinki in 1990 and received a doctorate from the same institution in 1996. Between 1997 and 2003 he was a postdoctoral researcher at the university’s Department of Oncology.

Johan Lundin also became an associate professor in biomedical informatics in 2003. He has conducted research at the Public Health Research Center in Helsinki, Helsinki University Central Hospital, and Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), where he has been its research director since 2011. He was guest professor at KI between 2012 and 2017.

Johan Lundin was appointed Professor of Medical Technology specialising in digital diagnostics at Karolinska Institutet on 9 January 2019.

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

What are you researching?

“I’m researching new ways of making diagnoses using digitisation and artificial intelligence, with particular focus on solutions for resource-limited countries. We are developing mobile microscopes and combining these with cloud-based artificial intelligence. In low-income countries, lab equipment is currently so expensive and professionals like pathologists are so few in number that many sick people never receive a diagnosis – or receive it too late.

By making digital microscopes connected to the mobile network standard equipment in rural hospitals, and using AI to preview samples and reduce doctors’ workload, it will be possible to help many more people.”

How far have you gotten?

“We have made several prototypes of the microscopes, based primarily on components from the mobile phone industry. This is how we keep the costs down. The mobile industry’s high volumes provide low unit prices. We have also developed several AI algorithms that have learned to recognise different diseases in digitised samples. We are now testing the

entire method in a screening study for cervical cancer in Kenya. We have also worked with AI diagnosis of parasitic diseases like malaria, schistosomiasis, and soil-transmitted infections, as well as AI classification of burn injuries. We have recently commenced a project involving the AI-assisted diagnosis of pneumonia.”

What are you hoping for in the long term?

“There are rapid developments within the fields of AI and mobile network performance, so I am very positive about our ability to make the concept work. When the diagnostics for an initial disease are up and running, this can then be expanded to encompass additional diseases – essentially to all imagebased diagnostics. Our research is also relevant for high-income countries: AI assistants that can sort and preview medical images would also reduce the workload and shorten waiting times in Sweden.

Imagine a scenario where we can give women their pap smear or mammography results immediately during their appointments, instead of through the mail several weeks later!”

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PROFESSOR S

Early years’ impact on long-term lung health Erik Melén conducts research on the causes of allergies, asthma, and other paediatric lung problems as well as the factors that influence disease progression over time. His goal is to develop knowledge and treatments for better lung health over a person’s lifetime.

Erik Melén Professor of Paediatrics at the Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset Erik Melén was born in 1975 and grew up in Skövde. He graduated with a medical degree from Uppsala University in 2001 and received his medical licence in 2005. In 2006 he obtained a doctorate at KI with a genetic study of allergic diseases and asthma in children From 2009 to 2010 he was a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard Medical School, followed by a research position at KI’s Institute of Environmental Medicine, where in 2012 he became an associate professor. In 2015 he was awarded Prince Daniel’s grant from the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation and in 2017 he was the beneficiary of a European Research Council Starting Grant. Melén’s clinical specialisation is in paediatrics (2012) and paediatric allergy (2017).

He has been working at Sachs’ Children’s and Youth Hospital, SÖS, since 2013.

Erik Melén was appointed Professor of Paediatrics at Karolinska Institutet on 1 June 2019.

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What are you researching?

“We want to understand why some children suffer from asthma, allergies, and lung problems, and identify factors that affect their long-term health – for example, whether these problems may lead to chronic diseases, such as COPD, once children reach adulthood. Asthma and allergies are common diseases that affect a large proportion of the population and which, in severe cases, considerably impact life quality. Ultimately we hope to contribute to the development of treatments and even a cure for asthma and allergies. We also hope to provide better knowledge on how these diseases can be prevented.

Our research ranges from genetic factors and molecular mechanisms to environmental factors such as diet, as well as exposure to air pollution, smoking, and chemicals.”

What are your most important discoveries?

“The BAMSE study, for which I have been principal investigator since 2014, has been going on for many years and has contributed important new knowledge, for example, about the factors during a baby’s first year that have the greatest effect on lung

function and diseases later in life.

This relates not least to air pollution, tobacco smoke exposure, and premature birth. Another important contribution is that we have demonstrated the value of molecular diagnostics in allergic diseases, which means that today we can distinguish a ‘genuine’ peanut allergy from crossreactivity with a birch pollen allergy.”

How will your research evolve in the future?

“We are now directing the research back to the clinic and to the basic question of how we can best help our patients maintain lung health throughout their lives. I look forward to starting several clinical intervention studies based on the knowledge and hypotheses we have generated thus far. At the same time, we are continuing with basic research including genetics, epigenetics, and molecular mechanisms with the aim of identifying new biomarkers for disease. For example, we want to understand more about individual differences so that we can identify particularly vulnerable patients and provide individually customised treatment.”

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

PROFESSOR S

Insurance medicine and mental disorders Mental disorders, such as depressive and anxiety disorders, can lead to long-term sick leave – but excessively prolonged sick leave can also aggravate the illness. Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz conducts research on the links between mental disorders and social insurance.

Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz Professor of Insurance Medicine at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz was born in 1970 in Linz, Austria. In 1997 she earned a Master of Nutrition Science degree at the University of Vienna.

She subsequently worked as an expert at the World Health Organization in Copenhagen from 1998 to 1999 and at the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome from 1999 to 2000.

From 1999 to 2001 she also worked as a research assistant at the Swedish Institute of Psychosocial Medicine (IPM) in Stockholm, and in 2005 she received her PhD at KI with a doctoral thesis on suicide risk factors. Following a period as a project coordinator at IPM, she returned to KI in 2008 and became an associate professor in 2013.

Ellenor Mittendorfer-Rutz was appointed Professor of Insurance Medicine at Karolinska Institutet on 1 April 2019.

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

What is your main area of research?

“My research is mainly situated at the intersection of psychiatric epidemiology and insurance medicine – that is to say, the study of mental disorders from a social insurance perspective.

Above all, I am interested in longterm sick leave for mental disorders – what factors lead to it, what are its consequences, and what treatment is most effective in facilitating return to work. We have also started to specifically study mental disorders, suicidal behaviour and sickness absence among refugees and other migrants because they constitute a large group of people whose needs are often neglected.”

What are your most important discoveries?

“One clinically important finding relates to comorbidity. We have demonstrated that mental disorders severely impair the prognosis when it comes to work disability (i.e. sickness absence and disability pension) for people with cardiovascular disease, among other disorders. We have further developed a model that identifies patients who are at high risk of remaining on long-term sick leave based on clinical, psychosocial and

socio-economic factors. With regard to refugees, we have demonstrated a surprising association: despite a higher prevalence of mental disorders in this group, the risk of suicide is lower than that of the rest of the Swedish population. Unfortunately, this is not the case for unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, among whom the suicide rate in 2017 was eight times higher than among their peers in Sweden. We reported this finding in a 2018 study that drew considerable attention.”

Is the subject of insurance medicine a timely one?

“Absolutely. After many years of neglect, this field is now evolving quickly. One reason behind this development is that common mental disorders like depression and anxiety are now the predominant causes of long-term sick leave and disability pension, so it is critical that we increase knowledge in the field. The goal is to reduce the costs, which are enormous – both in terms of human suffering and socio-economic aspects.”

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Developing e-health for improved care A mobile app for postoperative follow-up care leads to better patient outcomes and lower healthcare costs.

Ulrica Nilsson investigates how e-health solutions can improve perioperative care.

Ulrica Nilsson Professor of Nursing at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society Ulrica Nilsson was born in Dals-Ed in 1960 and became a registered nurse in 1980. As a clinician, she has worked as a nurse anaesthetist since 1985 – currently at Karolinska University Hospital. She received her doctorate at Linköping University in 2003, and then began her research at Örebro University.

From 2005 to 2012 she served as a scientific advisor at the Centre for Healthcare Sciences at Örebro University Hospital, and from 2010 to 2012 she held a joint position at Umeå University and the University Hospital of Umeå. She became an associate professor at Örebro University in 2009 and a full professor in 2012.

Ulrica Nilsson was appointed Professor of Nursing at Karolinska Institutet on 1 September 2018.

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What are you researching?

“I am researching how healthcare can be improved for patients who have undergone surgery. Above all, I am interested in identifying those patients who need a little extra support, and in developing better ways to help them. Our healthcare services are good at following up things as pain and nausea after surgical procedures, but this does not provide the full picture. Other factors are also important for recovery, such as the way patients understand information, their mental health, whether they are sleeping well, and whether they feel worried.

However, these issues are often not followed up. We know that patients who experience these types of problems experience more symptoms, suffer from more complications and are more likely to seek emergency care.”

How are you researching this topic?

“Among other things, we have created a mobile app that allows us to follow up with patients for two weeks after day surgery. They answer daily questions about how they are feeling and are allowed to choose when they wish to be contacted by their care

provider. The results showed that the patients felt secure, suffered from fewer symptoms, and sought out emergency care less frequently when they had questions. On average, the telephone calls were six and a half minutes long – this is a very costeffective way to remove some of the burden from the emergency care services. There has been great external interest in our project, and I hope that these kinds of solutions will soon be implemented into the healthcare system. We are far behind the rest of society when it comes to using apps for better communication, data collection and follow-up.”

What do you intend to do next?

“We plan to examine how other factors, such as a lack of language skills, cognitive impairment and physical activity, affect recovery after surgery. We will also begin to study other patient groups, such as patients who have undergone obesity surgery.

Another exciting track is a collaboration that we have just initiated with gaming design researchers.

Our aim is to develop a mobile game that measures cognition.”

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PROFESSOR S

Changing our view of persistent pain Living with chronic pain is challenging – not least because of the limited number of good treatments. Camilla Svensson is researching the mechanisms behind persistent pain in rheumatic diseases and how it can be tackled in new, more effective ways.

Camilla Svensson Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pain Physiology at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology Camilla Svensson was born in 1973 in Vetlanda and completed her degree in pharmaceutical biosciences at Uppsala University in 1999. In 2005, she was awarded a doctorate in Molecular Pathology at the University of CaliforniaSan Diego (UCSD), USA. She continued as a postdoctoral researcher at the same university from 2005 to 2008.

Since 2008, Camilla Svensson has led a research group at KI, where she became an associate professor in 2015.

She has received numerous awards, including the Future Research Leader Award from the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research. Since 2016 she has also been affiliated with UCSD as an Adjunct Associate Professor.

Camilla Svensson was appointed Professor in Cellular and Molecular Pain Physiology at Karolinska Institutet on 18 October 2018.

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

What are you researching?

“I am a pain researcher focusing on persistent pain in rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. We are trying to understand what it is within the disease process that causes pain, and find new and better ways to treat it.

Chronic or long-term pain has a very negative impact on life quality, and most drugs currently available for treatment either have only modest effect or are associated with problematic side-effects.”

What have you discovered?

“Our latest important discovery points toward an autoimmune component to fibromyalgia-related pain. We know that antibodies from fibromyalgia patients make pain fibres more reactive, and have seen these antibodies binding to cells surrounding the pain nerves’ cell bodies in the dorsal root ganglia; we think there may be an important link between these two observations.

We have also discovered a mechanism that allows antibodies that have formed a complex to affect neurons directly. Like immune cells, the constant part of the antibodies can then bind to receptors on the neuron.

This finding was unexpected and may explain how pain can occur long before inflammation in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

A third important finding concerns communication between bone cells and pain neurons. We have shown that antibodies that activate osteoclasts, bone-resorbing cells, release substances that cause pain.”

What are your next steps?

“We are collaborating with other groups to try to identify the antigen that the antibodies bind to in fibromyalgia. If we succeed, there will be many potential applications, from biomarkers to treatment targets.

We also want to do more detailed studies regarding how antibodies in complex formation can activate pain neurons, and investigate whether this is a general pain mechanism in autoimmune diseases. We are in a very exciting phase of pain research – our view of disease-related factors that contribute to chronic pain is fundamentally changing based on our own and other groups’ discoveries.”

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PROFESSOR S

The role of cholesterol in cardiovascular disease Uwe Tietge researches the function of cholesterol in the body.

His aim is to map basic mechanisms of metabolism’s molecular regulation and to identify novel targets for innovative cardiovascular disease treatments.

Uwe Tietge Professor of Clinical Chemistry at the Department of Laboratory Medicine Uwe Tietge was born in Munich in 1968 and studied at the Hannover Medical School, Germany, where he received a medical degree in 1994.

He trained in internal medicine from 1994 to 1997 and received his doctorate in 1996. Between 1997 and 2000 he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, USA. From 2001 through 2004, Tietge worked at the Charité in Berlin, Germany, and from 2004 to 2019 as an associate professor at the University Medical Centre Groningen, Netherlands.

In connection with his move to KI, Tietge will also work as a clinical biochemist at Karolinska University Hospital.

Uwe Tietge was appointed Professor of Clinical Chemistry at Karolinska Institutet on 1 November 2018.

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What are you researching?

“I am mainly researching cholesterol – a type of fat that has a strong link to cardiovascular disease. Cholesterol comes in various forms and can be harmful or protective, depending on its composition; we are trying to understand why this is so. We are primarily studying what is commonly referred to as ‘good cholesterol’, or HDL, and how it functions. Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in the world, and knowing why HDL has a protective effect can conceivably lead to better treatments. We are also increasingly researching how the body’s bacterial ecosystems, its microbiota, are connected to cholesterol and health in a broader context.”

How are you researching this topic?

“We alternate between human cohorts, mouse models, and cell culture – once we have made an observation and formulated a hypothesis in one system, we test it in another. When studying HDL function in cohorts, we have the capacity to process quite large numbers – our biggest HDL function study to date involved 1600 samples. Not many other groups

in the world conduct comparable research on that scale. In terms of microbiota, we have worked intensively with bacteria-free mice, which are very useful when studying individual bacteria species or the entire microbiota.”

What are your most important discoveries?

“We have demonstrated that something called reverse cholesterol transport exists as a pathway and is critically dependant on excretion of cholesterol into the bile. This had been assumed to occur since the 1960s, but we were the first to experimentally verify the path cholesterol takes in this process.

Another finding, which I believe will affect the perception of cholesterol and health, is that young mice’s exposure to high versus low cholesterol in breast milk has a long-term effect on intestinal cholesterol processing.”

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

Welsch bernklaw New Kreüterbuch

PROFESSOR S

Leonhard Fuchs, 1543 Hagströmer Library, Karolinska Institutet

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PROFESSOR S Die gemeine Gichtrose Icones plantarum medicinalium Joseph Jacob Plenck, 1788–1792 Hagströmer Library, Karolinska Institutet

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FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

VISITING PROFESSOR S

ADJUNCT PROFESSORS, VISITING PROFESSORS AND FOREIGN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

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ADJUNCT PROFESSOR S

Iva Gunnarsson Adjunct Professor of Rheumatology at the Department of Medicine, Solna, since 1 June 2019 Primary position Senior Consultant at Karolinska University Hospital Research Iva Gunnarsson is a rheumatologist who is conducting research on kidney inflammation in patients with rheumatic diseases, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Kidney inflammation occurs in approximately 40 per cent of patients with SLE, some of whom are so severely affected that they require dialysis or an organ transplant. Iva Gunnarsson studies how kidney damage occurs and the factors that determine if and how severely a patient is impacted. Her research aims, among other things, to identify subgroups of SLE patients presenting with renal disorders, along with biomarkers for assessing prognosis and treatment responses. In a study that gained significant attention, she found that kidney inflammation persists in approximately half of all cases, despite active treatment, and that follow-up biopsies are important.

In her research, Gunnarsson also evaluates the effects and side-effects of new biological therapies that have been developed for other diagnoses but which are now used for SLE patients.

Henna Hasson Adjunct Professor of Implementation Research at the Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics from 1 December 2018

Photo: Eva Lindblad

Primary position Head of Unit at the Centre for Epidemiology and Community Medicine (CES), Stockholm Health Care Services (SLSO), Region Stockholm

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Research Henna Hasson researches how new knowledge and innovations are introduced into healthcare settings and how methods that should no longer be used are discarded.

Her goals are to better understand the chain of events from innovation and research to implementation of improvements within clinical practice, and to develop methods that make this process more efficient. Among other things, Henna Hasson’s research group has developed a leadership program that strengthens managers’ implementation capacity.

The programme has demonstrated good outcomes and has been widely disseminated in Sweden and abroad. Henna Hasson’s group is now developing similar programmes for other target groups, including politicians and other decision-makers.

Henna Hasson is also interested in the ability of the healthcare sector to assimilate the innovations of patients and their caregivers. In a recently launched programme, she will study the best ways to take advantage of patient-driven innovations.

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ADJUNCT PROFESSOR S

Martin Holzmann Adjunct Professor of Clinical Cardiovascular Epidemiology at the Department of Medicine, Solna, from 1 September 2018 Primary position Senior Consultant at Karolinska University Hospital Research Martin Holzmann conducts research in clinical epidemiology with a focus on biomarkers for cardiac muscle damage. Scarcely a decade has passed since the introduction of a more sensitive method for measuring heart-specific proteins (troponin) in the blood following a suspected myocardial infarction. In a number of studies, Martin Holzmann has investigated how this method has affected healthcare and what new knowledge it reveals about the relationship between troponin content and health. He has discovered, among other things, that measurable levels of troponin in the blood pose a significantly higher risk of premature death – even for those who do not experience a myocardial infarction.

He has also demonstrated that a single test showing undetectably low troponin content is sufficient to safely exclude myocardial infarction – a finding that is now included in clinical guidelines.

Holzmann also participates in a number of other research collaborations, including one with the Swedish National Diabetes Register regarding the prognosis of patients with type 1 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Rebecka Hultgren Adjunct Professor of Vascular Surgery at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery from 1 January 2019 Primary position Senior Consultant at Karolinska University Hospital Research Rebecka Hultgren’s research area is abdominal aortic aneurysms, focusing on clinically relevant questions about causes, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. She is particularly interested in sex and gender differences of the illness – while these aneurysms affect more men than women, the outcomes are worse among women. Her research spans from registry to laboratory studies. One basis for her work is a unique biobank at KI that Rebecka Hultgren helped to establish. Among other findings, her group has demonstrated that the increased likelihood of female patients to suffer from a ruptured aneurysm compared to men depends in part on women’s relatively weaker aortic wall. The group has also shown that the risk of being affected by the illness is 6-to-12 times higher for those who have a sibling with an aortic aneurysm than others in the population. In collaboration with researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology, her research group is developing a digital tool for evaluating the risk of ruptured aortic aneurysms based on X-ray images.

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ADJUNCT PROFESSOR S

Ulrik Sartipy Adjunct Professor of Thoracic Surgery at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery from 1 February 2019 Primary position Senior Consultant at Karolinska University Hospital Research Ulrik Sartipy is a cardiac surgeon and researcher in clinical epidemiology. The goal of his research is to help his patients – individuals who require heart surgery. Using national quality registries such as Swedeheart, he compares various treatment options and how co-morbidities such as kidney disease, diabetes and depression, affect the prognosis of people who have undergone cardiac surgery. He has discovered, among other things, that even mild renal impairment significantly worsens a patient’s prognosis.

In another study, Sartipy demonstrated that in relatively young patients, mechanical aortic valve prostheses result in better survival rates than biological ones – an important finding that went against prevailing views. Now he is continuing his work by studying the significance of the prosthetic valve’s size and fit.

In his research on how storage affects blood bags, Ulrik Sartipy has shown that blood stored for a long period of time does not produce inferior outcomes when used for transfusions in connection with cardiac surgery.

Maria Södersten Adjunct Professor of Speech and Language Pathology at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology from 1 March 2019 Primary position Speech and Language Pathologist at Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge Research Maria Södersten researches the evaluation and treatment of various voice disorders. One important aspect of her research is the development of methods to clinically assess voice function. This work, which is carried out in collaboration with KTH engineers, includes new technical solutions for standardised recordings and acoustic measurements in the laboratory environment, as well as long-term measurements of voice use in everyday life. Another important aspect of her work is the development of validated questionnaires to attain information about how patients experience voice problems and their consequences for life quality.

Södersten’s research currently focuses on voice treatment for transgender clients with gender and vocal dysphoria. The goal is that the voice shall be congruent with the client’s self-identified gender. In collaboration with Australian researchers, she is leading a prospective treatment study about gender-confirming feminising voice treatment for trans women.

Maria Södersten also makes major educational contributions as a coordinator for courses in both the Speech and Language Pathology programme and freestanding courses.

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FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

ADJUNCT PROFESSOR S

Lena Törnkvist Adjunct Professor of Clinical Primary Care and Nursing at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society from 1 January 2019

Photo: Marie-Therese Karlberg

Primary position Head of Continuing Education and Development at the Academic Primary Care Centre, Stockholm Health Care Services (SLSO), Region Stockholm Research Lena Törnkvist is a district nurse and received her doctorate in 2001 with a thesis on chronic pain. Her research spans several areas of primary care such as pain, patient dialogue, pharmaceutical usage, pedagogical methods and the development of new tools.

One example of her work is the ongoing development of the Safe Medication Assessment instrument, which involves the role of nursing in pharmaceutical usage. One result of Lena Törnkvist’s research that has attracted great international interest is ConPrim – a concept for continuing education that is specially designed to suit the needs and conditions of primary care.

With her roots in education, care development and research, Lena Törnkvist has helped to shorten the gap between these activities, and as a researcher and supervisor, she has been a pioneer in the advancement of primary care’s academic growth.

Carl-Magnus Wahlgren Adjunct Professor of Trauma Surgery at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery since 1 June 2019

Photo: Private

Primary position Senior Consultant at Karolinska University Hospital

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

Research Carl-Magnus Wahlgren conducts research on critical haemorrhage during trauma: how the blood’s ability to coagulate changes, and why. Trauma is globally viewed as one of the leading causes of death and disability. Today, approximately 40 per cent of all trauma-related fatalities are caused when patients bleed to death, which typically occurs within hours after injury. Many of these deaths could potentially be prevented if the bleeding can be stopped at an early stage.

Wahlgren’s research ranges from experimental studies to epidemiological and clinical studies. His goal is to understand the mechanisms behind trauma-related deterioration in the blood’s ability to coagulate, known as trauma-induced coagulopathy, and to contribute to more effective methods for diagnosing and treating this condition. Such treatment may involve substances that boost coagulation ability, altered surgical procedures, or changes to blood transfusion protocols.

An important aspect of Wahlgren’s research is identifying the balance between bleeding and thrombosis (blood clot formation) in order to provide more insight into how these risks should be weighed against one another when treating vascular injury.

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VISITING PROFESSOR S

Guðmundur Hrafn Guðmundsson Visiting Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the Department of Laboratory Medicine from 1 April 2019

Photo: Kristinn Ingvarsson

Primary position Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Iceland Research Guðmundur Hrafn Guðmundsson became a professor in Iceland in 2001 and has played an important role in the understanding of antimicrobial peptides in human immunity.

During the late 1990s he characterized the sole human cathelicidin gene. Its active peptide LL-37 has become a very useful marker for innate immunity with pronounced expression in healthy individuals and downregulation in patients with specific bacterial infections.

Through his research, Guðmundsson has examined downregulation of LL-37 in great detail and explored potential therapeutic targets. His research group has recently discovered and characterized novel potent inducers of innate immunity with the potential to treat antibiotic resistant infections.

Guðmundsson has published close to 80 original articles and has four patents linked to his research findings. He has founded two start-up companies – Akthelia in Iceland and Cytacoat in Sweden. His current research concerns the regulation of innate immunity to strengthen the first line of defence against pathogens, with implications in both therapeutic and preventive settings.

Jonas Mattsson Visiting Professor of Cell Therapy at the Department of OncologyPathology from 1 January 2019 Primary position Professor at the University of Toronto and Director of the Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant Program and Senior Physician, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Research Jonas Mattsson’s research is based on his clinical work with stem cell transplantation and cancer. One central theme is immunotherapy, in which he and a team of American colleagues collaborate on trials involving genetically reprogrammed white blood cells (known as CAR T cells) as part of a new treatment for ovarian, lung and breast cancer.

Jonas Mattsson studies how antibodies can be used as a complement or replacement for chemotherapy to knock out stem cells prior to transplantation. Among other applications, this would be advantageous for children undergoing transplants due to causes other than cancer.

His research also covers issues related to patient-donor matching. Together with colleagues in five other countries, he is preparing a major randomised study to compare the outcomes of two different types of stem cell donors: unrelated donors and haploidentical (‘half-matched’) donors within the patient’s family.

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FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

VISITING PROFESSOR S

Kostas Stamatopoulos Visiting Professor of Molecular Hematology at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery from 1 June 2019

Photo: Kostas Arabatzis

Primary position Director of the Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece Research Kostas Stamatopoulos is researching lymphoma, a group of blood cancers, with a focus on chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a particular type of lymphoma. He is primarily interested in the interaction between the cancer cells and their microenvironment, that is, other cells and substances in their immediate vicinity. Among other goals, the research is aimed at the development of improved biomarkers, more precise diagnosis, and new forms of therapy.

Much of Kostas Stamatopoulos’ research is being conducted as part of a large international network, which also includes colleagues at KI. The network’s data collection from more than 32,000 patients has resulted, among other things, in researchers being able to divide CLL into a number of disease variants. This is relevant for ongoing basic research and research aimed at both clinical applications and better clinical management of patients. Stamatopoulos is now looking forward to more in-depth studies of the microenvironment surrounding cancer cells in each subgroup as well as the genetic and epigenetic characteristics of the cancer cells themselves.

Pieter Jelle Visser Visiting Professor of Neurogeriatrics at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society from 1 January 2019 Primary position Researcher and physician at Amsterdam University Medical Center and researcher at Maastricht University Research Pieter Jelle Visser is conducting research on Alzheimer’s disease, with particular focus on the early stages of the disease – before it causes symptoms. The aim is to understand the mechanisms behind the disease, to develop better methods for early diagnosis, and ultimately to lay the foundations for effective treatments.

A central track in Visser’s research is to use new tools within proteomics to analyse thousands of proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid of Alzheimer’s patients with and without dementia.

Such a broad mapping can help clarify the mechanisms that lead to the aggregation of betaamyloid – the key feature of the disease. In this way, Alzheimer’s disease subtypes, which each need a specific treatment, may be detected.

Pieter Jelle Visser has led a series of extensive European collaborations aimed at creating expansive networks for Alzheimer’s research. In his own research, he has, among other things, used this material to provide information on the prevalence and outcome of betaamyloid aggregation in healthy elderly people.

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

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FOREIGN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR

In order to strengthen its international network of contacts, Karolinska Institutet is appointing well-reputed colleagues from abroad as foreign adjunct professors. Their association with Karolinska Institutet must be one of long-standing international collaboration or scientific exchange. A foreign adjunct professor must hold a position or an appointment corresponding to “full professor” at their home university or elsewhere, and be an internationally leading researcher in his or her field. The term of office normally lasts six years and can be extended upon review. The appointment does not entail any financial undertakings.

Xuetao Cao Foreign Adjunct Professor of Immunology from 1 February 2019 Home university Nankai University, Tianjin, China

Photo: The Xuetao Cao’s lab

Department at KI Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology

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FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

Die Meerwinde Icones plantarum medicinalium

VISITING PROFESSOR S

Joseph Jacob Plenck, 1788–1792 Hagströmer Library, Karolinska Institutet

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

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VISITING PROFESSOR S

Die weichhaarige Thapsie Icones plantarum medicinalium Joseph Jacob Plenck, 1788–1792 Hagströmer Library, Karolinska Institutet

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FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

VISITING PROFESSOR S

PRIZES AND AWARDS

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

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PRIZES AND AWARDS

The Grand Silver Medal The Grand Silver Medal 2019 is awarded to Anita Aperia, Bertil Hamberger, Mai-Lis Hellénius and Sten Grillner in special recognition of the outstanding contributions they have made to medical research and to Karolinska Institutet.

Photo: Private

Anita Aperia, Professor at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, has been awarded the Grand Silver Medal for her great contributions to KI and medical research.

Throughout her entire career, Anita Aperia has conducted research characterised by creativity, quality, and productivity.

She became a professor of paediatrics at KI in 1982 and continues to lead a very active team of researchers. She has written more than 300 articles and her research has been cited nearly 13,000 times.

In her early research, Anita Aperia described the limitations of kidney function in newborns – an important contribution that has had an impact on the treatment of infants suffering from severe fluid loss. She then went on to study how dopamine affects kidney function – the first description of dopaminergic signalling mechanisms outside of the brain. Aperia demonstrated that the salt pump Na+K+ATPase (NKA) is regulated by hormones, making it susceptible to a multitude of endocrine signals. Subsequently, her group showed that NKA also has an important signal transduction function.

Anita Aperia has held a number of important positions within and outside of KI including as a member of the Nobel Assembly and Nobel Committee, director of the Paediatrics Clinic at Karolinska University Hospital (1987-2000), and chair of the class for medical sciences at the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

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Professor Bertil Hamberger has been awarded the Grand Silver Medal for his long service as a researcher, teacher, and leader and for being instrumental in helping Karolinska Institutet achieve its current status of excellence within the field of endocrine surgery research.

Bertil Hamberger has been serving KI and Karolinska University Hospital for over half a century in a multitude of ways and on many different levels. He has been active as a researcher within basic science and clinical research for many years, and in recent years has continued to actively conduct research within the field of endocrine surgery, especially adrenal gland tumours.

Through his numerous contributions within research and education, he has greatly contributed to KI’s many successes over several decades. Through international undertakings and by creating an extensive global network of researchers and clinicians, he has been instrumental in elevating endocrine surgery at KI and Karolinska University Hospital to its current position at the forefront of research and clinical excellence.

Bertil Hamberger has participated in investigations into clinical research at KI and Karolinska University Hospital, and has been the head of a national investigation on the role of university hospitals. As head of the hospital’s research committee in the 1990s, he played an important part in the development of modern clinical research, new research facilities, and the collaboration between KI and the hospital.

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

PRIZES AND AWARDS

ABOUT THE PRIZE

Professor Mai-Lis Hellénius of the Department of Medicine, Solna, has been awarded the Grand Silver Medal for her pioneering work in establishing Sweden’s first Lifestyle Clinic and her exceptional efforts as a public health educator.

As one of the country’s leading public health experts, Mai-Lis Hellénius conducts extensive educational and popular science activities to provide science-based knowledge about the impact of lifestyle on public health. Through her countless lectures, books, debate contributions, interviews, and awardwinning cookbooks, she has enthusiastically disseminated research findings and contributed to public awareness of and interest in evidence-based knowledge about diet, exercise and more.

Her contributions have been widely appreciated and have stimulated discussion and debate on topics such as diet and sedentary lifestyles. She displays great integrity and stands up for science in an exemplary manner, even in the face of adversity.

Mai-Lis Hellénius has also made large contributions to the development of clinical activities, including her pioneering work to establish Sweden’s first Lifestyle Clinic at Karolinska University Hospital in Solna. She was also one of the first doctors in the world to “prescribe physical activity” as early as the 1980s.

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

Photo: Erik Cronberg

The medal is awarded to a person who has made great contributions in support of Karolinska Institutet’s activities. One or more medals will be awarded in conjunction with the installation ceremony in Aula Medica.

Professor Sten Grillner has been awarded the Grand Silver Medal for his outstanding contributions to Karolinska Institutet and to the field of neuroscience over several decades.

Sten Grillner has served Karolinska Institutet at many levels and has been one of the architects of KI’s scientific landscape. Among his many contributions was as the director of the former Nobel Institute for Neurophysiology – one of the world’s leading research laboratories in neuroscience.

Over a thirty-year period, Grillner’s work has revolutionized the study of the neural circuitry in the spinal cord that is responsible for generating the stereotypic motor patterns characteristic of locomotor behaviour. Sten Grillner’s work is now textbook material and he is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of studies on neural circuits and systems neuroscience.

By combining detailed experimental analyses of spinal circuits at the cellular, synaptic, and network levels with the innovative use of modelling and computer simulation, Grillner has profoundly advanced our understanding of the mechanisms of spinal network function, directly linking circuit function to behaviour.

The impact of Grillner’s scientific leadership transcends all fields of neuroscience. It is fair to say that Sten Grillner has been Karolinska Institutet’s and Sweden’s most visible international face of neuroscience.

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PRIZES AND AWARDS

The Eric K. Fernström Prize

Gioele La Manno, previously a doctoral student at KI’s Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, has been awarded the prize for his thesis, Building blocks of the brain – Systematic mapping of cell types of the brain by single-cell transcriptomics.

Gioele La Manno has produced an outstanding thesis, demonstrating excellent skills in both computational and experimental biology as well as original thinking in approaching the study of the brain.

His most important contribution is RNA velocity – a new technique that is already revolutionizing single-cell genomics.

This technique makes it possible to directly measure the dynamic, time-resolved component of gene expression and reveals branch points, commitment steps, and ultimately the entire lineage tree in mammalian tissues. Using this technique, he has also generated a complete atlas of the developing mouse brain, revealing the complex structure of cell differentiation in the mammalian nervous system.

In recognition of his exceptionally successful doctoral thesis, Gioele La Manno was offered a unique EPFL Life Sciences Independent Research (ELISIR) principal investigator position at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.

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lgor Adameyko, Associate Professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, receives the 2019 Eric K. Fernström Prize for young, promising and successful researchers for his discovery of the concept of nerveguided tissue expansion.

Developmental biologist lgor Adameyko, Associate Professor at the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, produced in 2009 a breakthrough by demonstrating that Schwann cell precursors residing along growing peripheral nerves give rise to melanocytes.

These studies introduced a radically new concept for developmental biology in that defined precursor pools existing in a highly specialized niche use nerves as conduits to migrate and differentiate. The concept of peripheral nerves serving as migration ”highways” for progenitor cells has rapidly entered mainstream research and led to a revision of earlier paradigms in the field.

The medical benefits of lgor Adameyko’s research are vast.

His nerve-guided tissue expansion hypothesis will significantly impact several research fields including neurobiology, internal medicine, dentistry, and neurology.

ABOUT THE PRIZE

ABOUT THE PRIZE

The Dimitris N. Chorafas Foundation was founded in 1992. Since 1996, the Foundation has established collaborations with 23 partner universities including Karolinska Institutet. The subject area ’medical science’ focuses on new PhD recipients or doctoral students who are in the final phase of their doctoral work. The candidates should not be older than 32 years of age during their public defense.

The Eric K. Fernström Foundation was established in 1978 and annually awards a Nordic prize and seven prizes to young and particularly promising researchers who have made outstanding contributions to medical science. Each medical faculty in the country elects its prizewinner.

Photo: Adameyko Lab

The Dimitris N. Chorafas Prize

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PRIZES AND AWARDS

The Med. Dr. Axel Hirsch Prize

The Håkan Mogren Prize

Professor Anna Martling is awarded the Med. Dr. Axel Hirsch Prize 2019 for her groundbreaking research with large randomized studies to improve survival and life quality for patients with rectal cancer.

Valdemar Erling has been awarded the 2019 Håkan Mogren Foundation Stipend in Medicine for his great dedication and innovative, patient-centered care, including the incorporation of patients’ personal healthcare experiences in medical care.

Anna Martling, Professor of Surgery at KI and Senior Consultant and Colorectal Surgeon at Karolinska University Hospital, conducts research on colorectal surgery with a focus on clinical and epidemiological studies. Her research has specifically focused on radiotherapy and its temporal relationship to other treatments and surgery. She has also developed surgical techniques and studied low-dose aspirin in the treatment of colorectal cancer.

Martling’s research group has shown that radiotherapy before surgery reduces the risk of local relapse by over 50 per cent. Their findings have attracted international attention and have quickly changed clinical practice resulting in improved treatment strategies, fewer complications, and a higher survival rate.

Anna Martling has published more than 90 peer-reviewed articles and was awarded the Swedish Surgical Society Major Research Prize in 2013.

Valdemar Erling is a senior consultant and hematologist at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg. He has been awarded the 2019 Stipend in Medicine for his efforts to improve patient-centered care by making language an essential tool in medical practice. He is dedicated to the humanistic aspects of healthcare and strives to change the practice of patient rounds.

As chair of the Swedish Association for Narrative Medicine, Valdemar Erling has taken dedicated and visionary strides to make doctor-patient communication and patients’ own medical stories important components of care. His persistent and passionate efforts to make language a tool in clinical work are particularly important in a time where technological advancements threaten to diminish human interactions within healthcare.

ABOUT THE PRIZE

This prize is awarded annually by the Board of Research at Karolinska Institutet in ”recognition of a scientific article of high value published by a Swedish scientific researcher”. The actual choice of prize winner takes place through nomination.

The Håkan Mogren Foundation was established in 2012. Its dual purpose is to promote education and research within the medical field and to promote the education and training of classical musicians.

Within the medical field, the purpose is to provide the opportunity for well-qualified, scientifically competent and clinically active physicians to improve themselves professionally or to carry out research.

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

Photo: Samuel Unéus

ABOUT THE PRIZE

Photo: Kristin Lidell

Erling is a beloved lecturer who gives his all in imparting knowledge to students, medical interns, and colleagues.

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PRIZES AND AWARDS

The Sven & Ebba-Christina Hagberg Prize The Sven and Ebba-Christina Hagberg Prize in Medicine is awarded to Assistant Professors Petter Brodin, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, and Ljubica Matic, Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery.

Petter Brodin is a research assistant at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health at KI, the director of the National Facility for Mass Cytometry at SciLifeLab, and a resident in paediatrics at Karolinska University Hospital.

He conducts unique translational research on the development of the human immune system after birth.

Using instruments he developed personally, Brodin has been able to provide new and important insights into the formation of the human immune system and how it continues to change through perpetual interactions with its surroundings.

By collaborating with the neonatal and children’s clinics at Karolinska University Hospital, Petter Brodin now continues his work to map out how birth and environmental factors during the first few months form our immune system and contribute to both health and illness.

Ljubica Matic is an assistant professor and team leader in the vascular surgery group at the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery. Her main areas of focus are the novel molecular mechanisms of vascular disease, particularly related to smooth muscle cells, as well as biomarkers and therapeutic approaches in carotid atherosclerosis.

Her ultimate goal is to develop new targets for stabilising therapies or imaging modalities aimed at early detection of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques and patients. Her dedication to translational research in this area and to collaborations with other groups around the world have already demonstrated how a combination of clinical and experimental research has the potential to advance knowledge and treatment of vascular disease.

Ljubica Matic completed her doctoral degree in 2012 at KI’s Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics.

ABOUT THE PRIZE This prize is awarded annually by the Board of Research as ”recognition for a scientific article of high value published by a Swedish scientific researcher”. The actual choice of the prize winners takes place by way of nomination.

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FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

PRIZES AND AWARDS

Associate Professor and Senior Lecturer Anna Kiessling has been a driving force behind the qualitative development of work-integrated and interprofessional learning at Karolinska Institutet.

Karolinska Institutet’s Pedagogical Prize Associate Professor Anna Kiessling is awarded Karolinska Institutet’s Pedagogical Prize for her significant contributions to the development and quality assurance of education at KI. Anna Kiessling, Associate Professor in Cardiology and Senior Lecturer in Medical Education at the Department of Clinical Sciences at Danderyd Hospital, has extensive experience as a lecturer in first- and second-cycle studies, as well as within continuing professional development and patient education.

She has also been a member of the Pedagogical Academy at KI since 2012.

Through her many years as director of the Centre for Clinical Education, among other positions, she has been a driving force behind the qualitative development of work-integrated and interprofessional learning at KI. Anna Kiessling has conducted several development and research projects and has written numerous scientific articles in the field of medical education.

She developed and implemented the quality assurance system for education at KI and is responsible for coordinating the overall quality efforts carried out at the university. She is currently also the project manager for a new medical programme at KI. FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

ABOUT THE PRIZE The prize is awarded annually to individual teachers, teacher teams or administrative personnel who have undertaken significant educational initiatives related to pedagogical development or renewal work within Karolinska Institutet’s programmes at first cycle, second cycle or postgraduate levels.

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PRIZES AND AWARDS

This is a rendering of part of a large scale, 3-D, multicolor image of a piece of the mouse hippocampus. Neurons express differently colored fluorescent proteins through a technology called Brainbow, in which viruses deliver the genes that encode for different fluorescent proteins to different neurons. Photo: Ed Boyden.

Lennart Nilsson Award

Photo: Justin Knight.

Ed Boyden is awarded the prize for his development of expansion microscopy – a microscopy technique that makes the invisible visible and brings out the hidden details in microscopy preparations, beautifully demonstrated by studies of three-dimensional structures in the brain.

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Ed Boyden, Y. Eva Tan Professor in Neurotechnology at the MIT Media Lab and McGovern Institute, and leader of the Synthetic Neurobiology Group, led the team that developed a new microscopy technique called expansion microscopy. With this technique, his group, including former graduate students Fei Chen and Paul Tillberg, made it possible to record images of biological preparations that were previously very difficult to study.

ABOUT THE PRIZE The Lennart Nilsson Award is the world’s top accolade in scientific and medical photography. The award was inaugurated in 1998 in honour of Swedish medical photographer Lennart Nilsson, who achieved worldwide recognition for his images. The prize is awarded each year to individuals who make an outstanding contribution to scientific photography “in the spirit of Lennart Nilsson”.

FROM CELL TO SOCIETY 2019

2019 Text and editor: Anders Nilsson, Parabel Media | Translation: Semantix Co-editors: Sara AldĂŠn and Katarina Sternudd, Karolinska Institutet Portraits (unless otherwise stated): Bildmakarna Design: Sofia Lindberg, Karolinska Institutet Print: Arkitektkopia 2019 | ISBN: 978-91-985484-2-6

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