Grand-offspring of male frogs exposed to the pesticide linuron exhibited changes in their DNA that was linked to significant physiological impacts, a study from Stockholm University reveals. The research highlights the profound transgenerational consequences of environmental pollution on amphibian populations, which are already under threat of extinction. The study is published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
She studied the Bachelor's programme in public health sciences at Karolinska Institutet. She then took her master's degree at the research centre CHESS at Stockholm University. Currently, Mikaela Sörman works as an investment manager at Karolinska Development.
Fear and curiosity are emotions that determine how adventurous or cautious we are. But how are our emotions controlled by biological factors in the brain's nerve cells? New research shows that clearly defined serotonin pathways in the brain and their connections to for example amygdala and hypothalamus affect how we feel and act.
The malaria mosquito is spreading some of the world's deadliest diseases, but not on its own. It is controlled by ancient parasites that use their code language to make their host, human or animal, act in a way that benefits its survival. A code language that molecular biologist Noushin Emami at Stockholm University is working to decode.
Could a curveball called 'the blob' become a crucial weapon in the fight against incurable cancer and other diseases? Yes, in the hands of molecular biologist and biochemist Mats Nilsson it can.
Research led by Oskar Karlsson, Assistant Professor at the Department of Environmental Science, aims to shed light on the long-term effects of chemical exposure across generations. Karlsson's team is tackling the daunting task of safeguarding human health against an estimated 350,000 chemicals in the market, a figure likely on the lower side.
In anticipation of the UN's critical working meeting in Nairobi from December 11-15 to establish a science-policy panel for the responsible management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution, researchers are raising concerns about the potential involvement of the chemical industry in the panel.
A holy grail in biology is to map all the functions of the cell. The existence of vast quantities of data combined with rapid progress in AI methodologies has enabled scientists to take the next step. A team of researchers is now working to understand the molecular language of the cell.
Associate Professor Anneli Kruve has been awarded funding from the European Research Council (ERC) for her pioneering project, "Machine Learning and Mass Spectrometry for Structural Elucidation of Novel Toxic Chemicals" - or simply 'LearningStructurE.'
A study reveals that the opportunistic human fungal pathogen Candida albicans requires the ability to metabolize proline, an amino acid obtained from the host, to mount virulent infections.
A recent study conducted by researchers from the Department of Environmental Science at Stockholm University has shed new light on the impact of the Kagghamra fire, which occurred south of Stockholm in December 2020, on the air quality of nearby residential areas.
Researchers at Stockholm University have unveiled the hidden intricacies of how sperm go from passive bystanders to dynamic swimmers. This transformation is a pivotal step in the journey to fertilization, and it hinges on the activation of a unique ion transporter.
We are saddened to announce the passing of our esteemed colleague and dear friend, Professor Emeritus Sören Jensen, who peacefully departed on September 24, 2023.
Yvette Gramlich recently defended her PhD thesis at the Department of Environmental Science, unearthing significant findings about the chemical composition of aerosol particles and clouds in the Arctic.
As governments and private entities prepare to send humans to Mars, the mission brings significant environmental challenges. While the logistics of sustaining life on the Red Planet have been studied extensively, there's a notable gap regarding the impact of chemicals and materials used during human exploration.
Researchers at DBB have determined the structure of one of nature's sharpest chemical tools, a protein radical. The results help us understand how nature can carry out very challenging chemical reactions and can ultimately be used in both medicine and green chemistry applications.
Researchers at Stockholm University and SciLifeLab have developed the first method to uncover the tasks that microRNAs perform in single cells. This is a huge improvement over existing state-of-the-art methods that require millions of cells and will for the first time allow researchers to study microRNAs in complex tissues such as brains.
The study was published in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
Tore Bengtsson and his group at the Department of Molecular Biosciences have been awarded a SEK 2 million grant from Diabetes Wellness Sverige for their research on a new treatment of type 2 diabetes.
Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is arguably the oldest drug in the history of medicine. In a study published in Cell Research, researchers at Stockholm University and the University Medical Center Freiburg, have identified a new mechanism of aspirin. They show that aspirin promotes genome repair and can protect mice and cells against the toxic effects of irradiation and mutagenic chemicals. This new mechanism may help explain many of the health benefits of aspirin including cancer prevention.
Why are the offspring of a horse and a donkey almost always infertile? This question has long puzzled researchers. Deniz Ozata, from Stockholm University, believes the explanation may lie in very mutable genes that are vital to the development of healthy sperm.
It is sunny Monday morning, and I found myself next the busy E4 on the outskirts of Stockholm. How did I end up here? I was asked to write about how analytical chemistry is so much more than just chromatograms in a lab – analytical chemistry is also sampling, testing and putting pieces of a larger puzzle together.
Have we overestimated the health risk posed by low doses of ionising radiation, such as those in houses with radon? And, have we underestimated the risk of exposure to combined types of radiation? Andrzej Wojcik, from Stockholm University, is using specially constructed equipment to investigate the potential effects that low doses of radiation may have on our bodies.
Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry
A new intersectoral and interdisciplinary project between nine Swedish Universities and MAX IV – a Ph.D. programme called PRISMAS – launches in January 2023. The program is dedicated to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Horizon Europe's essential research and innovation areas. The project will create a connected network of next-generation X-ray experts, enabling various stakeholders to take full advantage of world-leading synchrotron facilities such as MAX IV, while tackling current societal challenges in the same breath.
Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences
What defines us and other living organisms best: nature or nurture? Researchers at, among others, the Leibniz Institute and the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences (DEEP) got another piece of the puzzle in a recently published study.
Children diagnosed with brain cancer often die within a year of their initial diagnosis because there are no effective treatments for this rare form of cancer. But by visualizing the cancer cells, researchers have now gained a better understanding of what the tumors look like. The hope is that it will lead to new treatment methods. This is shown by a study with researchers at, among others, Stockholm University and SciLifeLab, recently published in Nature Genetics.
Department of Materials and Environmental Chemistry
Congratulations to MMK’s Anneli Kruve who received a VR grant from the Medicine and health area! The project “MS2Tox: Deep Learning for Automated Prediction of the Endocrine Disruptive Potency of Chemicals in Complex Mixtures” will evaluate the possibility of combining non-target liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry (LC/HRMS) and AI to better predict the hazard of the chemicals.
Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute
Yunpo Zhao, Jianli Duan and Ylva Engström, together with collaborators in the US, have discovered that a cluster of neurons control sugar and bitter sensitivity in the fruit fly Drosophila. These neurons originate from the same neural stem cell and use the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA to control taste sensation.
Researchers have created a tool that maps how breast cancer grows in previously unseen detail, and highlights how the cells around the tumor may be the key to controlling the spread of disease
Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute
The parasite Toxoplasma is carried by a large portion of the global human population. Now a study led by researchers at Stockholm University shows how this microscopic parasite so successfully spreads in the body, for example to the brain. The parasite infects immune cells and hijacks their identity. The study is published in the scientific journal Cell Host & Microbe.
Artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning are becoming increasingly important to map the proteins in our cells and how they interact with each other. In a new project, the researchers will develop tools to increase understanding of how cells work.
Watch a film with this year's Nobel laureate in medicine, Svante Pääbo, when he in 2017 lectured on the origin of man and Neanderthal DNA in Aula Magna at Stockholm University.
The prize is given for outstanding research that leads to a doctoral degree, this year's monetary award is 61 000 SEK. Nicklas Österlund is doing his PhD at the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and his research is about proteins that do not form stable folded states, which can lead to Alzheimer's disease.
The microbiota is fundamental for health. But how these non-invasive microbes communicate with the rest of the body to influence host physiology is not fully understood. Researchers from Stockholm, Umeå, and Gothenburg Universities, Sweden report how the gut microbiota is essential for natural resistance to viral infections. They show that the release of the membrane vesicles from the gut microbiota leads to the systemic delivery of bacterial DNA to host cells. This triggers the cytosolic cGAS-STING-IFN-I axis for innate immune DNA sensing, thereby protecting distal organs against viral infections. The study is published in the journal Immunity.
Researchers have mapped the physicochemical properties of proteins in 20,000 organisms. The results, published in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), show that the properties provide clues to understanding evolution and adaptation, and add new dimensions to the established taxonomical classification system.
The prize is awarded to a successful biochemist or molecular biologist who is active in Sweden and who has not turned 40 during the year that the prize is awarded.
The GROMACS computer software developed by Erik Lindahl’s research group to simulate the molecules of life, is used all around the world to study different processes in our cells. He is using the software to solve a medical riddle: how can substances like alcohol and narcotics cause our nerve cells to disfunction?
Pål Stenmark sees botulinum toxin – the world's most dangerous poison – as a lego building kit he can change so that it gets new features. One goal is to develop new and more effective drugs, including for pain. Through molecular genealogy, he has also found a new family of botulinum toxins, where a variant can fight malaria mosquitoes.
NHA2 is a protein spanning the membrane in kidney and -cells that absorbs salt and its activity is linked with hypertension and diabetes in humans. The transporter-protein exchangers the movement of sodium ions across cell membranes with the movement of protons. Researchers at Stockholm University have now determined what the protein looks like and how the protein adapts to the membrane. These findings shed new light into this important biological mechanism, and provide a basis for structural-based drug discovery.
By understanding why certain nerve cells and the muscles they control are resistant to fading in the deadly disease ALS, it is possible to create new possibilities for treatments. Researchers at Stockholm University are now trying to identify and transfer the properties of these resistant nerve cells.
Photosystem II (PSII) is a key enzyme in photosynthesis that produces oxygen by capturing sunlight. The reaction couples to the reduction of plastoquinone, which in turn is used for the synthesis of biomass by fixation of CO2.
There are strong links between disordered gut flora and the development of allergies. But why? Eva Sverremark-Ekström is mapping the communication between bacteria in the gut and immune cells. For example, her research shows that the bacteria appear to send critical messages to the immune system, using nano-sized sacs filled with molecules.
Pål Stenmark regards botulinum toxin – the world’s most dangerous poison – as a set of building blocks he can redesign and give new functions. One aim is to produce new and more effective pharmaceuticals, including pain treatments. Using molecular research, he has also found a new family of botulinum toxins, where one variant can help counteract malaria mosquitoes.
The type 2 diabetes’ epidemic is worsening. Tore Bengtsson, from Stockholm University, is working on three innovative treatments, of which two will now be tested in clinical trials.
Researchers at the Department of Molecular Biosciences, the Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, have applied Spatial Transcriptomics, ST to study the spatial organization of the liver.
Researchers at Stockholm University have identified key genetic factors important for the efficacy of radiation and chemotherapy. These proteins called AIM2-like receptors (ALRs) are possible biomarkers for predicting the patients’ response to treatment and could be targeted to achieve optimal outcome radiation and chemotherapy.
The cave lion cub “ Sparta” was found in Siberia a few years ago. A new study shows that the cave lions' coat was similar but not identical to that of African lion cubs.
Over half of our drugs impact proteins found on the cell membrane. These include the membrane proteins that regulate uptake of sugar by cells. Wallenberg Scholar David Drew is breaking new ground by adding to our understanding of the structure and function of transport proteins.
Billions of years of evolution are behind the ingenious protein machinery in nature’s cells, which captures and converts energy. Professor Ville Kaila is conducting a detailed study of the structure and function of the proteins to learn more about the energy conversion process. That knowledge may eventually result in therapies for diseases where the powerhouses of the cells fall short.
Using advanced infrastructure at SciLifeLab and Stockholm University, scientists uncover how the body’s energy makers are made. A new paper published in Science by Alexey Amunts’ laboratory with an international team of researchers reports the molecular mechanism of membrane-tethered protein synthesis in mitochondria.
The effects of the endocrine disruptor linuron on frogs are not limited to those exposed, but are passed on to their offspring and grand-offspring. First generation offspring have reduced body weight and decreased fertility, while second generation offspring have increased body weight and a disrupted metabolism. This is demonstrated by a new study conducted by researchers at Uppsala University and Stockholm University that has now been published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.
Marc Friedländer’s research into microRNA takes him from the universe inside a single cell, into outer space and millennia back in time. His dream is to be able to mathematically describe gene regulation.
Antibody-based methods such as CLIP can detect direct interactions between microRNAs and their mRNA targets in cell populations with nucleotide resolution. However, these methods typically require millions of cells, and cannot be applied to study the single cells where the interactions occur.
Plants are host to a wealth of microbes, both beneficial and antagonistic, and these may be found both on aboveground plant structures and in the roots.
Proteins with multiple membrane-segments (MS) initially insert into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of eukaryotic cells. Little is known how such proteins attain native functional structures. We study the ER membrane chaperone Shr3 that specifically facilitates the folding of all 18 members of the yeast amino acid permease family of proteins with 12 MS.
This project reflects a long-standing interest in eukaryotic cell motility, i.e. movements of intracellular structures and migration of whole cells. Profilin is a coordinator of the two principal force generating machineries behind virtually all cell motility as first revealed by us and therefore takes a special interest in our studies.
Eukaryotic genomes are folded into high-order chromatin domains, which intrinsically affects all DNA-dependent processes. We study how chromatin architectural proteins regulate gene expression during dynamic developmental processes.
Global climate change mitigation through the preservation of natural biological carbon sinks is of the highest importance to face the threats to our planet but poses ample challenges for society, governments and policy makers around the world.
identification of hotspot environments for coastal blue carbon sequestration and guidance for sustainable management of the Baltic coastal landscapes under global change (CLIM-SCAPE)
We have several projects to study the effect of combined exposure to radiations and to radiation plus cigarette smoke. The investigations are relevant to radiation protections because environmental and medical exposures often involve mixed components but the biological action of combined exposures is not well characterised.
I am fascinated by the spatial and eco-evolutionary dynamics of host-parasite interactions. We do lack some generality though: many of the existing studies have (for good reasons!) focused on single pathogen species, and on non-systemic diseases with high extinction-colonization rates.
With massive amounts of personal data being generated, privacy has become a great challenge. This project studies how machine learning can be used for sharing language models without risking to share information that may identify individuals.
The marine ecosystem around the North Pole, the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO), is in fast transition from a permanently to a seasonally ice-covered ocean as a result of global warming. The sea-ice loss will enable summer access to the CAO for non-icebreaking ships, including fishery vessels, in the near future and this project is assessing the impact.
To maintain body weight and metabolic homeostasis functional inter-organ communication with multiple endocrine players is crucial. In this project we explore the metabolic impact and consequences of induced cytokine signaling in metabolic disease progression.
Epigenetic patterns of histone modifications contribute to the maintenance of tissue-specific gene expression, but little is known about how such patterns are initially formed during early embryo development. We study this process in Drosophila.
Catarina Rydin works with Isoetes (Isoetaceae), a distinct group of lycopods that are often semi-aquatic but may also be terrestrial or grow submersed in lakes.
We recently discovered that a novel testis-specific transcription factor TCFL5, expressed in pachytene stage of meiosis, collaborates with the transcription factor A-MYB via a set of interlocking positive feedback and coherent feedforward loops to regulate meiotic gene expression program.
Cells and organisms are differentially sensitive to ionising radiation. What influences the individual response to radiation? We study the role of genetic and environmental factors and try to identify biomarkers of radiation sensitivity and exposure.
Electronic health records are full of important information about diagnoses and treatments of patients. Sharing this information in a federated health data network, across hospitals in the Nordic countries, will improve the quality of health care.
Neural stem cells generate millions of neuronal subtypes and many supportive cells to constitute the most complex organ, the brain. We aim to understand gene regulatory mechanisms that guide neural stem cell proliferation and differentiation.
We investigate how bacteria in the gut microbiota influence the efficacy and toxicity of chemotherapy in vitro and in vivo – both in experimental models and in patients.
The aim of this project is to enable the practical use of methods for de-identification of clinical free text written in Swedish. The HB Deid tool will be tested on textual patient data from Region Stockholm and not only in a laboratory environment at Stockholm University.
This project aims to develop high-throughput methods to support nontarget chemical exposomics in human blood, including high frequency sampling and high-throughput analytical strategies.
Obesity is caused by an imbalance of energy intake and energy expenditure. This project investigates mechanisms of metabolic activation of adipose tissue as potential targets for obesity therapy.
Amino acids are essential nutrients that serve as building blocks of proteins and some are efficiently metabolized for energy. Eukaryotic cells respond to extracellular amino acids by enhancing their uptake. We study the molecular mechanisms underlying this response and the role of amino acid metabolism in promoting virulent growth of human fungal pathogens.
We will map local immune responses in the lungs of mice infected with RSV and compare the responses occurring after treatment using an oligonucleotide with capacity to inhibit RSV infection.
Today, sequencing of DNA from ancient samples is a standard method in Paleogenomics, however, RNA is generally unstable due to the ubiquitous presence of RNases in the environment.
Fewer swedes are having children and fewer couples are getting married. Previous explanations no longer seem to be relevant, so what can explain the declines? In this research project the researches will examine this, using register data and survey data.
With better descriptions of a patient’s state and history, more efficient recommendations can be provided. We explore how AI tools can be put to practical use in healthcare. We focus on complex and multimodal data and use cases such as COVID-19 public health interventions or patient phenotyping for adverse drug events, sepsis, or cancer.
Research project within DDLS and WASP-HS which aim to investigate how the implementation of AI can be promoted in healthcare, and what ethical and legal aspects such implementation should take into account.
The project aims at understanding the molecular mechanisms by which degradation of ncRNAs by the exosome contributes to the organization of the genome and to efficient DNA repair.
We study how gut microbes and factors in the mucosal environment communicate with immune cells; and how these interactions connect to immune maturation as well as to the development of immune-mediated diseases like allergy and asthma.
Our main aim is to study the effects of bacterial phosphoantigens (HMBPP and IPP) on appetite. We introduced these into mice by gavage and followed the differences in weight gain and gene transcription from relevant tissues. An unexpected effect on male salivary glands focused our interest also on their effects on immune response.
Nonshivering thermogenesis emanates from the activity of the mitochondrial protein UC P1 in brown adipose tissue. We use novel model systems to advance the understanding of mammalian thermogenesis.
Gene transcription is essential for cell identity and its misregulation causes disease. This project explores the connection between transcription and chromatin modifications that make genes accessible to the transcriptional machinery.
The Clinical Text Mining Group is a creative research group of computer scientists, engineers, computational linguists and physicians. We perform research in both artificial intelligence, language technology and health informatics.
We study how cells safeguard health and aging by maintaining their proteomes functional. Our research develops fundamental insight into the mechanisms of the proteostasis system.
Our current research on the pathobiology of parasitic infections integrates molecular parasitology with immunology and cell biology to understand how obligate intracellular parasites interact with the host.
Obesity is a major inducer of type II diabetes and it is estimated by the World Health Organization that over 500 million people worldwide suffer from either of these disorders, with the incidence increasing dramatically over the last 10 years.
We aim to create a universal molecular framework, where any molecule can be predicted with AI. With this technology, the design of new molecules will be possible at the click of a button – for any application.
We study how different organelles within a cell communicate and how this interorganellar connectivity contributes to protein homeostasis and cellular fitness during aging.
Regulation of cell fate decision is fundamental to development, disease, and regeneration. We address how gene regulatory systems guide the assembly of complex biological patterns by investigating stem cell biology and cell fate decision mechanisms.
We work on infectious-disease biology with a focus on host-pathogen-vector signalling-communication. We provide a fundamental/quantitative description of communication in infection-biology/behaviour plasticity, and genetics towards the design of novel scientific technologies.
We study gene expression with a focus on the role of POU/Oct transcription factors in development, stem cell regulation, cancer and immunity. We use the fruitfly Drosophila as a model organism and utilize the genetic tools developed for this organism, in combination with high-throughput expression analyses, high resolution microscopy and live-cell imaging.
Our aim is to study the effects of bacterial phosphoantigens (HMBPP and IPP) on appetite. We introduced these into mice by gavage and followed the differences in weight gain and gene transcription from relevant tissues. An unexpected effect on male salivary glands focused our interest also on their effects on immune response.
The immune system that kills disease-causing microbes and heals tissues, and the DNA repair system that maintains gene expression are essential for life. However, they require careful regulation to prevent the destruction of own tissues. The goal of my research is to better understand these systems and find new strategies in the treatment of diseases.
We investigate the physiology and molecular mechanisms of energy metabolism from the organism to the molecule. We focus on metabolic aspects during obesity, adipose tissue biology, mitochondrial mechanisms and thermogenesis.
Our group studies how bacteria grow and reproduce in fluctuating environments. We use a combination of genetics, cell biology and biochemistry to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying bacterial growth and cell cycle progression and how these processes are regulated under changing environmental conditions to ensure bacterial survival.
The main focus of our research group is to understand how endocrine crosstalk, involving adipose tissue, controls mammalian energy metabolism. Our goal is to identify target mechanisms for novel therapeutic strategies to fight obesity.
Amino acids are essential nutrients that serve as building blocks of proteins and some are efficiently metabolized for energy. Eukaryotic cells respond to extracellular amino acids by enhancing their uptake. We study the molecular mechanisms underlying this response and the role of amino acid metabolism in promoting virulent growth of human fungal pathogens.
Nonshivering thermogenesis emanates from the activity of the mitochondrial protein UC P1 in brown adipose tissue. We use novel model systems to advance the understanding of mammalian thermogenesis.
As a new research group aiming to construct an international work environment with a mutual respect, our main objective is to enthusiastically investigate how a mammalian male germ cell commits to become a functional sperm. Our studies will therefore advance our understanding of sperm development and may suggest approaches to promote fertility.
Roger Karlsson's research reflects a long-standing interest in eukaryotic cell motility, i.e. movements of intracellular structures and migration of whole cells.
Branched tubular organs are found in most animals. They include tissues like the lung, kidney and the vascular system. Many of the basic principles of tube construction in these organs are conserved among species. We aim to describe the genetic programs leading to the formation of a functional epithelial tubular network.
We are exploring basic mechanisms regarding a group of small non-coding oligonucleotides and their therapeutic potential. We have discovered that a set of single-stranded oligonucleotides temporarily inhibit certain endocytic pathways and thereby modulate innate immune responses as well as providing anti-viral effects.
We are interested in the innate immune system, its activation, development and interaction with other aspects of physiology. To understand innate immunity at the organismic level, we use the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster.
Our research aims at understanding the mechanisms by which RNA and RNA degradation by the exosome contribute to chromatin regulation, gene expression and genome integrity.
We are interested in biological and physical factors affecting cellular and molecular effects of ionising radiation. Focus is on DNA damage and repair, chromatin structure, low doses, low dose rates, mixed radiation qualities, fractionation and modulation by chemical and physical factors.
We explore how cells maintain genome stability using yeast cells as a model. Specifically, we investigate repetitive DNA such as telomeres and the rDNA loci. We are interested in both telomere maintenance and DNA repair mechanisms.
The global warming is not uniformly distributed over the Earth. The polar regions are especially sensitive for climate change and the warming in the Arctic is more than twice as fast as for the Earth on average. The effects of this warming are large, with a dramatic loss of sea ice as an example.