Ning Xu Landén
I am an Associate Professor leading an independent research team at the Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet. The goal of my research is to develop novel RNA-based treatments to improve healing of human skin wounds.
The immense economic and social impact of deficient wound healing e.g. chronic ulcers, post-surgical wounds care and skin scarring, calls for attention and allocation of resources to understand biological mechanisms underlying wound complications. Due to the complex nature of wounds, efficient targeted approach to enhance healing are essentially lacking today. The recent discovery of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) as powerful gene regulators provides hope to develop novel RNA-based treatments for a wide variety of diseases. Compared to traditional drugs targeting single proteins, modulating ncRNAs may be more effective strategies, since a single ncRNA may modulate an entire functional network.
The objective of my study is to reveal the role(s) of ncRNAs, i.e. microRNAs (miRNAs) and long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in skin wound healing and to explore the potential of RNA-based therapy for chronic wounds. Our research network is composed of both clinicians and scientists, which allows us to perform ‘Bench-to-Bedside’ research. At present, we are investigating the novel roles of miRNAs and lncRNAs in skin wounds using a unique collection of human wound tissues. In the next step, we aim to translate our basic scientific findings into therapeutic interventions for wound patients.
Selected Publications
Herter, E. K., Li, D., Toma, M. A., Vij, M., Li, X., Visscher, D., Wang, A., Chu, T., Sommar, P., Blomqvist, L., Berglund, D., Ståhle, M., Wikstrom, J. D., & Xu Landén, N. (2019). WAKMAR2, a Long Noncoding RNA Downregulated in Human Chronic Wounds, Modulates Keratinocyte Motility and Production of Inflammatory Chemokines. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 139(6), 1373–1384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2018.11.033
Li, D., Kular, L., Vij, M., Herter, E. K., Li, X., Wang, A., Chu, T., Toma, M. A., Zhang, L., Liapi, E., Mota, A., Blomqvist, L., Sérézal, I. G., Rollman, O., Wikstrom, J. D., Bienko, M., Berglund, D., Ståhle, M., Sommar, P., … Landén, N. X. (2019). Human skin long noncoding RNA WAKMAR1 regulates wound healing by enhancing keratinocyte migration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 116(19), 9443–9452. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1814097116
Li, X., Li, D., Wang, A., Chu, T., Lohcharoenkal, W., Zheng, X., Grünler, J., Narayanan, S., Eliasson, S., Herter, E. K., Wang, Y., Ma, Y., Ehrström, M., Eidsmo, L., Kasper, M., Pivarcsi, A., Sonkoly, E., Catrina, S. B., Ståhle, M., & Xu Landén, N. (2017). MicroRNA-132 with Therapeutic Potential in Chronic Wounds. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 137(12), 2630–2638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2017.08.003
Cheung, L., Fisher, R. M., Kuzmina, N., Li, D., Li, X., Werngren, O., Blomqvist, L., Ståhle, M., & Landén, N. X. (2016). Psoriasis Skin Inflammation-Induced microRNA-26b Targets NCEH1 in Underlying Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 136, 640–648. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2015.12.008
Li, D., Li, X., Wang, A., Meisgen, F., Pivarcsi, A., Sonkoly, E., Ståhle, M., & Landén, N. X. (2015). MicroRNA-31 promotes skin wound healing by enhancing keratinocyte proliferation and migration. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 135(6), 1676–1685. https://doi.org/10.1038/jid.2015.48
Li, D., Wang, A., Liu, X., Meisgen, F., Grünler, J., Botusan, I. R., Narayanan, S., Erikci, E., Li, X., Blomqvist, L., Du, L., Pivarcsi, A., Sonkoly, E., Chowdhury, K., Catrina, S. B., Ståhle, M., & Landén, N. X. (2015). MicroRNA-132 enhances transition from inflammation to proliferation during wound healing. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 125(8), 3008–3026. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI79052
Ning Xu Landén has been awarded research grants by the LEO foundation
Ning Xu Landén has been granted DKK 4.2 million by the LEO foundation for research on wound healing. Ning Xu and her team seeks to identify the “master” regulators of inflammation-to-proliferation transition in order to improve and accelerate wound healing and thus minimize the risk of development of chronic wounds.
Ning Xu Landén is this year’s winner of the LEO Foundation Award in Region EMEA
The LEO Foundation Award aims to advance the understanding and treatment of skin diseases. It is given to outstanding young scientists from around the world, and this year Ning Xu Landén receives the award for her significant contribution to unravel the roles of regulatory RNAs in wound healing.