The research group has several national and international collaborations with both academia and the pharmaceutical industry. The translational research is conducted at Karolinska Institutet, ANA Futura in Flemingsberg in in collaboration with Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge.
Our research
SARS-CoV-2
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In the majority of cases the infection causes mild to moderate respiratory illness without any need for treatment. However, underlying conditions and higher age are more likely to develop severe disease and death.
The objective of our research is to better understand the immunology of SARS to develop a vaccine that activate a broad humoral and cellular immune response against several SARS-CoVs. The majority of current vaccines on the market target only the spike protein. These vaccines have been shown to be highly effective but may also be sensitive to mutations that may impair neutralizing antibody responses to these vaccines, and may not provide protection against other or new SARS-CoVs. The goal with our vaccine is to activate immune responses against multiple proteins of SARS-CoVs. To achieve this goal we use more than one protein in our vaccine thereby activating a broadly reactive immune response. The vaccine is currently tested in a phase I clinical trial at the Karolinska University Hospital.
Link OPENCORONA: https://ki.se/en/research/opencorona
The OPENCORONA research project in social media:
- https://www.facebook.com/opencorona/
- https://www.instagram.com/opencorona/
- https://twitter.com/opencorona
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/opencorona
Viral hepatitis
Viral hepatitis is a major health problem with approximately half a billion people infected world-wide. The viruses that primarily causes liver inflammation are hepatitis A, B, C, D and E. The infection is characterized by mild to severe disease, including jaundice, fever, myalgia, nausea, fatigue, vomiting, fatty liver, cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Prevention is available by prophylactic vaccines for hepatitis A, B and D, but not for hepatitis C and E. Antiviral treatments are available for hepatitis B, C and D, but with varying responses depending on the type of infecting virus.
The objective of our research is to develop an immune-therapy that neutralize the circulating virus and clear infected cells by activating both neutralizing antibodies and T cells to HBV and HDV and thereby limiting the spread of the infection and eliminating HBV- and HDV-infected cells. We hope to take this approach to clinical testing in the coming years.
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF)
In this European Union funded project we are developing a vaccine against CCHF virus. The CCHF infection is caused by an RNA virus of the Nairoviridae family. The virus is transmitted by the Hyalomma tick, which exists in parts of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia. Due to global warming, there is a risk of spreading to other parts of the world. The virus is primarily transmitted to people from ticks and livestock animals, contact with blood and other tissue from infected animals and humans. Risk groups include healthcare workers, abattoir workers, and the inhabitants of endemic rural areas. The virus causes severe viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks, with a case fatality rate of 10–40%.
Our role in this project is to evaluate different vaccines and platforms to develop an effective and safe vaccine against CCHF. We are managing the pre-clinical evaluation of the different vaccine candidates within the project and coordinate the work toward clinical evaluation. We hope that a phase I clinical trial can start in late 2023 or early 2024.
Link CCHF Vaccine: https://www.cchfvaccine.eu
Immuno-therapies
The goal is to develop new immune-therapies against cancer. The main focus is to identify immunological receptors able to recognize mutated antigens expressed by cancer, these receptors can then be engineered to generate CAR-T cells, TCR-T cells and other types of cell therapies. Our group is also developing new methods for manufacturing genetically modified cells for adoptive cell therapy utilizing viral and non-viral genetic engineering approaches.