Our research
The group has a strong focus on steatotic liver disease (MASLD) from an epidemiological and clinical perspective. Our main focus is on identifying risk factors and subgroups of patients with a particularly high risk of severe liver disease outcomes, such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. With access to both detailed long-term follow-up studies including histology data, as well as population-based register studies, we are uniquely positioned to conduct high-quality studies on the progression and outcomes of MASLD. Other research interests include the epidemiology of hepatocellular carcinoma, alcohol-related liver disease, cirrhosis and aspects of public health. The group is composed of clinicians, epidemiologists and research nurses. We have several collaborations with other groups at KI, as well as a large national and international network.
Ongoing studies on MASLD and a register-based cohort of patients
Some ongoing studies include a large-scale screening initiative for liver disease in type 2 diabetes, development of new methods to predict progression of fibrosis in MASLD and a national, longitudinal multi-center study in Sweden evaluating new biomarkers of disease severity in MASLD. We have also recently built a register-based cohort consisting of all patients in Sweden with a liver disease diagnosis, and several ongoing projects are using this database.
Open positions
We are always looking for talented postdocs or tentative PhD candidates with previous experience in epidemiology and biostatistics to help us improve our understanding of liver diseases.
If you are interested, contact Group Leader Hannes Hagström
Projects
We are currently involved in >40 scientific projects. A few of the major projects are briefly outlined below.
Long-term follow-up of patients with MASLD
We have access to one of the largest cohorts globally (n>1200) of patients with biopsy-proven MASLD. The cohort is linked to national registers, allowing for investigation of long-term outcomes. Several sub-studies are ongoing.
Fatty liver in Sweden (FLIS)
This is a multi-center cohort study at several Swedish university hospitals led by us. Patients with MASLD including during 2018-2022 are followed longitudinally for up to five years with elastography and detailed biobanking of samples.
Karolinska Liver Biobank (KALIB)
Cross-sectional ongoing study where patients with MASLD are consecutively included as part of clinical visits. Biobanking of serum, plasma, whole blood and liver biopsies is performed.
Decoding the Epidemiology of liver disease in Sweden (DELIVER)
We have obtained register-level data on all patients with a diagnosis of liver disease in Sweden since 1969 and linked these to matched controls. We can thus investigate a large number of outcomes in patients with a diagnosis of any liver disease compared to the general population. Several projects are ongoing.
Health Outcomes and Risk Assessment in Chronic Liver Disease (HERALD)
Here we are obtaining detailed register-level data, including results from laboratory tests from >800,000 persons in Stockholm county. The project has cross-link data from several sources to build an extensive and detailed database on liver disease outcomes in a population-based cohort study.