Rheumatology

Rheumatology is the area of research, education and clinical care that affect many tissues of the body including cartilage, bones, muscles, skin and blood vessels. Common diseases such as arthritis, myositis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), vasculitis, Sjögren's syndrome and osteoarthritis. At the Division of Rheumatology we conduct research on many of the most severe chronic rheumatic inflammatory diseases.

Group picture of Rhema Retreat 2023.
Group picture of Rhema Retreat 2023. Photo: Nursen Cetrez

At the Division of Rheumatology we conduct research on the etiology, molecular mechanisms, treatments and outcome of many of the most severe chronic rheumatic inflammatory diseases. The research is translational spanning from molecular biology to clinical research, with several groups of independent but collaborative researchers working towards a common goal.

Our strategy is to use the unique and large patient groups that we can follow longitudinally within the clinic, and thus take advantage of patients and patient material in our research. We combine this clinical outcome and treatment-based research with extensive biomedical and animal experimental research that we conduct in our research laboratory at the Center for Molecular Medicine (CMM). In addition, we have an active unit for clinical trials (KFE) and a close collaboration with epidemiologists within the Division of Clinical Epidemiology (KEP). A unit for clinical research is located at the Center for Rheumatology (CFR). Together, we have created broad international networks and are actively involved in various national and international research projects for rheumatology and immunology research.

Our research

(Links to the research groups are added as the pages are created. For contact information for the group leaders, please use the search function at the top of this page.)


Research group Helena Erlandsson Harris: Paediatric rheumatology/The role of HMGB1 in chronic inflammatory diseases.

Research group Carmen Gerlach: Diversity within the T cell response, T cell memory 

Research group Charlotte Hedin: Luminal gastroenterology

Research group Per-Johan Jakobsson: Chronic inflammation with focus on rheumatology and cancer.
- Team Alexanderson
- Team Jakobsson: Translational inflammation research.
- Team Réthi: Translational Arthritis Research.
- Team Padyukov: Genetics of autoimmune diseases.
- Team Parodis: Clinical and translational research within lupus and autoimmunity.

Research group Vivianne Malmström: Autoimmunity and adaptive immunity in rheumatic disease.
- Team Grönwall: B cells and autoantibodies in rheumatic disease.

Research group Michael Sundström: Early drug discovery research in chronic inflammatory diseases.

Research group Aleksandra Antovic: SLE/APS/Vasculitis group.

Research group Fredrik Wermeling: CRISPR-based drug target discovery in cancer and autoimmunity.

Research group Marie Wahren-Herlenius: Autoimmunity and cancer.

Contact the division

Organizational affiliation: Rheumatology is a division at the Department of Medicine, Solna (MedS).

Administrative support: If you are employed at, affiliated with, or have a case linked to the division, please contact the division's administrator.

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Per-Johan Jakobsson

Professor/specialist physician/Head of Division