Cecilia Elisabeth Aulin

My research focuses on translational osteoarthritis (OA), spanning cellular systems, animal models, and observational clinical studies.

I obtained my undergraduate degree and PhD in Biotechnology Engineering and Biomaterials at Uppsala University, where my research centered on regenerative medicine, particularly bone and cartilage regeneration. Following my PhD, I moved to Karolinska Institutet and the Center for Molecular Medicine (CMM) for a postdoctoral position at the Rheumatology Unit under Professor Lars Klareskog and Professor Helena Erlandsson Harris. There, I expanded my work on cartilage regeneration into the broader context of osteoarthritis and inflammatory joint disease.

BIOFUNC is a prospective, longitudinal clinical and molecular study aiming to identify key drivers of OA progression and enable the development of disease-modifying therapies.

OA patients represent a heterogeneous population, although pain and impaired joint function are common clinical features. The disease is chronic and currently lacks curative treatment. A major challenge is to understand disease initiation, the mechanisms driving progression, and how these processes can be measured and monitored clinically.

BIOFUNC integrates:

• molecular profiling (biomarkers)
• biomechanical assessment of joint function
• patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs)

The aims are to:

• identify OA-specific biomarkers associated with clinical manifestations, particularly pain and joint function
• detect patients with rapid disease progression to enable early intervention and improved follow-up
• identify molecular targets for preclinical evaluation and development of disease-modifying therapies