Eric Herlenius
About me
To Breathe or not to Breathe, that is the question!
Focus on perinatal development of Inspiration and autonomic control & how novel deep machine learning of vital parameter data better the diagnostics and treatment of newborn, children and adult patients
Eric Herlenius studied medicine at Karolinska Institutet where he also defended his PhD thesis in developmental neuroscience 1998. He subsequently joined Profs Iku Homma and Evan Snyder for postdoc at Showa University, Tokyo and Children’s Hospital, Harvard medical school, Boston respectively, to study activity dependent development and plasticity of functional neural networks. He then specialized in Pediatrics and continued investigations regarding perinatal development of autonomic control. He is a Physician-scientist focused on translational medicine, combining basic mechanistic and patient research to develop novel methods to screen, detect and protect against inflammation related breathing disorders.
Current positions and commitments
- Professor of Pediatrics, Karolinska Institutet
- Senior Consultant in Pediatrics, Astrid Lindgren´s Children´s Hospital
- Chair Research - Development and education for Pediatric Emergency and Infectious disease, Karolinska University Hospital
- Head, Perinatology course Medical Students, KI
- Head DeepNEWS - Deep machine learning based Novel Early Warning System. KI-K-KTH
Research
- Immature respiratory control in infants born may result in apneas, sudden unexpected postnatal collapse (SUPC), secondary hypoxic brain damage, and SIDS. We have shown that prostaglandins are central pathogenic factors in respiratory disorders and the hypoxic response. This has led us to focus on the role of inflammation and brainstem modulation in both clinical and mechanistic studies. These are used to define mechanisms for factors disturbing the physiological and neural pathways that control breathing. Main goals are:
1) Develop better clinical guidelines and best practices to prevent sudden cardiorespiratory failure in newborns, Sudden Unexpected Postnatal Collapse (SUPC).
2) Deep-NEWS! To clinically characterize how dysregulation of respiratory control induces life-threatening events and if subtle alterations in cardiorespiratory parameters may act as early warning scores for infection, inflammation and a need for therapeutic intervention. We use Deep Machine Learning based analysis of individual patients real time vital parameters to develop rapid semiautomatic Novel Early Warning Systems.
3) To define the pathophysiological mechanism of apneas and involvement of inflammation in the development and activity of brainstem respiration-related neural circuits. In vivo and novel in vitro experimental mouse models and single cell transcriptomics and patch-seq techniques are used.
By complimenting a thorough understanding of the ways in which inflammation impacts breathing and understanding cues that precede respiratory failure, we will enable earlier and novel therapeutic interventions before life-threatening events occur.
Teaching
Head and Organizer of Elective course MD-program Perinatology (7.5 p) 2009-2023
Head and Organizer of PhD-course in Perinatology (7.5 p) 2016-2018
Head and Organizer of Pediatric-resident-course in Perinatology (1.5 p) 2016-2018
Co-organizer course MD-program Pediatric Emergency Medicine (7.5 p) 2019-
Articles
- Article: FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE. 2025;12:1602129
- Journal article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES. 2025;26(12):5591
- Journal article: BIOETHICS OPEN RESEARCH. 2025;2:3
- Journal article: BIOETHICS OPEN RESEARCH. 2024;2:3
- Journal article: BIOETHICS OPEN RESEARCH. 2024;2:3
- Article: STAR PROTOCOLS. 2024;5(1):102908
- Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2024;15(1):2186
- Journal article: BMC DIGITAL HEALTH. 2024;2(1):75
- Journal article: BMC DIGITAL HEALTH. 2024;2(1):76
- Article: FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE. 2024;18:1408607
- Journal article: BMC DIGITAL HEALTH. 2024;2(1):51
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA. 2023;112(7):1443-1452
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA. 2023;112(4):686-696
- Article: FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS. 2023;11:1225294
- Article: ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES. 2022;81(8):1151-1161
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA. 2022;111(5):961-970
- Article: FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY. 2022;13:841229
- Article: FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS. 2022;10:921444
- Article: FRONTIERS IN NEURAL CIRCUITS. 2022;16:826497
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA. 2021;110(10):2802-2804
- Article: TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY. 2020;10(1):312
- Article: FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY. 2020;11:624625
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA. 2019;108(10):1879-1886
- Article: FRONTIERS IN PHYSIOLOGY. 2019;10:307
- Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION. 2018;15(1):223
- Article: PEDIATRICS. 2018;141(5):e20174047
- Article: ELIFE. 2017;6:e29566
- Article: CURRENT PROTOCOLS IN STEM CELL BIOLOGY. 2017;42:2D.13.1-2D.13.30
- Article: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 2017;114(32):E6603-E6612
- Article: JAMA PEDIATRICS. 2017;171(6):564-572
- Article: ELIFE. 2016;5:e14170
- Article: ARCHIVES DE PEDIATRIE. 2016;23(3):234-240
- Article: JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS. 2015;167(6):1207-13.e3
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA. 2015;104(11):1077-1083
- Article: JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS. 2015;167(5):982-6.e2
- Article: NEUROREPORT. 2015;26(15):928-936
- Article: ARCHIVES OF DISEASE IN CHILDHOOD. 2015;100(8):748-753
- Article: JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS. 2015;166(4):870-6.e1-2-U158
- Article: PROSTAGLANDINS LEUKOTRIENES AND ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS. 2014;91(6):269-275
- Article: JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY. 2014;117(9):1027-1036
- Article: JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS. 2014;165(2):356-359.e2
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA. 2013;102(11):1041-1047
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA. 2013;102(7):680-688
- Article: TRANSLATIONAL STROKE RESEARCH. 2013;4(2):236-247
- Article: PEDIATRIC RESEARCH. 2012;72(5):460-467
- Article: CURRENT PROTOCOLS IN STEM CELL BIOLOGY. 2012;Chapter 2:Unit-2D.13
- Article: ANNALS OF THE RHEUMATIC DISEASES. 2012;71(3):448-454
- Article: JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 2012;307(3):275-282
- Article: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS. 2012;90(1):152-160
- Article: JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS. 2011;159(4):546-50.e1
- Article: EXPERIMENTAL CELL RESEARCH. 2011;317(1):70-81
- Article: PEDIATRICS. 2011;127(1):e146-e155
- Article: NEUROREPORT. 2010;21(17):1126-1132
- Article: REGENERATIVE MEDICINE. 2010;5(6):901-917
- Article: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 2010;107(11):5184-5189
- Article: JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS. 2010;156(3):382-U73
- Article: ACTA PAEDIATRICA. 2008;97(3):285-292
- Article: NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. 2007;357(19):1893-1902
- Article: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 2007;104(23):9894-9899
- Article: EPILEPSIA. 2007;48(6):1138-1142
- Article: NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. 2006;354(20):2112-2121
- Article: RESPIRATORY PHYSIOLOGY & NEUROBIOLOGY. 2005;146(2-3):135-146
- Article: JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE. 2005;201(1):11-17
- Article: JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON. 2004;556(1):43-59
- Article: PEDIATRIC RESEARCH. 2003;54(3):326-331
- Article: PEDIATRIC RESEARCH. 2002;51(1):4-12
- Article: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 2001;98(16):9407-9412
- Article: BRAIN RESEARCH. 2000;884(1-2):201-205
- Article: PEDIATRIC RESEARCH. 2000;48(2):177-183
- Article: JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON. 1999;518(1):159-172
- Journal article: PEDIATRIC RESEARCH. 1998;44(3):456
- Journal article: PEDIATRIC RESEARCH. 1998;44(3):456
- Journal article: ANESTHESIOLOGY. 1998;89(Supplement):1358a
- Article: BRAIN RESEARCH. 1998;800(2):308-311
- Journal article: ANESTHESIA AND ANALGESIA. 1998;86(2S):513s.-513S
- Article: BRAIN RESEARCH. 1997;778(1):233-241
- Article: PEDIATRIC RESEARCH. 1997;42(1):46-53
- Show more
Employments
- Professor/Senior Physician, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2013-
Degrees and Education
- Docent, Karolinska institutet, 2008
- Captain, Officer in the Swedish Marines, Sjökrigskolan, Swedish Armed Forces, 2004
- Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 1998
- University Medical Degree, Karolinska Institutet, 1994
Leadership and responsibility assignments
- Head of division, Clinical pediatrics, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-