Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren

Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren

Professor/Senior Physician
Telephone: +46852482916
Visiting address: Alfred Nobels allé 8, plan 7, 14152 Huddinge
Postal address: H7 Medicin, Huddinge, H7 CIM Ljunggren, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • MD and PhD Karolinska Institutet (KI), 1982-1992. Post doc M.I.T., Boston, USA, 1992-1994. Group leader, Dept of Microbiology Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), KI, 1994-2000. Professor at the Department of Medicine (H7), KI, 2001-.

    Commission of trust

    Chairman Medical Student Association, KI, 1985. Scientific Secretary, Swedish Cancer Society, 1998-2002. Member Board of Research, KI, 2005-2011, and KI University Board, KI, 2011-2013. Vice department head, Department of Medicine (H7), 2008-2013. Member of the Nobel Assembly at KI, 2008-. Dean of Research, KI, 2013-2016. 2020- Director NextGenNK Competence Center founded by Sweden's Innovation Agency.

Research

  • Our group has a long-term interest in exploring the function of human immune reaction in cancer and infectious diseases.

    Within the field of cancer, we study NK cell reactivates towards tumor cells and explore the potential of using NK cells in therapeutic settings. Within the field of infectious diseases, we explore immune reactions towards flavivirus infections (in particular TBEV, JFV, and JEV), hantavirus infections, and SARS-CoV-2 infections. With respect to flavivirus infections and SARS-CoV-2 infections we also explore vaccine responses in humans vaccinated with existing vaccines.

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • VINNOVA
    15 November 2024 - 31 December 2029
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 December 2021 - 30 November 2025
    Long COVID is a largely unexplored disease spectrum of unknown etiology with need to gain rapid insights into the etiology to improve diagnosis and treatment options. Long COVID could result from a number of factors including i) the induction of reactive autoimmune responses as a consequence of cross-reactivity with viral antigens and/or ii) viral persistence and concomitant ongoing immune activation. As such, we here hypothesize that differential clinical syndromes will segregate with distinct immunologic and/or virologic parameters/phenotypes. Longitudinal samples (blood and tissues/fluid) will be collected from both long COVID patients and convalescent controls at the new Karolinska Huddinge postcovid clinic. Our interdisciplinary team of clinicians and researchers will create a biobank and data pool by combining a detailed history and examination of all patients with virological and immunologic analyses, including next-generation measurements of inflammatory cytokines, autoantibodies, immune activation profiles and adaptive immunity to SARS-CoV-2, and direct measurements of viral titers in nasopharyngeal fluid, saliva, stool, BAL and cerebrospinal fluid. Also, prognostic facctors, morbidity and mortality of long Covid in clinical cohorts and national regsiter cohorts will be analyzed. These studies will enable the identification and prospective testing of potential biomarkers, which in turn will inform the development of new diagnostic tests and treatments for long COVID.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 June 2021 - 31 May 2025
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2021 - 31 December 2023
  • Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2021
    During the past ten years, with the support of the Cancer Foundation, we have developed new NK cell-based immunotherapies against blood cancer diseases. The therapies have shown high safety and very promising results. We see today that there is continued development potential in the area. New NK cell-based therapies can be developed with an even greater degree of efficacy and/or specificity. Within the framework of the current project, we want to initiate two new academic clinical studies with NK cell-based products with high activity and specificity. We want to take advantage of recent discoveries in our research environment, where we have identified a specific population of NK cells with particularly high cytotoxicity (tumor cell killing ability). We want to expand this population from healthy blood donors, and then give these NK cells to patients with treatment-resistant blood cancers. We then want to study immunological responses in the patient and compare these against clinical effect. In the second study, we want to combine a newly established NK cell-based treatment strategy with antibodies against cancer cells. We also want to study immunological responses in these patients and compare these against clinical effect. The projects aim to develop new, refined, NK cell-based immunotherapies against cancer. The goal is to create therapies with high specificity and effect, while at the same time they must be possible to produce at low cost and can be given to patients without side effects. In the long term, the goal is that this type of immunotherapies should be able to be offered to larger and more patient groups who are without other specific treatment.
  • VINNOVA
    1 January 2020 - 31 December 2024
  • VINNOVA
    15 April 2018 - 31 December 2018
  • NK cell-based immunotherapy for patients with incurable hematological cancer
    Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2018
    More and more people are suffering from cancer diseases. Although cancer research has progressed significantly, too many people die prematurely in cancer life and many suffer from their illness more than necessary. Traditionally, cancer diseases have been cured by surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy (cytostatics). In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a fourth major treatment option. Immunotherapy is still in its infancy, but great progress is being made. We see great opportunities for developing new forms of cell-mediated immunotherapies against blood cancer diseases (especially certain forms of leukemias). For a long time we have studied so-called natural killer cells (NK cells) in various experimental model systems and in humans. These naturally occurring immune cells have the ability to recognize and kill certain types of tumor cells. In the case of severe cancer diseases, the function of these cells is often depressed. We have developed a system in which we isolate NK cells from blood from related donors, expand and activate them, and then transplant them into cancer patients. In preliminary studies, we have seen very promising results in some patients with incurable cancer. We now want to further develop these strategies in new clinical trials. Our mission is to be able to cure certain forms of today incurable cancer. This is done by completely eliminating the cancer with the aid of current cell therapy, or putting cancer patients at a stage that allows them to be treated with conventional treatment methods such as bone marrow transplantation. We focus our studies on the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia. We have great respect for the fact that this is a difficult task, but we see reasons for optimism. Not least from recent studies in patients with incurable cancer which have given very good results.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2018 - 31 December 2020
  • NK cell-based immunotherapy for patients with incurable hematological cancer
    Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2017
    More and more people are suffering from cancer diseases. Although cancer research has progressed significantly, too many people die prematurely in cancer life and many suffer from their illness more than necessary. Traditionally, cancer diseases have been cured by surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy (cytostatics). In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a fourth major treatment option. Immunotherapy is still in its infancy, but great progress is being made. We see great opportunities for developing new forms of cell-mediated immunotherapies against blood cancer diseases (especially certain forms of leukemias). For a long time we have studied so-called natural killer cells (NK cells) in various experimental model systems and in humans. These naturally occurring immune cells have the ability to recognize and kill certain types of tumor cells. In the case of severe cancer diseases, the function of these cells is often depressed. We have developed a system in which we isolate NK cells from blood from related donors, expand and activate them, and then transplant them into cancer patients. In preliminary studies, we have seen very promising results in some patients with incurable cancer. We now want to further develop these strategies in new clinical trials. Our mission is to be able to cure certain forms of today incurable cancer. This is done by completely eliminating the cancer with the aid of current cell therapy, or putting cancer patients at a stage that allows them to be treated with conventional treatment methods such as bone marrow transplantation. We focus our studies on the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia. We have great respect for the fact that this is a difficult task, but we see reasons for optimism. Not least from recent studies in patients with incurable cancer which have given very good results.
  • Treatment of blood cancer with NK (natural killer) cells
    Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2016
    Over the past 10 years, our research team has studied human NK cells in detail, from many different aspects. These projects are based on previous studies in the group of NK cells in mice. We have now gained a detailed knowledge of human NK cells, ffa with respect to their development, differentiation, activation, and molecular specificity (ie their ability to recognize at tumor level tumor cells and other types of altered cells). Through our new knowledge, we now realize that NK cells from healthy donors should be able to be used for therapeutic purposes to cure or alleviate severe cancer, ffa in patients with certain forms of blood cancer. The project aims to isolate NK cells from blood from healthy, closely related, donors. These are activated overnight under controlled conditions, and are then given to patients with severe blood cancer. We focus especially on patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myeloblastic leukemia. The patients are pre-treated with chemotherapy and some irradiation before receiving treatment, in order for the NK cells to be able to expand in the patients. In the patients, expansion of NK cells, and the effect of NK cells on the tumor disease, are then measured. Advanced studies in parallel investigate the causes of NK cell expansion and anti-tumor effects. The purpose of the studies is to investigate the possibility of treatment or alleviation of patients with irreversible blood cancer. Preliminary results are very promising. In several patients, we see effects on tumor cells, and reduced or no residual disease. However, we need to increase the size of patient groups, and also follow patients longer. In the long term, we seriously believe that current strategy can be developed to be routinely used in various tumor states, especially in certain types of blood cancer, but also in some other tumor forms. The treatment can certainly also be combined with other treatment strategies, eg different antibodies.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2016 - 31 December 2019
  • Treatment of blood cancer with NK (natural killer) cells
    Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2015
    Over the past 10 years, our research team has studied human NK cells in detail, from many different aspects. These projects are based on previous studies in the group of NK cells in mice. We have now gained a detailed knowledge of human NK cells, ffa with respect to their development, differentiation, activation, and molecular specificity (ie their ability to recognize at tumor level tumor cells and other types of altered cells). Through our new knowledge, we now realize that NK cells from healthy donors should be able to be used for therapeutic purposes to cure or alleviate severe cancer, ffa in patients with certain forms of blood cancer. The project aims to isolate NK cells from blood from healthy, closely related, donors. These are activated overnight under controlled conditions, and are then given to patients with severe blood cancer. We focus especially on patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myeloblastic leukemia. The patients are pre-treated with chemotherapy and some irradiation before receiving treatment, in order for the NK cells to be able to expand in the patients. In the patients, expansion of NK cells, and the effect of NK cells on the tumor disease, are then measured. Advanced studies in parallel investigate the causes of NK cell expansion and anti-tumor effects. The purpose of the studies is to investigate the possibility of treatment or alleviation of patients with irreversible blood cancer. Preliminary results are very promising. In several patients, we see effects on tumor cells, and reduced or no residual disease. However, we need to increase the size of patient groups, and also follow patients longer. In the long term, we seriously believe that current strategy can be developed to be routinely used in various tumor states, especially in certain types of blood cancer, but also in some other tumor forms. The treatment can certainly also be combined with other treatment strategies, eg different antibodies.
  • Treatment of blood cancer with NK (natural killer) cells
    Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2014
    Over the past 10 years, our research team has studied human NK cells in detail, from many different aspects. These projects are based on previous studies in the group of NK cells in mice. We have now gained a detailed knowledge of human NK cells, ffa with respect to their development, differentiation, activation, and molecular specificity (ie their ability to recognize at tumor level tumor cells and other types of altered cells). Through our new knowledge, we now realize that NK cells from healthy donors should be able to be used for therapeutic purposes to cure or alleviate severe cancer, ffa in patients with certain forms of blood cancer. The project aims to isolate NK cells from blood from healthy, closely related, donors. These are activated overnight under controlled conditions, and are then given to patients with severe blood cancer. We focus especially on patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myeloblastic leukemia. The patients are pre-treated with chemotherapy and some irradiation before receiving treatment, in order for the NK cells to be able to expand in the patients. In the patients, expansion of NK cells, and the effect of NK cells on the tumor disease, are then measured. Advanced studies in parallel investigate the causes of NK cell expansion and anti-tumor effects. The purpose of the studies is to investigate the possibility of treatment or alleviation of patients with irreversible blood cancer. Preliminary results are very promising. In several patients, we see effects on tumor cells, and reduced or no residual disease. However, we need to increase the size of patient groups, and also follow patients longer. In the long term, we seriously believe that current strategy can be developed to be routinely used in various tumor states, especially in certain types of blood cancer, but also in some other tumor forms. The treatment can certainly also be combined with other treatment strategies, eg different antibodies.
  • Treatment strategy for severe human hantavirus infection
    Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research
    1 August 2013 - 31 July 2018
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2013 - 31 December 2016
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2011 - 31 December 2011
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2011 - 31 December 2015
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 July 2008 - 31 December 2008
  • New web page for CIM
    Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research
    1 January 2008 - 31 December 2008
  • Show more

Employments

  • Professor/Senior Physician, Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, 2001-

Degrees and Education

  • University Medical Degree, Karolinska Institutet, 1992

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