Margaret Sällberg Chen

Margaret Sällberg Chen

Professor
Telephone: +46852488125
Visiting address: Institutionen för Labmed / ANA Futura, Alfred Nobels Allé 8, 14152 Huddinge
Postal address: H5 Laboratoriemedicin, H5 Patologi Sällberg Chen, 171 77 Stockholm
Part of:

About me

  • Professor of Clinical Oral Immunology | Director of Doctoral Studies | Chair, KID Steering Group | Faculty Representative, Research Education Committee at Karolinska Institutet.

    Margaret Sällberg Chen earned her D.D.S. and Ph.D. from Karolinska Institutet. She pursued postdoctoral training at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, USA, where she worked on developing T cell receptor transgene models for studying infection and cancer. She then joined the Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control as staff scientist to focus on development of experimental vaccines and infection immunology.

    In 2020, she became a full professor at Karolinska Institutet. She has published over 90 scientific articles, cited more than 4000 times, and is actively involved in various scientific and editorial boards. She is chair of the KID steering group since 2024. Margaret also leads a research group and is Director Doctoral Studies at the Department of Laboratory Medicine.

Research

  • The lab is broadly interested in immunological mechanisms effective in eliminating microbial pathogens associated with chronic diseases and tumors. The research pursues several lines investigating cellular functions capable of sensing and killing intracellular pathogens and tumors, and the target identification. The models are exclusively human infectious diseases and the methodologies employed include synthetic genetics, genetically modified cells and animals, viral and non-viral vectors, and next generation sequencing.

    Major research area: infection and cancer immunity, redirection of lymphocytes, T cell receptors, viral and neo-antigens, human microbiome and immune cell interactions, therapeutic targets in oral diseases including tumors and endodontic infections.

    Group members

    Dr. Michal Sobkowiak, Research specialist, Dr Sobkowiak holds a PhD in mucosal immunology

    Dr. Mahin Ghorbani, Postdoc, Dr Ghorbani has a PhD in metatranscriptome analysis of gut microbiome and biomarker discovery.

    Dr. Zara Ahmad Khan, Postdoc, Dr Khan holds a PhD in human microbiota and microbial proteomics.

    PhD student Rahul Harshad Nagadia, DDS, MD, Specialist Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, National Cancer Centre, Singapore

    PhD student Agne Kvedaraite, DDS, FTV Region Stockholm

    PhD student Bhuvaneswari Hariraman, DDS, National Cancer Centre, Singapore

    PhD student Ira Sotirova, MD, Umeå University, Region Västerbotten (main supervisor Assoc Prof Roberto Valente)


    Alumni

    Tanja Näslund PhD 2009, Anna Pasetto PhD 2012, Haleh Davanian PhD 2014, Michal Sobkowiak PhD 2019. Hassan Alkharaan PhD 2021, Katie Healy PhD 2022, Zeeshan Ateeb PhD 2023, Asif Halimi PhD 2024, Liyan Lu PhD 2024, Khaled Al-Manei, PhD 2025.

    Dr. Anila Yasmeen, Postdoc. Dr. Balasiddaiah Anangi, Postdoc. Dr Rogier Gaiser, Dr Haleh Davanian, Dr Giorgio Garbarini, Dr Sabrina Naud, Dr. Pooja Tajpara, Postdoc.

    Research awards

    Cancerfonden, Vetenskapsrådet, KI KID faculty funds, CIMED, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Award, KI/SLL SOF, ALF Stockholm, Radiumhemmets Forskningsfond, NBIS/SciLifeLab Bioinformatics Long-term Support.

Teaching

  • Formal courses taught at university level
    - Course director “General Pathology”, Dentistry Programme KI, 2023 – present
    - Course director “Exam Work in Oral Sciences”, Dentistry Programme KI, 2015 – 2023
    - Course director “Medical Microbiology, Medical Programme KI, 2002
    - Curriculum Director, Year 2, Dentistry Programme KI, 2014- present
    - Clinical instructor for Dentistry Students (Year 3-5), Dentistry Programme KI, 2008-2017

Selected publications

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Radiumhemmets Forskningsfonder
    1 January 2024 - 31 December 2025
  • Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2023 - 31 December 2025
  • Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2023
    Previous research including from my group has shown that oncopathogens evade immunological recognition to remain undetected. Through successful research, many can be treated and prevented today so that these cancer risk factors can be avoided today. However, risk factors for all cancers are not yet known and information is insufficient to prevent aggressive cancers such as pancreatic cancer. Recently, tumor-associated microorganisms and new viruses are increasingly linked to worse prognosis of cancer disease and also survival. We mainly study tumor-associated microbiomes in the pancreas. The studies intend to improve diagnostics but also how the cancer arises. More recently, we have also studied the microbiome in the stomach and oral cavity and the interactions of microbes with the immune system, which is important for the patient's health. In a sub-project, we are studying how the new mRNA vaccine works in cancer patients and how the microbiome affects their vaccination response. The goal of this project is to increase understanding of the cancer microbiome and how it is handled by the immune system. By investigating genotoxic bacteria from the tumor's own flora and also the flora in related niches in patients with advanced cancer, we hope to contribute to the understanding of the emergence of pancreatic cancer. In the project, we are also developing new immunological weapons that should be able to shrink tumors by targeting the microbiome, which could replace antibiotics that usually have a limited effect. One of the projects intends to study mucosal microbiota and immunity changes to find predictors of vaccination response in cancer patients.
  • CIMED
    1 January 2022 - 31 December 2024
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 June 2021 - 31 May 2025
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2021 - 31 December 2023
  • RNA as cell therapy and tumor marker to prevent cancer
    Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2018
    Viral hepatitis is the major cause of liver cancer. Together with pancreatic cancer, they are the most common cancer deaths in the world with death rates around one million a year. Despite better care and better drugs, liver cancer incidence is expected to increase in the coming decades due to hepatitis virus infection and secondary cirrhosis. An important step in cancer prevention is to find and eliminate the tumor cells early. Research on RNA-based cell therapy and biomarker has shown great advances in cancer and can help accelerate the uptake of cancer types we study. Research we do is to develop RNA-based therapy and biomarker detection to prevent cancer from advancing. We study viral hepatitis, which is the main cause of liver cancer. Together with pancreatic cancer, they are the most common cancer deaths in the world. RNA-based cell therapy would be a more effective and safe alternative treatment to the growing HCV patient groups at risk of liver cancer. Non-coding RNA-based molecules could contribute to refining cancer diagnosis and also targeted therapy in these including patients at risk for pancreas and ameloblastoma. We develop RNA-based cell therapy and map RNA landscape in liver cancer that cannot be treated with today's drugs, and we have recently started similar work with pancreatic cancer and ameloblastoma. We are working to further refine our methods for measuring non-coding RNA in serum and body fluids and with single-cell technology to find better diagnostics and therapy for these patient groups. Our hope is to contribute both to theoretical progress in understanding the mechanisms that govern a successful RNA cell therapy and to contribute to accelerating early detection of the tumor diseases we are studying.
  • RNA as cell therapy and tumor marker to prevent cancer
    Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2017
    Viral hepatitis is the major cause of liver cancer. Together with pancreatic cancer, they are the most common cancer deaths in the world with death rates around one million a year. Despite better care and better drugs, liver cancer incidence is expected to increase in the coming decades due to hepatitis virus infection and secondary cirrhosis. An important step in cancer prevention is to find and eliminate the tumor cells early. Research on RNA-based cell therapy and biomarker has shown great advances in cancer and can help accelerate the uptake of cancer types we study. Research we do is to develop RNA-based therapy and biomarker detection to prevent cancer from advancing. We study viral hepatitis, which is the main cause of liver cancer. Together with pancreatic cancer, they are the most common cancer deaths in the world. RNA-based cell therapy would be a more effective and safe alternative treatment to the growing HCV patient groups at risk of liver cancer. Non-coding RNA-based molecules could contribute to refining cancer diagnosis and also targeted therapy in these including patients at risk for pancreas and ameloblastoma. We develop RNA-based cell therapy and map RNA landscape in liver cancer that cannot be treated with today's drugs, and we have recently started similar work with pancreatic cancer and ameloblastoma. We are working to further refine our methods for measuring non-coding RNA in serum and body fluids and with single-cell technology to find better diagnostics and therapy for these patient groups. Our hope is to contribute both to theoretical progress in understanding the mechanisms that govern a successful RNA cell therapy and to contribute to accelerating early detection of the tumor diseases we are studying.
  • RNA as cell therapy and tumor marker to prevent cancer
    Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2016
    Viral hepatitis is the major cause of liver cancer. Together with pancreatic cancer, they are the most common cancer deaths in the world with death rates around one million a year. Despite better care and better drugs, liver cancer incidence is expected to increase in the coming decades due to hepatitis virus infection and secondary cirrhosis. An important step in cancer prevention is to find and eliminate the tumor cells early. Research on RNA-based cell therapy and biomarker has shown great advances in cancer and can help accelerate the uptake of cancer types we study. Research we do is to develop RNA-based therapy and biomarker detection to prevent cancer from advancing. We study viral hepatitis, which is the main cause of liver cancer. Together with pancreatic cancer, they are the most common cancer deaths in the world. RNA-based cell therapy would be a more effective and safe alternative treatment to the growing HCV patient groups at risk of liver cancer. Non-coding RNA-based molecules could contribute to refining cancer diagnosis and also targeted therapy in these including patients at risk for pancreas and ameloblastoma. We develop RNA-based cell therapy and map RNA landscape in liver cancer that cannot be treated with today's drugs, and we have recently started similar work with pancreatic cancer and ameloblastoma. We are working to further refine our methods for measuring non-coding RNA in serum and body fluids and with single-cell technology to find better diagnostics and therapy for these patient groups. Our hope is to contribute both to theoretical progress in understanding the mechanisms that govern a successful RNA cell therapy and to contribute to accelerating early detection of the tumor diseases we are studying.
  • T cell Receptor Transfer: Translationella Studier för Förbättrad Behandling av Virushepatit and Levercancer
    Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2015
    Liver cancer often gives no symptoms until the disease is already well advanced. A leading cause of this cancer disease is chronic hepatitis C infection. The health burden of hepatitis C is expected to increase as patients infected during the 60-70s are expected to age with increasing numbers of patients who have advanced hepatitis C. There is a clear advantage of healing of hepatitis C in the incidence of cancer but the frequency of healing with current treatment is low in patients with advanced disease, even with new antiviral drugs. Better treatment methods to effectively prevent and treat liver cancer are therefore needed. Immunotherapy based on the transfer of TCR-modified T cells can provide tumor regression in patients with cancer metastases. This project therefore aims to study TCR-modified HCV-specific T cells that have the capability of knocking out HCV-infected cancer and liver cells. A large part of the project aims to refine the methods to make the T cells even more secure and effective before they can be brought back to the patients. We also work on developing new research to find out which T cell populations are most effective against HCV-infected cells to eventually use them in immunotherapy. By having better knowledge of virus and tumor specific T cells, we hope to contribute to improved treatment of difficult-to-treat liver diseases in order to prevent the development of liver cancer. An important part of our research is to prepare for a clinical platform for immunotherapy for patients with advanced HCV-related diseases including liver cancer. Since virus-reactive T cells required for healing of hepatitis C are lacking in the majority of patients with advanced hepatitis C, our hope is that our research will lead to knowledge that can generate new treatment methods to prevent and treat liver cancer.
  • T cell Receptor Transfer: Translationella Studier för Förbättrad Behandling av Virushepatit and Levercancer
    Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2014
    Liver cancer often gives no symptoms until the disease is already well advanced. A leading cause of this cancer disease is chronic hepatitis C infection. The health burden of hepatitis C is expected to increase as patients infected during the 60-70s are expected to age with increasing numbers of patients who have advanced hepatitis C. There is a clear advantage of healing of hepatitis C in the incidence of cancer but the frequency of healing with current treatment is low in patients with advanced disease, even with new antiviral drugs. Better treatment methods to effectively prevent and treat liver cancer are therefore needed. Immunotherapy based on the transfer of TCR-modified T cells can provide tumor regression in patients with cancer metastases. This project therefore aims to study TCR-modified HCV-specific T cells that have the capability of knocking out HCV-infected cancer and liver cells. A large part of the project aims to refine the methods to make the T cells even more secure and effective before they can be brought back to the patients. We also work on developing new research to find out which T cell populations are most effective against HCV-infected cells to eventually use them in immunotherapy. By having better knowledge of virus and tumor specific T cells, we hope to contribute to improved treatment of difficult-to-treat liver diseases in order to prevent the development of liver cancer. An important part of our research is to prepare for a clinical platform for immunotherapy for patients with advanced HCV-related diseases including liver cancer. Since virus-reactive T cells required for healing of hepatitis C are lacking in the majority of patients with advanced hepatitis C, our hope is that our research will lead to knowledge that can generate new treatment methods to prevent and treat liver cancer.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2009 - 31 December 2010

Employments

  • Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-
  • Professor, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2026
  • Professor, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2026

Degrees and Education

  • Doctor Of Medical Science, Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 1998
  • Doctor Of Medical Science, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 1998

Committee work

  • Member, Committee for Doctoral Education of Karolinska Instititet
  • Chair, Steering group for KID-funding

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