Marike Gabrielson
Senior Research Specialist | Docent
E-mail: marike.gabrielson@ki.se
Visiting address: Nobels väg 12a, 17165 Solna
Postal address: C8 Medicinsk epidemiologi och biostatistik, C8 MEB Czene, 171 77 Stockholm
About me
- Associate Professor (Docent) in molecular cancer epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. My research focuses on the aetiology of breast cancer with an emphasis on the molecular epidemiology of breast cancer risk and prevention.
My research is supported by grants from The Swedish Cancer Society, Region Stockholm with KTH, and Karolinska Institutets Research grants.
Research
- My research focuses on the aetiology of breast cancer with an emphasis on the molecular epidemiology of breast cancer risk and prevention.
Since 2014 I have focused on setting up and conducting research within three target areas:
1) Understanding the biology of breast cancer risk, and identifying biomarkers of risk within the breast and tissue and by hormone and proteomic
profiles
2) Understanding the mechanisms of action of the drug tamoxifen in preventing breast cancer, and identifying biomarkers for treatment effects by tamoxifen
3) Using biomarkers for tailoring individualised preventive and adjuvant therapy of breast cancer
Selected previous studies within my main topics:
* The effects of tamoxifen at different doses on the breast tissue.
This is the first biopsy-paper within the KARISMA randomised dose-determination clinical trial. In KARISMA, we aimed to study the efficacy of lower doses of tamoxifen on the mammographic density change and reported side-effects in healthy women without breast cancer. By studying breast biopsies before and after tamoxifen at different doses, I found that tamoxifen extensively reorganises the breast tissue composition already after six months. Particularly, the glandular-epithelial tissue is reduced already at low doses of tamoxifen. Tamoxifen also changes the expression of hormone receptors and reduces the proliferation rate of epithelial cells. Interestingly, most effects were seen in premenopausal women only (Gabrielson et al. IJC 2023).
* Breast tissue characteristics of the normal breast for understanding the mechanisms underlying mammographic density as a risk factor for breast
cancer.
By using breast biopsies, I have investigated associations between breast tissue characteristics with mammographic density, and established risk
factors for breast cancer. These studies provide new insights in tissue composition regulation and demonstrate that early life events influence the
tissue characteristics, which remain in later life. (Gabrielson et al. BCRT 2016 & - Gabrielson et al. BCRT 2018)
*Plasma hormones are associated with mammographic density and density change over time.
This project identified that hormones from the progestogen, oestrogen and corticoid pathways influence the levels of mammographic density. In contrast, the density change over time is mainly driven by androgens. This study emphasises the complexity of risk factors for breast cancer and their mechanisms of action. (Gabrielson et al. BCR 2020)
*Plasma proteomic approaches for basic research and biomarker discovery for risk prediction, early detection, and prevention of breast cancer.
We showed plasma protein signatures associated with mammographic density among healthy women. The study gives new understandings to the mechanistic processes underlying mammographic density (Byström BCR 2018). We have also identified circulating markers of potential long-lasting molecular effects of menopausal hormonal therapy on the circulating proteome, even after women had ended their treatment (Thomas et al. Trasl Oncol 2022).
*Plasma hormone concentrations for basic research and biomarker discovery for risk prediction, early detection, and prevention of breast cancer.
I have identified plasma prolactin and DHEAS as risk factors for breast cancer in a manner independent of mammographic density (Gabrielson et al. JNCI CS 2018 & - Gabrielson et al. Cancer EpiBiomarkers &
- Prev 2020). I have also identified an interaction between progesterone, calcifications, and breast cancer risk, further identifying endogenous hormones as regulators of breast tissue homeostasis and mammographic features. I am now leading the work to develop risk prediction models based on hormone signatures of breast cancers and controls.
I am also a scientific project leader in the unique, prospective mammography screening and breast cancer cohort KARMA, including over 70, 000
participants [karmastudy.org] (Gabrielson et al. IJE 2017). The overarching goal of KARMA is to reduce the incidence and mortality of breast cancer by
focusing on individualised screening and prevention.
Articles
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER. 2024;155(2):339-351
- Article: BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER. 2024;130(4):620-627
- Article: JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS. 2023;60(12):1186-1197
- Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2023;14(1):7680
- Article: BREAST CANCER RESEARCH. 2023;25(1):93
- Article: CANCER MEDICINE. 2023;12(15):16142-16162
- Article: BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER. 2023;129(1):61-71
- Article: CANCERS. 2023;15(13):3313
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER. 2023;152(11):2362-2372
- Article: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS. 2023;31(5):578-587
- Journal article: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS. 2023;31(5):578-587
- Article: JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE. 2022;114(12):1706-1719
- Article: BRITISH JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE. 2022;56(20):1157-1170
- Article: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER. 2022;173:178-193
- Article: ONCOLOGIST. 2022;27(7):e601-e603
- Article: ONCOLOGIST. 2022;27(7):e597-e600
- Article: GENOME MEDICINE. 2022;14(1):51
- Article: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 2022;12(1):6199
- Article: JAMA ONCOLOGY. 2022;8(3):e216744
- Article: TRANSLATIONAL ONCOLOGY. 2022;17:101339
- Article: COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY. 2022;5(1):65
- Article: ANNALS OF ONCOLOGY. 2021;32(10):1286-1293
- Article: BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER. 2021;125(5):759-765
- Article: JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2021;39(17):1899-1908
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER. 2021;148(5):1132-1143
- Article: JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE. 2021;113(3):329-337
- Article: NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. 2021;384(5):428-439
- Article: MOLECULAR AND CLINICAL ONCOLOGY. 2021;14(2):42
- Journal article: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER. 2020;138:s13
- Article: BREAST CANCER RESEARCH. 2020;22(1):95
- Article: GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2020;44(5):442-468
- Article: JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE. 2020;112(4):391-399
- Article: CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGY, BIOMARKERS AND PREVENTION. 2020;29(3):574-581
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2020;49(1):216-232
- Article: NATURE GENETICS. 2020;52(1):56-73
- Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2019;10(1):4648
- Article: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 2019;9(1):12524
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2019;48(3):795-806
- Journal article: ANNALS OF ONCOLOGY. 2019;30:iii4-iii5
- Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2019;10(1):1741
- Article: BRITISH JOURNAL OF CANCER. 2019;120(6):647-657
- Article: JNCI CANCER SPECTRUM. 2019;3(1):pkz004
- Article: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS. 2019;104(1):21-34
- Article: NPJ BREAST CANCER. 2019;5:38
- Article: JNCI CANCER SPECTRUM. 2018;2(4):pky055
- Article: BREAST CANCER RESEARCH AND TREATMENT. 2018;170(3):487-497
- Article: NATURE GENETICS. 2018;50(7):968-978
- Article: HUMAN MUTATION. 2018;39(5):729-741
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2018;47(2):526-536
- Article: BREAST CANCER RESEARCH. 2018;20(1):14
- Article: NATURE GENETICS. 2017;49(12):1767-1778
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY. 2017;46(6):1740-1741g
- Article: ONCOTARGET. 2017;8(61):102769-102782
- Article: NATURE. 2017;551(7678):92-94
- Article: NATURE GENETICS. 2017;49(6):834-841
- Article: BREAST CANCER RESEARCH AND TREATMENT. 2016;158(2):253-261
- Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2016;7:11375
- Article: BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS. 2016;469(4):1090-1096
- Article: JOURNAL OF VASCULAR RESEARCH. 2016;53(1-2):17-26
- Article: PLOS ONE. 2014;9(9):e107109
- Article: ONCOLOGY REPORTS. 2013;29(4):1268-1274
- Article: BMC CANCER. 2012;12:350
- Article: PLOS ONE. 2011;6(2):e16798
- Show more
All other publications
- Preprint: RESEARCH SQUARE. 2024
- Preprint: RESEARCH SQUARE. 2023
- Preprint: MEDRXIV. 2021
- Preprint: RESEARCH SQUARE. 2021
- Preprint: RESEARCH SQUARE. 2021
- Preprint: RESEARCH SQUARE. 2021
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2021
- Conference publication: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF CANCER. 2020;138:S13
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2019
- Conference publication: ANNALS OF ONCOLOGY. 2019;30:4-5
- Conference publication: CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH. 2013;19:a36
Grants
- Biological markers for prediction of therapy response by tamoxifenCancerfonden1 January 2022 - 31 December 2024
- Individualised primary prevention of breast cancer with tamoxifen in high-risk individualsCancerfonden1 January 2022 - 31 December 2024
- The biology of breast cancer risk and prevention with tamoxifenKarolinska Institutet1 January 2021
- The biological mechanisms of mammography density as a risk factor for breast cancerKarolinska Institutet1 January 2019
Employments
- Senior Research Specialist, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, 2018-
Degrees and Education
- Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2023
Supervisor
- Mattias Hammarström, Investigating the outcome of low and standard dose tamoxifen in healthy women, 2019
- Shadi Azam, Determinants and influence of mammographic features on breast cancer risk, 2016