Mats Ulfendahl
Affiliated to Research | Docent
E-mail: mats.ulfendahl@ki.se
Visiting address: Solnavägen 9 - kvarter B8, 17165 Solna
Postal address: C4 Neurovetenskap, C4 Forskning Experimentell Traumatologi, 171 77 Stockholm
About me
- I started Medical School at KI in 1981, got my PhD (Dept. of Physiology) in
1989, and was appointed Associate Professor (physiology) in 1991. In 1997 the
ENT Clinic at the Karolinska Hospital recruited me as Lab Director to build
up their research laboratory. During 2002-2010 I was also Director of the
Center for Hearing and Communication Research at KI. Was appointed Professor
of Experimental Audiology and Otology in 2004. Initiated and was until 2009
Director of a “FAS Center” running a 10-year research program focusing on
hearing impairment in working life. During three years (2007-2009) I was
member of the Scientific Council for Medicine at the Swedish Research Council
(VR). Was appointed Secretary-General for Medicine and Health at VR 2010 (a
six-year term ending in 2015). Was among many other assignments responsible
for a trans-European cooperation structure for research and policy issues
related to antibiotic resistance, the Joint Programming Initiative on
Antimicrobial Resistance (chair 2010-2016). Been a member of the National
Priority Board for Highly Specialized Health Care (Rikssjukvårdsnämnden),
the Board of the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and
Assessment of Social Services (SBU), the Decision-Making Board for the
National Quality Registers, the National Steering group for the ALF Agreement
etc. Around the time I was appointed Secretary-General I moved my research
group back to the KI Campus and joined the Department of Neuroscience. During
2016-2017 I chaired an international expert panel appointed by the European
Commission to evaluate the European & - Developing Countries Clinical Trials
Partnership (EDCTP). Member of international expert panels evaluating the
Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR - 2016-2017), and the Human
Frontier Science Program (HFSP - ongoing). In 2016 I was elected chairman of
the board of the Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF), and chairman of
the Delegation for research of the Swedish Society for Medicine (Svenska
Läkaresällskapet). In 2017, I was appointed chairman of the board of
Forskningsinstitutet Hörselbron AB, a non-profit organisation that among
other things has established a unique national quality register for hearing
aids. Co-author of a Swedish textbook in physiology (the 6th edition
published in 2017).
The Swedish Dental Society's Honorary Award 2016 - Honorary Doctor (Dr h.c.)
of Odontology, Malmö University College 2016 - The Petrus and Augusta Hedlund
40-year anniversary award (4 MSEK) 2001 - Guest Professor, Anhui Medical
School (Hefei, Kina) 2000.
Research
- My research is focused on the auditory system, and especially the function of
the hearing organ and how it is affected by trauma. My PhD thesis was about
the inner ear sensory cells and the structural and functional basis for their
motile properties. During my PhD work I initiated a long-term and very
fruitful collaboration with a research group a Columbia University (New York)
investigating the motion pattern of the intact hearing organ (was Associate
Research Scientist at Columbia Univ. 1989-90). We established an in vitro
model of the guinea pig inner ear and made unique measurements of extremely
small sound-evoked vibration using laser interferometry (a method we some
years later set up at the ENT Research Laboratory at the Karolinska
Hospital). We could demonstrate that the inner ear sensory cells (the outer
hair cells) have a key role in the motion pattern of the hearing organ and
thus for the sensitivity of the peripheral auditory system. My group also
studied mechanical properties at the cellular level using isolated sensory
cells, e.g. using atomic force microscopy. We have, for example, shown that
the mechanical characteristics of the sensory cells are affected by acoustic
overstimulation, a finding that may explain the temporary hearing impairment
caused by noise exposure. We also used confocal microscopy and advanced image
analysis tools to directly visualise the hearing organ and how it is affected
by sound. Among other things, we published the first confocal microscopy
images of the inner ear in the living quinea-pig. After moving to the
Karolinska Hospital the focus of my research gradually changed to the
mechanisms underlying hearing disorder and how to treat hearing impairment.
We have primarily worked with an animal model, in which we can directly
(using sound- or electrically evoked auditory brainstem responses) monitor
how the auditory function is affected by different intervention strategies.
Several studies (e.g. two recently completed EU projects) have investigated
structural and functional effects of neurotrophic factors but we have also
explored antioxidants, cell therapy approaches, and entirely novel
substances.
Articles
- Article: TISSUE ENGINEERING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE. 2014;11(3):187-194
- Article: EXPERIMENTAL GERONTOLOGY. 2013;48(11):1173-1179
- Article: TISSUE ENGINEERING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE. 2013;10(5):266-272
- Article: MOLECULAR THERAPY NUCLEIC ACIDS. 2012;1(12):e61
- Article: EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY. 2012;233(1):172-181
- Article: NOISE & HEALTH. 2011;13(55):432-443
- Article: PLOS GENETICS. 2011;7(9):e1002285
- Article: SCANDINAVIAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. 2011;39(5):501-507
- Article: PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY. 2011;461(6):677-686
- Article: JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF AUDIOLOGY. 2011;22(2):104-112
- Article: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 2011;108(3):99
- Article: JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL OPTICS. 2010;15(5):056012
- Article: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE. 2010;32(5):717-724
- Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA. 2010;27(9):1745-1751
- Article: JOURNAL OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY-HEAD & NECK SURGERY. 2010;39(2):115-121
- Article: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES. 2010;39(1-3):110-115
- Article: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL ADVANCED OTOLOGY. 2010;6(3):307-315
- Article: OTOLOGY & NEUROTOLOGY. 2009;30(4):551-558
- Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH. 2009;87(7):1712-1717
- Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE METHODS. 2009;179(2):271-277
- Article: EAR AND HEARING. 2009;30(1):81-89
- Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH. 2008;86(11):2363-2375
- Article: HEARING RESEARCH. 2008;236(1-2):33-41
- Article: NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE. 2008;29(1):14-21
- Article: EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE. 2008;27(1):145-154
- Article: AUDIOLOGY AND NEURO-OTOLOGY. 2008;13(2):97-104
- Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROTRAUMA. 2008;25(1):72-77
- Article: LAB ON A CHIP. 2007;7(11):1603-1606
- Article: BRAIN RESEARCH. 2007;1170:48-58
- Article: PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR. 2007;92(1-2):75-79
- Article: NEUROIMAGE. 2007;35(4):1393-1400
- Article: CELL AND TISSUE RESEARCH. 2007;328(2):257-270
- Article: JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL OPTICS. 2007;12(2):021005
- Article: NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE. 2007;25(2):309-318
- Article: HEARING RESEARCH. 2007;224(1-2):27-33
- Article: DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY. 2007;67(1):108-122
- Article: ACTA OTO-LARYNGOLOGICA. 2006;126(11):1140-1147
- Article: NEUROSCIENCE. 2006;142(2):425-435
- Article: HEARING RESEARCH. 2006;219(1-2):74-84
- Article: BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL. 2006;91(1):364-381
- Article: STEM CELLS AND DEVELOPMENT. 2006;15(3):449-459
- Article: ACTA OTO-LARYNGOLOGICA. 2006;126(4):346-352
- Article: MICROSCOPY RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUE. 2006;69(1):10-20
- Article: AUDIOLOGY AND NEURO-OTOLOGY. 2005;10(6):323-330
- Article: BRAIN RESEARCH. 2005;1051(1-2):137-144
- Article: BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL. 2005;88(4):2982-2993
- Article: HEARING RESEARCH. 2005;201(1-2):99-108
- Article: NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE. 2005;18(1):184-192
- Article: EXPERIMENTAL CELL RESEARCH. 2005;302(1):40-47
- Article: ORL-JOURNAL FOR OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGY HEAD AND NECK SURGERY. 2005;67(2):75-82
- Article: BRAIN RESEARCH. 2004;1026(1):68-73
- Article: HEARING RESEARCH. 2004;197(1-2):131-136
- Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH. 2004;78(1):75-86
- Article: JOURNAL OF MICROSCOPY. 2004;215(Pt 2):203-212
- Article: NEUROTOXICOLOGY AND TERATOLOGY. 2004;26(2):253-260
- Article: BRAIN RESEARCH. 2004;12(3):152-156
- Article: EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY. 2004;185(1):7-14
- Article: BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL. 2003;85(6):3991-4001
- Article: ACTA OTO-LARYNGOLOGICA. 2003;123(8):905-909
- Article: BRAIN RESEARCH. 2003;979(1-2):1-6
- Article: NEUROTOXICOLOGY AND TERATOLOGY. 2003;25(3):349-359
- Article: AUDIOLOGY AND NEURO-OTOLOGY. 2003;8(1):49-56
- Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE. 2002;22(22):9850-9857
- Article: NEUROREPORT. 2002;13(10):1295-1299
- Article: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 2002;99(16):1848
- Article: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 2002;99(3):1657-1660
- Article: NEUROSCIENCE. 2002;111(3):625-634
- Article: BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL. 2001;80(5):2455-2470
- Article: HEARING RESEARCH. 2001;151(1-2):41-47
- Article: NEUROIMAGE. 2000;12(3):307-313
- Article: BRAIN CELL BIOLOGY. 2000;29(9):645-652
- Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE. 1999;19(11):4498-4507
- Article: ORL-JOURNAL FOR OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGY HEAD AND NECK SURGERY. 1999;61(2):57-62
- Article: HEARING RESEARCH. 1999;128(1-2):166-174
- Article: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 1998;95(12):7127-7132
- Article: ACTA OTO-LARYNGOLOGICA. 1998;118(3):352-361
- Article: PHYSIOLOGY. 1998;13:107-111
- Article: PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY. 1998;436(1):9-15
- Article: NEUROSCIENCE. 1998;83(3):961-968
- Article: NEUROSCIENCE. 1998;83(1):215-228
- Article: HEARING RESEARCH. 1998;116(1-2):71-85
- Article: ACTA PHYSIOLOGICA. 1997;161(4):533-539
- Article: ACTA PHYSIOLOGICA. 1997;161(2):239-252
- Article: NEURAL PLASTICITY. 1997;6(2):105-113
- Article: JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY. 1996;76(6):3850-3862
- Article: ACTA PHYSIOLOGICA. 1996;158(3):275-285
- Article: NEUROSCIENCE. 1996;72(1):199-212
- Article: ACTA OTO-LARYNGOLOGICA. 1996;116(1):17-24
- Article: ANNALS OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING. 1995;23(5):583-607
- Article: NEUROREPORT. 1995;6(8):1157-1160
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All other publications
- Editorial comment: LANCET GLOBAL HEALTH. 2013;1(2):e64-e65
- Review: REGENERATIVE MEDICINE. 2013;8(3):309-318
- Other: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 2010;107(19-20):1281
- Letter: OTOLOGY & NEUROTOLOGY. 2010;31(1):179-180
- Corrigendum: HEARING RESEARCH. 2010;259(1-2):118
- Editorial comment: NATURE. 2008;455(7212):475-477
- Editorial comment: JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL OPTICS. 2007;12(2):021001
- Review: HEARING RESEARCH. 2002;169(1-2):169-178
- Published conference paper: AUDIOLOGY AND NEURO-OTOLOGY. 2002;7(1):27-30
- Review: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 2000;97(10):1106-1112
- Review: CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROBIOLOGY. 1998;8(4):475-479
- Review: LAKARTIDNINGEN. 1997;94(45):4077-4080
- Review: PROGRESS IN NEUROBIOLOGY. 1997;53(3):331-380
Employments
- Affiliated to Research, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-2024
Degrees and Education
- Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 1991