Päivi Östling

Päivi Östling

Principal Researcher
Telephone: +46852482304
Visiting address: SciLifeLab, Tomtebodavägen 23a, 17121 Solna
Postal address: K7 Onkologi-Patologi, K7 Forskning Kallioniemi Östling, 171 77 Stockholm

About me

  • I specialize in precision cancer medicine at SciLifeLab and the Department of Oncology-Pathology at Karolinska Institutet (KI). My work focuse on individualized drug profiling and spatial mapping of bladder cancer, in collaboration with Anders Ullén (K and KI OnkPat), Charlotte Stadler (KTH and Spatial Biology unit SciLifeLab), as well as the Olli Kallioniemi research group (KI OnkPat). Since the pandemic, I have also been involved in drug repurposing for infectious diseases with the Remedi4All consortium. As co-lead of the PCM Program at KI, I aim to accelerate the implementation of precision cancer medicine (PCM) and foster cross-disciplinary exchange. I co-organize a national PCM course for MD-PhD students, showcasing SciLifeLab technologies, clinical examples, and early clinical trial concepts. This course emphasizes the importance of multidisciplinary teams in PCM research. 

    As the Scientific Lead of Precision Medicine at SciLifeLab, my role is to advance next-generation precision medicine infrastructure. I hold key positions in Swedish Life Science, including SWELife, Cancer Research KI, Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center Board, Genomic Medicine Sweden, and the PREDICT biobank. My extensive experience in research and strategic roles is invaluable for advancing precision medicine. Together with the Precision Medicine Team, I lead two major infrastructure projects: one on advancing clinical trials and the TEF-Health project, which supports Health AI providers across Europe.

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2025 - 31 December 2028
    Drug combinations constitute an important therapeutic strategy, but the huge combinatorial space makes screening infeasible using conventional methods. The purpose of this project is to develop a novel phenotypic screening platform (ADONIS) that can autonomously explore and identify efficient drug combinations.We will develop iterative screening for drug combinations that shift cells towards a desired state. We use multiplexed microscopy imaging (Cell Painting) as profiling technology, which constitutes an excellent tradeoff between cost, speed, and information content. In our previous VR-funded project we developed a robotized lab and implemented fully automated Cell Painting, and in this project we will expand it to perform: i) autonomous screening for drug combinations towards soft-tissue sarcoma and colorectal cancer
    ii) genetic knock-out experiments to illuminate drug resistance
    and iii) generative AI to design novel drug leads.Our approach stands out by using image-based cell profiling data that allows for using the latest deep learning methods, and an AI model that selects the next batch of experiments to be carried out in an automated lab. This makes it possible to convert brute-force approaches, such as drug screening, into search problems that can be approached systematically with machine intelligence. With our project we will contribute to realizing this transition to more efficient scientific discoveries where AI iteratively interacts with the physical world.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2023 - 31 December 2026
    The rapid development of technologies for molecular profiling paves the way for precision medicine approaches to match patients with effective treatment. Through the development of a coordinating support unit, we aim to provide access to SciLifeLab’s technology platforms to support academic and industry-initiated clinical trials. We will establish customized diagnostic packages jointly with clinical trials units across the country to strengthen our attractiveness as a clinical trial site and to ensure early access of patients to both innovative technologies and emerging treatments.Our goal is to identify mature technologies to be evaluated in observational studies and adopted in interventional biomarker-driven clinical trials. To build this capacity, connecting SciLifeLab national infrastructure to clinical practice, key developments supporting cross-platform data, sample and analysis flows with timelines and quality complying with the needs of clinical trials are needed. Our unit will unite services from current and emerging sequencing technologies, to proteome, metabolome, spatial biology techniques, and drug efficacy testing. Our competitive edge is the repertoire of technologies at SciLifeLab, which once combined provide a unique opportunity for clinical trials. With the ‘service packages’ we aim to make Sweden competitive as a trial site, catalyze academy-industry ecosystems and provide opportunities for early access to the latest diagnostic technologies and treatments.
  • High-throughput siRNA and miRNA functional screening to identify key regulators of androgen signalling in prostate cancer
    Academy of Finland
    9 January 2011 - 31 December 2012
  • High-throughput siRNA and miRNA functional screening to identify key regulators of androgen signalling in prostate cancer
    Academy of Finland
    1 January 2010 - 31 August 2011

Employments

  • Principal Researcher, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 2022-
  • Principal Researcher, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, 2025-2028

News from KI

Events from KI