Soo Aleman

Soo Aleman

Adjunct Professor | Affiliated to Research
Visiting address: I73, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset Huddinge, 14186 Stockholm
Postal address: H7 Medicin, Huddinge, H7 CIM-CID Aleman, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • MD, PhD, Adjunct Professor

Research

  • Our research at the Unit of Infectious Diseases at KI focuses on viral hepatitis B, C, and D infections  with clinical and translational studies. The research includes observational cohort studies, experimental research collaboration, epidemiological studies and Phase I-IV clinical trials. 

    In recent few years, also research about COVID-19 and Longcovid have been in focus. Collaboration in Phase I-III vaccine trials against COVID-19 and other emerging infections are ongoing, including EU funded studies. 

    We have extensive collaborations on national and international level, including for EU funded studies. Our research partners are within the Center for Infectious Diseases, Divisions of Clinical Pharmacology and Virology in the Department of Laboratory Medicine, the Department of Pathology, the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, the Department of Women´s and Children´s Health at KI, the Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, the Department of Medical Science, Örebro University, Hannover University, Milan University Hospital, Harvard University, pharmacological companies etcetera. 

    Internationally, we have multicenter collaboration studies with collaborators from Europe, USA and Canada. 

    Group leader:
    Soo Aleman, MD, PhD, Assoc prof. Group Leader. MD. Educated and obtained PhD at Karolinska Institutet. Adjunct professor since 2022. Research and education director for Theme Acute and Reparative Medicine at Karolinska University Hospital since 2023.
    E-mail: soo.aleman@ki.se.

    Group members:

    Senior researcher
    Karin Lindahl, MD, PhD, senior physician.
    E-mail: Karin.Lindahl@ki.se

    Postdoc
    Habiba Khodir, MD, PhD.
    E-mail: habiba.khodir.kamal@ki.se

    Research nurses
    Susanne Cederberg, Dept of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital.
    Annika Olsson, Dept of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska University Hospital.

    PhD-students (Main supervisor)
    1. Caroline Gahrton, MD, senior consultant, PhD student. Main supervisor Soo Aleman, co-supervisors Karin Lindahl. Ann-Sofi Duberg, Olav Dalgard. 

    2. Elsa Biteus, MD, senior consultant, PhD student, Main supervisor Soo Aleman, co-supervisors Marcus Buggert, Per Julin, Lars Rombo.

    3. Katarina Johansson Århem, senior consultant, PhD Student. Main supervisor Soo Aleman, co-supervisors Karin Lindahl, Ann-Sofi Duberg, Habiba Khodir.


    Associated PhD studients (Co-supervisor):
    - Hartwig Maetzel. Main supervisor Miroslav Vujasinovic. Co-supervisors Soo Aleman, Mattias Löhr, KI,
    - Frida Jakobsson, Main supervisor Ann-Marie Fors Connolly, Co-supervisors Soo Aleman, Johan Normark, Therese Thunberg, Tomas Gustafsson, Umeå Universitet
    - Agne Kvedraite, Main supervisor Margaret Chen Sällberg, co-supervisors Soo Aleman, Marcus Buggert. 

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • 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 Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 January 2021 - 31 December 2021
  • Clinical studies and analysis of hepatitis B, C and D liver cancer studies.
    Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2018
    Hepatitis B, C and D is a liver inflammation caused by three different viruses. Common to these is that they can cause scarring in the liver which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, with increased risk of liver cancer. Liver cancer is the 6th most common cancer in the world, where viral hepatitis is the most common cause globally. In recent decades, liver complications including liver cancer have increased in Sweden. However, today we have poor knowledge of how these risks look in different groups and how patients with increased risk of liver cancer should be followed up in order to optimally detect cancer in time and introduce preventive measures in persons with high risk factors. The purpose of our project is to identify risks for liver cancer, liver complications and mortality in patients with hepatitis B, C and D, with or without treatment. This will be done by follow-up studies of large groups of hepatitis B, C and D infected patients, and by using data from national registers covering all diagnosed persons with viral hepatitis in Sweden. In Sweden there is a unique opportunity to investigate issues that few in the world can investigate thanks to these comprehensive registers. With this project we want to gain knowledge about how patients with viral hepatitis should follow up adequately to detect liver cancer early, be the basis for further development of new treatments for liver cancer and that treatment for viral hepatitis can be taken after sufficient knowledge of effects and risks of liver cancer. . Through analyzes of how high liver cancer risks are in different groups, well-balanced decisions about who should be examined regularly can be done with ultrasound in monitoring programs and preventive measures be put in place.
  • Clinical studies and analysis of hepatitis B, C and D liver cancer studies.
    Swedish Cancer Society
    1 January 2017
    Hepatitis B, C and D is a liver inflammation caused by three different viruses. Common to these is that they can cause scarring in the liver which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, with increased risk of liver cancer. Liver cancer is the 6th most common cancer in the world, where viral hepatitis is the most common cause globally. In recent decades, liver complications including liver cancer have increased in Sweden. However, today we have poor knowledge of how these risks look in different groups and how patients with increased risk of liver cancer should be followed up in order to optimally detect cancer in time and introduce preventive measures in persons with high risk factors. The purpose of our project is to identify risks for liver cancer, liver complications and mortality in patients with hepatitis B, C and D, with or without treatment. This will be done by follow-up studies of large groups of hepatitis B, C and D infected patients, and by using data from national registers covering all diagnosed persons with viral hepatitis in Sweden. In Sweden there is a unique opportunity to investigate issues that few in the world can investigate thanks to these comprehensive registers. With this project we want to gain knowledge about how patients with viral hepatitis should follow up adequately to detect liver cancer early, be the basis for further development of new treatments for liver cancer and that treatment for viral hepatitis can be taken after sufficient knowledge of effects and risks of liver cancer. . Through analyzes of how high liver cancer risks are in different groups, well-balanced decisions about who should be examined regularly can be done with ultrasound in monitoring programs and preventive measures be put in place.

Employments

  • Affiliated to Research, Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2026
  • Adjunct Professor, Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, 2022-2026

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2012
  • Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 2001
  • Licentiate Degree, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 1999
  • University Medical Degree, Karolinska Institutet, 1997

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