Staffan Strömblad
About me
I am professor and group leader at the Department of Medicine Huddinge since 2024. Before this, I was professor at the Department of Biosciences and nutrition at KI since 2009. I obtained my basic univeristy degree at University of Stockholm in 1988 after studies in Biochemistry and Microbiology, and a PhD at Karolinska Institutet in 1992 in Experimental Pathology. After postdoctoral training at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA during 1994-96, I joined KI to form my own research group and have since then studied various aspects of cell-matrix interactions. I serve as the Scientific Director of the Live Cell Imaging Core Facility at KI and as a Member of the Nobel Assembly at KI.
My scientific philosophy:
To describe my scientific philosophy, I am borrowing a quote from popular culture:“There is a crack - a crack in everything - that’s how the light comes in”
(from the song “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen)
In every scientific dogma and prevailing view, there are cracks and gaps. If we can identify these cracks and find ways to observe the light coming through, we have the possibility to gain fundamental new knowledge.
Research
Research interest areas:
Cancer Cell Biology
Cell-matrix interactions
Mechanotransduction
Cellular signaling
Breast Cancer
Cellular senescenceFor more information, please see my research group's home page
Articles
- Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2025;16(1):8307Soderqvist S; Viljamaa A; Geyer N; Keller A-L; Ruksha K; Strell C; Hekmati N; Niculae A; Engstrand J; Sparrelid E; Salmen C; Costa TDF; Zhao M; Stromblad S; Zacharouli A; Ghorbani P; Harrizi S; Hamidi Y; Khorosjutina O; Milanova S; Schmierer B; Bozoky B; Fernandez Moro C; Gerling M
- Article: MATRIX BIOLOGY. 2025;140:1-15Goransson S; Olofsson H; Johansson HJ; Yan F; Vogiatzakis C; Liang S; Bellato HM; Masvidal L; Aksoylu I; Hartman J; Hajj GNM; Larsson O; Lehtio J; Stromblad S
- Article: CELL COMMUNICATION AND SIGNALING. 2025;23(1):269Yan F; Goransson S; Olofsson H; Vogiatzakis C; Acharekar A; Stromblad S
- Article: BREAST CANCER RESEARCH. 2024;26(1):163Goeransson S; Hernandez-Varas P; Hammarstrom M; Hellgren R; Backlund M; Lang K; Rosendahl AH; Eriksson M; Borgquist S; Stromblad S; Czene K; Hall P; Gabrielson M
- Article: CURRENT OPINION IN CELL BIOLOGY. 2024;86:102304Goransson S; Stromblad S
- Article: JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION. 2023;133(20):e169671Wang T; Dong Y; Huang Z; Zhang G; Zhao Y; Yao H; Hu J; Tueksammel E; Cai H; Liang N; Xu X; Yang X; Schmidt S; Qiao X; Schlisio S; Stromblad S; Qian H; Jiang C; Treuter E; Bergo MO
- Article: MOLECULAR SYSTEMS BIOLOGY. 2023;19(6):e11490Hu J; Serra-Picamal X; Bakker G-J; Van Troys M; Winograd-Katz S; Ege N; Gong X; Didan Y; Grosheva I; Polansky O; Bakkali K; Van Hamme E; van Erp M; Vullings M; Weiss F; Clucas J; Dowbaj AM; Sahai E; Ampe C; Geiger B; Friedl P; Bottai M; Stromblad S
- Article: BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS. 2023;654:73-79Goransson S; Chen S; Olofsson H; Larsson O; Stromblad S
- Article: SCIENCE ADVANCES. 2022;8(12):eabl3667Hu J; Gong X; Stromblad S
- Article: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY & CELL BIOLOGY. 2021;138:106041Costa TDF; Stromblad S
- Article: ELIFE. 2021;10:e63284Chen X; Yao H; Kashif M; Revechon G; Eriksson M; Hu J; Wang T; Liu Y; Tuksammel E; Stromblad S; Ahearn IM; Philips MR; Wiel C; Ibrahim MX; Bergo MO
- Article: MOLECULAR & CELLULAR ONCOLOGY. 2020;7(2):1684129Costa TDF; Stromblad S
- Article: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. 2019;9(1):14436Rabieifar P; Zhuang T; Costa TDF; Zhao M; Stromblad S
- Article: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS. 2019;10(1):3589Costa TDF; Zhuang T; Lorent J; Turco E; Olofsson H; Masia-Balague M; Zhao M; Rabieifar P; Robertson N; Kuiper R; Sjolund J; Spiess M; Hernandez-Varas P; Rabenhorst U; Roswall P; Ma R; Gong X; Hartman J; Pietras K; Adams PD; Defilippi P; Stromblad S
- Article: JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY. 2019;218(7):2086-2095Lock JG; Baschieri F; Jones MC; Humphries JD; Montagnac G; Stromblad S; Humphries MJ
- Article: NATURE CELL BIOLOGY. 2018;20(11):1290-1302Lock JG; Jones MC; Askari JA; Gong X; Oddone A; Olofsson H; Göransson S; Lakadamyali M; Humphries MJ; Strömblad S
- Article: EMBO JOURNAL. 2018;37(17):e98994Gong X; Didan Y; Lock JG; Stromblad S
- Journal article: PLOS BIOLOGY. 2018;16(9):e3000030Mahmoudi S; Henriksson S; Weibrecht I; Smith S; Söderberg O; Strömblad S; Wiman KG; Farnebo M
- Article: JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY. 2018;217(6):1929-1940Spiess M; Hernandez-Varas P; Oddone A; Olofsson H; Blom H; Waithe D; Lock JG; Lakadamyali M; Stromblad S
- Article: JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY. 2018;200(5):1790-1801Kroon J; Schaefer A; van Rijssel J; Hoogenboezem M; van Alphen F; Hordijk P; Stroes ESG; Stromblad S; van Rheenen J; van Buul JD
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All other publications
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2025Yan F; Göransson S; Olofsson H; Vogiatzakis C; Acharekar A; Strömblad S
- Editorial: CURRENT OPINION IN CELL BIOLOGY. 2024;88:102353Stromblad S; Fujita Y
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2022Hu J; Serra-Picamal X; Bakker G-J; Van Troys M; Winograd-katz S; Ege N; Gong X; Didan Y; Grosheva I; Polansky O; Bakkali K; Van Hamme E; Van Erp M; Vullings M; Weiss F; Clucas J; Dowbaj AM; Sahai E; Ampe C; Geiger B; Friedl P; Bottai M; Strömblad S
- Editorial: CURRENT BIOLOGY. 2022;32(2):R79-R81Stromblad S
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2021Hu J; Gong X; Strömblad S
- Review: GIGASCIENCE. 2020;9(5):giaa041Gonzalez-Beltran AN; Masuzzo P; Ampe C; Bakker G-J; Besson S; Eibl RH; Friedl P; Gunzer M; Kittisopikul M; Le Devedec SE; Leo S; Moore J; Paran Y; Prilusky J; Rocca-Serra P; Roudot P; Schuster M; Sergeant G; Stromblad S; Swedlow JR; van Erp M; Van Troys M; Zaritsky A; Sansone S-A; Martens L
- Conference publication: 2020;00:877-881Pielawski N; Hu J; Strömblad S; Wählby C
- Conference publication: PROCEEDINGS - INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON BIOMEDICAL IMAGING. 2020;:1626-1629Gupta A; Larsson V; Matuszewski D; Stromblad S; Wahlby C
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2019Gupta A; Larsson V; Matuszewski D; Strömblad S; Wählby C
- Preprint: ARXIV. 2019Pielawski N; Hu J; Strömblad S; Wählby C
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2019Gonzalez-Beltran AN; Masuzzo P; Ampe C; Bakker G-J; Besson S; Eibl RH; Friedl P; Gunzer M; Kittisopikul M; Le Dévédec SE; Leo S; Moore J; Paran Y; Prilusky J; Rocca-Serra P; Roudot P; Schuster M; Sergeant G; Strömblad S; Swedlow JR; van Erp M; Van Troys M; Zaritsky A; Sansone S-A; Martens L
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2019Rabieifar P; Zhuang T; Costa T; Zhao M; Strömblad S
- Other: BIOMATERIALS. 2019;199:88Jungebluth P; Haag JC; Lim ML; Lemon G; Sjoqvist S; Gustafsson Y; Ajalloueian F; Gilevich I; Simonson OE; Grinnemo KH; Corbascio M; Baiguera S; Del Gaudio C; Stromblad S; Macchiarini P
- Corrigendum: ONCOGENE. 2019;38(2):299-300Zhu J; Zhao C; Kharman-Biz A; Zhuang T; Jonsson P; Liang N; Williams C; Lin C-Y; Qiao Y; Zendehdel K; Stromblad S; Treuter E; Dahlman-Wright K
- Letter: STEM CELLS AND DEVELOPMENT. 2018;27(24):1671-1673Caplan A; Badylak SF; Caplan AI; Davies LC; Stroemblad S; Weiss DJ; Le Blanc K
- Preprint: BIORXIV. 2017Lock J; Jones M; Askari J; Gong X; Oddone A; Olofsson H; Göransson S; Lakadamyali M; Humphries M; Strömblad S
- Conference publication: ATHEROSCLEROSIS. 2017;263:E19Kroon J; Schaefer A; Hoogenboezem M; Van Alphen F; Hordijk P; Stromblad S; Hoeben K; Van Rhenen J; Stroes E; Van Buul J
- Conference publication: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL. 2017;28Kroon J; Rijssel JV; Schaefer A; Hoogenboezem M; Alphen FV; Hordijk PL; Stroes ES; Stromblad S; Van Buul JD
- Editorial: TRENDS IN CELL BIOLOGY. 2015;25(2):55-58Masuzzo P; Martens L
- Conference publication: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL. 2014;25Berge U; Varas PH; Lock JG; Stroemblad S
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Grants
- Cell-matrix interactions in cancerSwedish Research Council1 January 2026 - 1 January 2029
- Which pre-invasive tumors should be treated?Radiumhemmets Research Funds1 January 2025 - 1 January 2027
- Cell-matrix interactions in cancerSwedish Cancer Society1 January 2024 - 1 January 2026
- European Commission1 December 2023 - 31 August 2027Swept lasers have enabled paradigm-shifts in biomedical imaging and diagnostics. The SWEEPICS project will research and develop the next generation of swept source lasers with flexible pulse modulation capability, high power output, multi-wavelength coherent output and multi-application potential. SWEEPICS will develop new laser-based systems: a high-speed, high resolution multiphoton high content screening system, a multimodal non-invasive imaging system based on high-speed photoacoustics and multiphoton microscopy, and a smart microscope for accelerated acquisition&diagnostics. The inter-disciplinary consortium of European partners will showcase the SWEEPICS technology in cutting-edge use cases based on novel vascular organoids for animal-free drug-testing and infection studies. This disruptive SWEEPICS technology will rapidly generate high-resolution diagnostic imaging in three-dimension, where the high imaging depth permits penetrating millimeter deep into tissue-like organoids and imaging at high temporal and spatial resolution in order to allow for a drastic reduction of animal testing and increased speed of diagnostic results. It will allow the study of dynamic processes in real-time and at multiple length scales, enabling researchers to observe how cells and tissues respond to viral infections or pathogen-induced inflammation, while also permitting a high-throughput enabled discovery of novel diagnostic biomarkers. Overall, this technology represents a major breakthrough in capable laser technology for high accuracy and throughput medical diagnostics and is poised to make significant contributions to the European laser and biomedical technology landscape.
Employments
- Professor, Clinical Molecular Biology, Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-
- Professor, Clinical Molecular Biology, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, 2009-2024
Degrees and Education
- Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2000
- PhD, The epidermal growth factor receptor system in rat liver growth and carcinogenesis, Department of Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, 1992
Leadership and responsibility assignments
- Director, The Breast Cancer Theme Center, Karolinska Institutet, 2021-2024
- Coordinator, SSF-Sysmic multi-University project, Karolinska Institutet, 2017-2022
- Coordinator, EU-FP7 Systems microscopy Network of Excellence, Karolinska Institutet, 2011-2015
- Vice director, The Breast Cancer Theme Center, Karolinska Institutet, 2010-2021
- Director of core facility, The Live Cell Imaging Core Facility, Karolinska Institutet, 1998-2024
Distinction and awards
- Erik K Fernstrom prize, Lund University, 2007
- Senior Research Award, Swedish Research Council, 2003
- Junior Investigator Award, Swedish Cancer Society, 1997
Supervision
Supervision to doctoral degree
- 2026
Committee work
- Member, The Nobel Assembly, Karolinska Institutet, 2022-
- Member, Cancer Research KI Excecutive board, Karolinska Institutet, 2020-2023
- Chair, Cancer Research KI Reference group, Karolinska Institutet, 2020-2023
- Chair, Cancer Research KI Nomination Committee, 2020-2023
- Member, The Lennart Nilsson Prize Committee, Karolinska Institutet, 2017-2025
- Member, Swedish Cancer Society Board of Research, Swedish Cancer Society, 2009-2014
- Chair, Swedish Cancer Society Grant evaluation committee, 2008-2012
- Other, Chaired and membered grant evaluation committees at 30+ occasions, 2000-2026
Visiting research fellowships
- Postdoctoral fellow, The Scripps Rsearch Institute, 1994-1996
Thesis evaluation
- Examination board member of doctoral thesis, 2026
Journal reviewing
- Ad-hoc reviewer for 40+ internationally leading scientific journals, 1997-2026
Other expert reviewer/evaluation assignment
- Expert reviewer in appointments of academic positions, External evaluator for professorships, promotions to professor or senior lecturer, or docentships at twelve occasions, Sweden, Finland, UK, USA, Singapore, 2005-2025
- Expert reviewer of research applications, External grant evaluator at 25+ occasions for funding organizations in eleven different countries, Various granting organizations, 2000-2026