Monica Susanna Brighenti

Monica Susanna Brighenti

Principal Researcher | Research group leader | Docent

Immunologist studying immune responses and and disease mechanisms in tuberculosis, with focus on host–pathogen interactions and new treatment strategies.

Visiting address: Alfred Nobels allé 8, plan 7, 14152 Huddinge
Postal address: H7 Medicin, Huddinge, H7 CIM Brighenti, 171 77 Stockholm
Part of:

About me

  • I am an Associate Professor in Immunology and Group Leader at the Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM), where I have been appointed since 2003. I completed my PhD at Lund University and Active Biotech Research (1997–2003) and was subsequently recruited to Karolinska Institutet to establish a new research platform focused on tuberculosis (TB).

    With more than 23 years at KI, I have been actively involved in both research and education, including clinical and experimental studies, lecturing, graduate teaching, and research evaluation. I have extensive experience serving on boards and steering committees and I am frequently appointed to review doctoral education projects, grant applications, and scientific papers.

    My overall ambition is to deliver high‑quality, modern teaching and conduct innovative, clinically relevant research, while contributing to strategic development within the academic community.

Research

  • My research focuses on understanding the immunopathogenesis of TB and developing host‑directed therapies for difficult‑to‑treat forms of the disease, including multidrug‑resistant TB. As part of this work, my group has established quantitative technologies for studying human TB using clinical patient samples and in vitro infection models in high‑containment laboratories, enabling pioneering studies of immune responses at the site of infection. Since then, we have made key discoveries on host–pathogen interactions and impaired immune functions in TB, providing the foundation for emerging immunomodulatory treatment strategies.

    • Immunopathogenesis and immune heterogeneity in patients with tuberculosis
    • Development of host‑directed therapies and immunomodulatory treatments
    • Mechanisms underlying M. tuberculosis-induced impairment of immune responses
    • Cellular and molecular interactions between mycobacteria and host cells
    • Immune endotyping of TB to enable tailored treatment strategies
    • Prevention of antimicrobial resistance through improved patient stratification and host‑targeted interventions
    • Translational research in collaboration with clinical partners and TB‑endemic countries, including Ethiopia and Bangladesh

Teaching

  • I have extensive experience in teaching, supervision, and doctoral education at Karolinska Institutet (see CV for details).

    Supervision of PhD Students and Postdocs

    • PhD students (main supervisor): 7 (1 ongoing)
    • PhD students (co-supervisor): 7 (3 ongoing)
    • Postdoctoral researchers (main supervisor): 9 (2 ongoing)

    Experience in Doctoral Examination and Assessment

    • Half-time review committees: 19 PhD students
    • PhD thesis examination boards: 17 students
    • Thesis defense opponent: 7 students

    Committee Work Related to Doctoral Education at Karolinska Institutet

    • Member, Dissertation Committee (2020–ongoing)
    • Reviewer, KID-funding for doctoral education (2024, 2025)
    • Scientific Coordinator, Sweden–Ethiopia collaboration, Karolinska International Training and Research Committee (KIRT) (2009–2012)
    • Scientific Collaborator, Research training programme in medicine, collaboration with Swedish Universities and National University Rwanda (NUR) (2007-2011).
    • Member, Karolinska International Training and Research Committee (KIRT) (2007–2012)
    • Member, World Health Programme (WHP; research training programme) (2007-2012)
    • Member, Swedish Research School for Global Health, a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Umeå University (2007-2012)

    Organizer and Teacher in Post-Graduate Courses at Karolinska Institutet

    • Organizer of postgraduate research courses:
      • TB and Other Bacterial Infections (2005–2010)
      • The Major Global Infectious Diseases: TB and HIV (2011–2013)
      • Malaria, TB and HIV: From Bench to Bedside (2014–2016)
    • Lecturer in multiple postgraduate courses:
      • Mucosal Immunity (2007–2009)
      • Clinical Infectious Diseases (2010–2015)
      • Infection Biology (2011–2012)
      • Frontiers in Translational Medicine (2016–2019)
      • Medical Program – Den sjuka människan (2009–2018)
      • Biomedical Laboratory Science Program (BMA) (2015–2018)

Articles

All other publications

Grants

Employments

  • Principal Researcher, (Immunology of tuberculosis), Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM), MedH, Karolinska Institutet, 2014-
  • Assistant professor (Group leader). Junior research position awarded by Vetenskaprådet., Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM), MedH, Karolinska Institutet, 2008-2013
  • Scientific coordinator, Sweden-Ethiopia, Karolinska Institutet, 2007-2009
  • Postdoctoral fellowship (Immunology of tuberculosis), Department of Medicine Huddinge (MedH), Karolinska Institutet, 2003-2007
  • PhD training position (PhD in Immunology), Active Biotech Research, 1996-2002

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 2014
  • PhD in Immunology, T cell tolerance - Cellular and molecular features of immune regulation, Biomedical center (BMC), Dept of Immunology, Lund University, 2002
  • Master of Science in Cellbiology/Immunology, Biomedical center (BMC), Lund University and Active Biotech Research, 1997

Leadership and responsibility assignments

  • Biosafety representative. Support and recommendations for staff including assistance with applications to the Work Environment Agency, Department of Medicine Huddinge (MedH), Karolinska Institutet, 2025-
  • Clinical trial coordinator of two randomized controlled trials (RCT) conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Clintrials.gov ID NCT01698476 and NCT01702974), Department of Internal Medicine, Addis Ababa University, https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT01698476, 2013-2015
  • Research group leader, Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM), Department of Medicine Huddinge (MedH), Karolinska Institutet, https://ki.se/en/medh/susanna-brighenti-group, 2008-

Distinction and awards

  • Salary support (2 years, 50%, 2025-2026), Department of Medicine Huddinge (MedH), Karolinska Institutet, 2025
  • Research position (6 years, 2017-2022), Project title: "Novel insights and discoveries of the superbug M. tuberculosis", Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, 2017
  • Research fellowship (Senior researcher, 2 years, 2011-2012), Project title: “Discovery of pathogenesis in human tuberculosis with novel implications for clinical practise”, Karolinska Institutet, 2011
  • External Research Assessment (ERA2010), Evaluated as Group leader with assessment “Very good”, by an external group of international experts in the field of Infectious medicine., Karolinska Institutet, 2011
  • Research fellowship (Junior research position, 4 years, 2007-2010), Project title: “Immune correlates of protection in human tuberculosis with implications for a new vaccine approach", Swedish Research Council, 2007
  • Postdoctoral fellowship (2 years, 2006-2007), Project title: "Designing a new clinical approach to assess local pathogenesis in tissue from Mtb and HIV infected patients”, Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF), 2006

Supervision

  • Supervision to doctoral degree

    • Nuno Rufino de Sousa, 2026
    • Mira Akber, “Tuberculosis infection: Immunopathogenesis and new therapeutic strategies”, 2024-
    • Olivia Engstrand, 2024-
    • Isabel Grisna Prensa, 2024-
    • Marco Loreti, “Modulation of protective immunity in human tuberculosis”, 2024
    • Akhirunnesa Mily, “Immunopathogenesis in pulmonary tuberculosis: Impact of immunomodulation and diabetes co-morbidity”, 2021
    • Maria Norrby, 2019
    • Jagadeeswara Muvva, “Studies of effector functions in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected macrophages with implications for host-directed therapies”, 2019
    • Catharina Missailidis, 2018
    • Salah Zangenah, 2016
    • Ahn Thu Nguyen Hoang, 2013
    • Sayma Rahman, “Local immune responses in tuberculosis: Cytolytic effector functions at the site of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection”, 2013
    • Senait Ashenafi Betemariam, “Studies of immune responses in human tuberculosis”, 2013

  • Supervision to licentiate degree

    • Arina Samarina, “Cell mediated immune responses in tissue from patients with pulmonary tuberculosis”, 2005

  • Supervision of postdoctoral researcher

    • Victoria Lovins, 2026-
    • Dimitrios Nikolakis, 2026-
    • Mily Akhirunnesa, 2021-2022
    • Sadaf Kalsum, 2020-2024
    • Senait Ashenafi Betemariam, 2014-2015
    • Pablo Giusti, 2012-2014
    • Nebiat Gebreselassie, 2012-2015
    • Jubayer Rahman, 2010-2012
    • Anders Rehn, 2008-2010

Committee work

Thesis evaluation

  • Joanna Nederby Ödh, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Global Public Health (GPH), Karolinska Institutet, 2026
  • Godfrey Zziwa, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Makerere University Walter Reed Project, 2026
  • Maia Serene Gower, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Medicine Solna (MedS), Karolinska Institutet, 2025
  • Kristina Munke, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, 2025
  • Syeda Mariam Riaz, Opponent, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, 2025
  • Camilla Davids, Opponent, Department for Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, 2025
  • Pearl Ramushu, External thesis reviewer, University of Limpopo, 2025
  • Oskar Olsson, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, 2024
  • Sebastian Havervall, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital (KIDS), Karolinska Institutet, 2024
  • Sylwia Król, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, 2024
  • Andrew Codlin, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Global Public Health (GPH), Karolinska Institutet, 2024
  • Alice Manjate, Opponent, Department of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, 2024
  • Ulrika Marking, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd hospital, Karolinska Institutet, 2023
  • Jinghua Wu, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Medicine Huddinge (MedH), Karolinska Institutet, 2023
  • Elli Mouchtaridi, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Medicine Huddinge (MedH), Karolinska Institutet, 2023
  • Tigist Dires Gebreyesus, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Global Public Health (GPH), Karolinska Institutet, 2023
  • Komal Umashankar Rao, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, 2023
  • Sibel Uzuncayir, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Medical Structural biology (EMV), Lund University, 2022
  • Joanna Nederby Öhd, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Global Public Health (GPH), Karolinska Institutet, 2022
  • Malavika Ramesh, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, 2021
  • Cajsa Classon, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, 2020
  • Tigist Gebreyesus, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Laboratory Medicine (Labmed), Karolinska Institutet, 2020
  • Mathias Eulambius, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Laboratory Medicine (Labmed), Karolinska Institutet, 2020
  • Fregenet Tesfaye, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Translational Medicine, Lund University, 2020
  • Veronika Krmeská, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, 2019
  • Anna-Maria Andersson, Opponent, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), Linköping University, 2019
  • Emilie Wahren Borgström, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Medicine Solna (MedS), Karolinska Institutet, 2019
  • Erik Tenland, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, 2019
  • Emelie Wahren Borgström, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Medicine Solna (MedS), Karolinska Institutet, 2017
  • Cajsa Classon, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Medicine Solna (MedS), Karolinska Institutet, 2017
  • Dan Wamala, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Clinical Science and Education (SÖS), Karolinska Institutet, 2016
  • Prossy Naluyima, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Makerere University Walter Reed Project, 2014
  • Klara Sondén, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Medicine Solna (MedS), Karolinska Institutet, 2014
  • Simon Walusimbi, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Global Public Health (GPH), Karolinska Institutet, 2013
  • Dan Wamala, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Clinical Science and Education (SÖS), Karolinska Institutet, 2013
  • Berit Carow, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, 2012
  • Frank Heuts, Examination board member of doctoral thesis, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, 2012
  • Manju Raj Purohit, Opponent, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, 2011
  • Boris Kan, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Medicine Solna (MedS), Karolinska Institutet, 2011
  • Jolanta Mazurek, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology (MTC), Karolinska Institutet, 2010
  • Kim Blom, Examination board member of halftime evaluation, Department of Medicine Huddinge (MedH), Karolinska Institutet, 2010
  • John Arko-Mensah, Opponent, Department of Molecular Biosciences, The Wenner-Gren Institute, Stockholm University, 2007

Other expert reviewer/evaluation assignment

  • Reviewer for international evaluations, Expert reviewer for competitive funding, Medical Research Council, 2025-2026
  • Other evaluation assignments, Internal reviewer of projects for KID-funding of doctoral education, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-2025
  • Expert reviewer of research applications, Internal grant reviewer for applications to KI funds, Karolinska Institutet Innovations (Sweden), 2024-2026
  • Evaluator of major research grant applications in local competition, Region Västerbotten’s Spjutspets funding for clinical research, Umeå University, 2024-2024
  • Evaluator of major research grant applications in local competition, Reviewer for central ALF applications for the north health care region (expert reviewer 2018-21, chair 2022-23), Umeå University, 2018-2023

Conference/event participation

News from KI

Events from KI