Ulla Stenius

Ulla Stenius

Professor
Telephone: +46852487510
Visiting address: Nobels väg 13, 17177 Stockholm
Postal address: C6 Institutet för miljömedicin, C6 Biokemisk toxikologi Stenius, 171 77 Stockholm
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About me

  • Ulla Stenius is a Professor of Occupational Toxicology since 2010 at the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM). 2014-2022 she was appointed Head/Director of the same department.

Research

  • Chemical carcinogenesis, prevention and risk assessment

    We analyze sex differences in response to carcinogens and the carcinogenic effects of silica. The goal of the projects is to improve the scientific base for risk assessment.

    The CRAB- and Lion-projects investigates a novel approach to cancer risk assessment and cancer discovery which could greatly assist risk assessors with the management of large textual data and aid knowledge discovery.



    Projects
    - Using text mining to aid cancer risk assessment
    - Gender differences in carcinogenesis
    - Cancer risk of low dose exposure for silica


    Project: Gender differences in carcinogenesis
    In this project we investigate sex differences in response to carcinogens. A main objective is to identify chemicals exhibiting sexual dimorphism in their response. Another objective is to identify mode of action for these chemicals. Of special interest is the role of androgen receptor for male susceptibility to carcinogens.
    Financed by Forte and Formas

    Project: Cancer risk associated with low dose silica exposure
    The overall aim of this project is to characterize mechanisms for silica-induced inflammation and silica-induced DNA damage at low doses.
    In cell studies we find that silica particles induce inflammation and DNA damage in lower doses than previously employed. The finding that this occurs in epithelial cells suggests that this may have a direct bearing on silica-related lung cancer. Our data challenges the mode of action for silica carcinogenesis suggested by IARC and suggests that cancer should be seen not as a sequel of silicosis but rather as process that develops in parallel with silicosis. In this project, an alternative type of DNA damage mechanism will be studied; quartz particles can cause double strand breaks and micronuclei through activation of endonuclease G. The mechanism will be further characterized in experimental models and its relevance to cancer development investigated. The project may lead to a simplified risk assessment of quartz and perhaps also to a lowering of occupational exposure limits.
    Financed by AFA försäkring

Selected publications

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • New type of DNA damage can be crucial for silica-induced carcinogenesis
    AFA Försäkring
    1 July 2023 - 30 June 2026
  • Swedish Research Council for Environment Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning
    1 January 2023 - 31 December 2025
    Men have higher cancer incidences than women. Lifetime risk for men is 50% and for women 30% and an incidence quote of 1.8 for men/women has been shown for cancer in non-sex organs. Calculations suggest that a third of all cancer cases should be possible to eliminate if causes were known and could be eliminated. Further support for differences is that men have worse survival statistics and that boys have worse cancer prognosis. We have found that skin carcinogens inactivate androgen receptor (AR) in human stem cells. In the present project we will study if carcinogen-induced inactivation of androgen receptor (AR) in human stem cells can explain men’s susceptibility to cancer, and in particular the high incidence for older men. We will 1) investigate how environmental carcinogens inactivate AR, 2) analyze the consequences of AR inactivation concerning DNA damage and repair, 3) study if carcinogens interact with age-dependent decline in testosterone levels and increase DNA damage and mutation burden, and 4) analyze differences in tumor-specific mutational burden between genders. Our study will hopefully explain a major risk factor behind melanoma and perhaps also men´s cancer susceptibility for several other tumors. Our study may also suggest tools to decrease men´s cancer incidence, as well as the total cancer incidence, via a development of new risk assessment strategies.
  • Swedish Research Council for Health Working Life and Welfare
    1 January 2019 - 31 December 2021

Employments

  • Professor, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, 2010-

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska Institutet, 1999

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