Eric Herlenius

Eric Herlenius

Professor/Senior Physician | Head of division
Telephone: +46852482838
Visiting address: CMM, L8, 17176 Stockholm
Postal address: K6 Kvinnors och barns hälsa, K6 Klinisk pediatrik Herlenius, 171 77 Stockholm
Part of:

About me

  • To Breathe or not to Breathe, that is the question!

    Focus on perinatal development of Inspiration and autonomic control & how novel deep machine learning of vital parameter data better the diagnostics and treatment of newborn, children and adult patients

    Eric Herlenius studied medicine at Karolinska Institutet where he also defended his PhD thesis in developmental neuroscience 1998. He subsequently joined Profs Iku Homma and Evan Snyder for postdoc at Showa University, Tokyo and Children’s Hospital, Harvard medical school, Boston respectively, to study activity dependent development and plasticity of functional neural networks. He then specialized in Pediatrics and continued investigations regarding perinatal development of autonomic control. He is a Physician-scientist focused on translational medicine, combining basic mechanistic and patient research to develop novel methods to screen, detect and protect against inflammation related breathing disorders.

    Current positions and commitments
    - Professor of Pediatrics, Karolinska Institutet
    - Senior Consultant in Pediatrics, Astrid Lindgren´s Children´s Hospital
    - Chair Research - Development and education for Pediatric Emergency and Infectious disease, Karolinska University Hospital

    - Head Clinical Pediatrics at Dept KBH, Karolinska Institutet
    - Head, AIM - AI in Medicine -implementation Medical Students, KI
    - Head DeepNEWS - Deep machine learning based Novel Early Warning System. KI-K-KTH

Research

  • Immature respiratory control in infants born may result in apneas, sudden unexpected postnatal collapse (SUPC), secondary hypoxic brain damage, and SIDS. We have shown that prostaglandins are central pathogenic factors in respiratory disorders and the hypoxic response. This has led us to focus on the role of inflammation and brainstem modulation in both clinical and mechanistic studies. These are used to define mechanisms for factors disturbing the physiological and neural pathways that control breathing. Main goals are:

    1) Develop better clinical guidelines and best practices to prevent sudden cardiorespiratory failure in newborns, Sudden Unexpected Postnatal Collapse (SUPC).

    2) Deep-NEWS! To clinically characterize how dysregulation of respiratory control induces life-threatening events and if subtle alterations in cardiorespiratory parameters may act as early warning scores for infection, inflammation and a need for therapeutic intervention. We use Deep Machine Learning based analysis of individual patients real time vital parameters to develop rapid semiautomatic Novel Early Warning Systems.

    3) To define the pathophysiological mechanism of apneas and involvement of inflammation in the development and activity of brainstem respiration-related neural circuits. In vivo and novel in vitro experimental mouse models and single cell transcriptomics and patch-seq techniques are used.

    By complimenting a thorough understanding of the ways in which inflammation impacts breathing and understanding cues that precede respiratory failure, we will enable earlier and novel therapeutic interventions before life-threatening events occur.

Teaching

  • Head and Organizer of Elective course MD-program Perinatology  (7.5 p)                     2009-2023

    Head and Organizer of PhD-course in Perinatology  (7.5 p)                                             2016-2018

    Head and Organizer of Pediatric-resident-course in Perinatology  (1.5 p)                       2016-2018

    Co-organizer course MD-program Pediatric Emergency Medicine  (7.5 p)                     2019-2026

    Head and Organizer MD-program AIM  AI in Medicne Implemenation  (7.5 p).             2026-

Articles

All other publications

Grants

  • Brain Foundation
    1 July 2025 - 31 July 2026
    Purpose and aims: To Breathe or Not to Breathe, That is the Question! When we take our first breath, inspiratory motor functions and ventilatory chemoreflexes must be sufficiently developed and functional to sustain life. However, the central pattern generating circuits in the brainstem that drive breathing, continue developing after birth, leaving respiratory behavior in newborns temporarily fragile and highly vulnerable to stress. In particular, inflammation can cause irregular breathing patterns and dampens the ability to autoresuscitate. Such autonomic failure may lead to apnea, gasping and, in the extreme case, death. Unfortunately, both sepsis and lethal cardiorespiratory failure are difficult to predict in the clinic and the underlying mechanisms that lead to inflammatory-related respiratory dysfunction in infants are poorly understood. Our project seeks to address these issues by accomplishing the following two major aims: 1. Improve preventative measures and treatment for respiratory dysfunction by investigating the interaction between inflammatory signaling and brainstem circuits that drive rhythmic behavior during perinatal stages of development. 2. Improve the diagnosis of cardiorespiratory and homeostatic disorders in the newborn infant and children by using machine learning to derive a pattern or signature of physiological parameters that can predict life-threatening events. By complimenting a thorough understanding of the ways in which inflammation remodels the dynamics of inspiratory motor drive with a knowledge of cardiorespiratory patterns that precede respiratory failure, we hope to enable earlier and better therapeutic interventions before lifethreatening events can occur in patients.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2024 - 31 December 2027
    Immature cardiorespiratory control in infants may result in apneas, sudden unexpected postnatal collapse (SUPC), secondary hypoxic brain damage and SIDS. We have shown that prostaglandins are central pathogenic factors in respiratory disorders and the hypoxic response. This has led us to focus on the role of inflammation and brainstem modulation in both clinical and mechanistic studies. These are used to define mechanisms for factors disturbing the physiological and neural pathways that control breathing. main goals are:1) Develop better clinical guidelines and best practices for respiratory failures in newborns e.g. Sudden Unexpected Postnatal Collapse (SUPC).2) To clinically characterize how dysregulation of respiratory control induces life-threatening apneas and if subtle alterations in cardiorespiratory parameters may act as early warning scores for infection, inflammation and a need for increased intervention. Patients recruited at the Pediatric wards and with the help of KTH expertise we use Deep Machine Learning based analysis to develop rapid semiautomatic Novel Early Warning Systems3) To define the pathophysiological mechanism of apneas and involvement of inflammation in the development and activity of brainstem respiration-related neural circuits. In vivo and novel in vitro experimental mouse models and single cell transcriptomics techniques are used.The overall aim is to develop diagnostics and therapeutic approaches against life threatening apneas and collapse.
  • Brain Foundation
    2 July 2023 - 30 June 2025
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2023 - 31 December 2026
    The primary aim of this research is to determine whether supplementation with probiotics during the first weeks of life reduces the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and neonatal mortality and is safe to use among extremely preterm (EPT) infants born before gestational week 28.P: The study population include EPT infants (n= 1620) born at six tertiary neonatal units in Sweden and four units in Denmark.I: This is a double-blinded multicenter randomized controlled trial where infants in the intervention group will as soon as they tolerate 3 mL breastmilk per feed receive a probiotic combination of Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium lactis, and Streptococcus thermophilus diluted in 3 mL breastmilk and given daily until gestational week 34.C: The control group will receive 3 mL breastmilk without probiotic supplementation (blinded) daily.O: Primary outcome variables is a composite endpoint of incidence of NEC and mortality. Secondary outcomes include incidence of sepsis, duration of hospital stay, use of antibiotics, feeding tolerance, growth, and body composition after hospital discharge.Patient benefit: To provide evidence on the usage of probiotics among EPT infants that are not currently covered by clinical recommendations. As EPT infants have the highest risk for NEC and mortality our results have the potential to change current recommendations and improve patient outcomes, decrease mortality, shorten hospitalization, and decrease overall health-care costs.
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 January 2022 - 31 December 2023
  • Brain Foundation
    4 July 2021 - 30 June 2023
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2020 - 31 December 2023
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 January 2019 - 31 December 2021
  • Swiss National Science Foundation
    1 June 2017 - 31 July 2017
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2017 - 31 December 2019
  • VINNOVA
    6 December 2010 - 30 November 2014
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2010 - 31 December 2012
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2009 - 31 December 2014
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2009 - 31 December 2014
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 January 2009 - 31 December 2014

Employments

  • Professor/Senior Physician, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2013-

Degrees and Education

  • Docent, Karolinska institutet, 2008
  • Captain, Officer in the Swedish Marines, Sjökrigskolan, Swedish Armed Forces, 2004
  • Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 1998
  • University Medical Degree, Karolinska Institutet, 1994

Leadership and responsibility assignments

  • Head of division, Clinical pediatrics, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2024-

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