Erik Melén

Erik Melén

Professor/Specialistläkare | Prefekt

Professor i pediatrik och prefekt vid KI SÖS. Forskar om astma och allergi hos barn samt lungutveckling, med fokus på genetiska faktorer och miljöfaktorer.&#160

E-postadress: erik.melen@ki.se
Telefon: +46852487508
Besöksadress: KI/Institutionen för klinisk forskning och utbildning, SÖS, 11883 Stockholm
Postadress: S1 Klinisk forskning och utbildning, Södersjukhuset, S1 KI SÖS Forskning Pediatrik Melén, 118 83 Stockholm
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Om mig


  • Jag är professor i pediatrik och prefekt vid institutionen för klinisk forskning och utbildning, Södersjukhuset, vid Karolinska Institutet. Jag är också barnallergolog vid Sachsska barn- och ungdomssjukhuset och ansvarig forskare för BAMSE-studien. Jag är ordförande för styrgruppen för Clinicum, metodstöd för forskare på KI och Region Stockholm 



    Jag tog läkarexamen vid Uppsala universitet 2001 och disputerade i epidemiologi vid Karolinska Institutet 2006 med fokus på genetiska faktorer vid astma och allergi hos barn. Åren 2009–2010 var jag postdoktor vid Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital och Harvard Medical School i Boston. Jag blev docent i epidemiologi 2012 och professor i pediatrik 2019. 



    Min forskning handlar om luftvägssjukdomar och allergiska sjukdomar hos barn, med särskilt fokus på hur genetiska faktorer och miljöfaktorer samspelar och påverkar lungornas utveckling, astma och allergi från barndom till vuxen ålder. Min forskargrupp består av ca 10 personer (från doktorand till docent / bitr. universitetslektor).

Forskningsbeskrivning

  • Min forskning är inriktad på luftvägssjukdomar och allergiska sjukdomar hos barn, med särskilt intresse för samspelet mellan genetiska faktorer och miljöfaktorer vid lungutveckling, astma och allergi. En stor del av forskningen bygger på den svenska födelsekohorten BAMSE, som gör det möjligt för oss att studera lungfunktion samt luftvägs- och allergisjukdomar från barndom till vuxen ålder. 

    Vi undersöker miljöexponeringar, bland annat luftföroreningar och tobaksrök, tillsammans med genetiska och molekylära faktorer. Forskningen kombinerar detaljerade kliniska och epidemiologiska data med genomomfattande metoder, däribland GWAS, analyser av DNA-metylering och RNA-sekvensering samt storskaliga proteinanalyser. 

    Det övergripande målet är att bättre förstå varför luftvägs- och allergisjukdomar utvecklas och varför vissa personer är särskilt sårbara för miljöexponeringar. Den aktuella forskningen omfattar bland annat långsiktiga effekter av för tidig födsel på lungfunktionen, känslighet för luftföroreningar och genetiska mekanismer bakom sjukdomsutveckling. 

    Forskningen bedrivs genom omfattande nationella och internationella samarbeten. 

Undervisning

  • Jag undervisar regelbundet på KI:s kurser på master- och PhD-nivå.

Artiklar

Alla övriga publikationer

Forskningsbidrag

  • Swedish Research Council
    1 januari 2025 - 31 december 2028
    G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) play crucial roles in many biological functions in our body and they are the target of about 30% of all approved drugs. Despite advancements in technology and our understanding of molecular pharmacology, we still have much to learn about these important receptors. This includes how autoreactive antibodies (AAbs) circulating in blood can regulate in the function of GPCRs and how this contributes to human disease.  We successfully established a world-unique approach for studying full-length GPCRs for their potential to interact with other membrane proteins and antibodies, confirming their functional integrity and quality. Our knowledge about &gt
    200 GPCRs allows uncover new meachanism for how AAbs recognize interacting GPCRs and how this regulates the function of GPCRs in an organ-specific manner. To address this, we willAdapt our current multiplexed analysis framework to the analysis of body fluidsDetermine the autoimmune-recognition of GPCR interactomes in longitudinal cohorts of healthy and diseased donorsReveal organ-specific description of the immune-regulation of interacting GPCRsAs an outcome, we will elucidate how GPCRs can be regulated by ligand binding, membrane interactions, and immune recognition. This will provide new learnings about the function of GPCRs, shed more light on the role of GPCRs in human health and disease, and lead to the development of more specific drugs with fewer side effects.
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 januari 2025 - 31 december 2027
    Background: The lungs start to develop during pregnancy and continue to grow and mature during the first 20-25 years of life. Thereafter, lung function declines due to physiological lung ageing. This lung function trajectory can be affected by host factors including diseases and exposures across the entire life-course. Sub-normal trajectories are associated with poorer health-outcomes, not only chronic airway disease (e.g. asthma and COPD) but also cardio-vascular and metabolic health, as well as premature death. Aims: The overall aim is to better predict chronic airway disease across the life-course. Here we propose that lung function charts could be used both for children and adults to monitor lung health status with time. To this end, we have recently introduced our freely available online Lung Function Tracker tool. Going forward, we hypothesize that 1) lung function trajectory modelling and long-term risk prediction of chronic airway disease will be improved by incorporating individual-level clinical, lifestyle and environmental data in the models 2) systemic biomarkers measured early in life provide prognostic values for long-term disease risk up to adulthood 3) genetics and upper airway methylation and gene expression data will give insight into mechanisms related to onset and progression of chronic airway disease As such, the specific aims in this project are: 1) To improve current lung function trajectory and risk prediction models for chronic airway disease by incorporating individual-level data 2) To identify single or combinations of systemic biomarkers measured early in life that associate with chronic airway disease 3) To identify omics features that correlate with, and predict chronic airway disease Workplan: The BAMSE study with data from 4089 participants followed from birth to age 28 years will be our primary cohort for data analysis and hypothesis testing. Blood samples, biomarkers and omics as well as clinical and lung function data are available from repeated follow-ups. Thanks to our long-term national and international collaboration, we will reach out to other cohorts for replication and validation of results, including SCAPIS. Significance: The expected outcome of the project is to develop a new prediction tool that reliably may predict long-term individual lung function trajectory and asthma/COPD risk
    to identify biomarkers for early disease detection, and to elucidate mechanisms of chronic airway disease.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 januari 2025 - 31 december 2028
    Lung development starts in utero and continues during childhood, and can be altered by several host and environmental factors during the life-course. A range of lung function trajectories exist in the population and sub-normal trajectories are associated with several health outcomes, including respiratory (such as asthma and COPD) and cardiovascular disease.Here we propose that lung function charts could be used both for children and adults to monitor lung health status across the life-course. To this end, we have recently introduced our freely available online “Lung Function Tracker” tool.Going forward, we hypothesize in this project thatlung function trajectory modelling and long-term risk prediction of chronic airway disease be improved by incorporating individual-level clinical, lifestyle and environmental expsure data in the modelsSystemic biomarkers measured early in life provide prognostic values for long-term disease risk up to adulthoodGenetics and upper airway methylation and gene expression data will give insight into mechanisms related to onset and progression of chronic airway diseaseThe expected outcomes of the project are 1) a new prediction tool that reliably may predict long-term individual lung function trajectory and asthma/COPD risk
    2) exploration of new mechanisms of airway disease and identification of novel targets for early disease detection and 3) key genes and pathways for impaired lung function and asthma/pre-COPD will be identified.
  • Vetenskapsrådet
    1 januari 2024 - 31 december 2026
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 december 2023 - 30 november 2026
    The purpose of the proposed project is to identify the key molecules and molecular pathways that underlie severe forms of SARS-CoV-2 infections.We have collected samples from several unique cohorts, including patients who have suffered from hypoxemic pneumonia, mucormycosis, multisystem inflammatory syndrome, and long COVID. We are focusing on young/pediatric patients without comorbidities, hypothesizing that monogenic inborn errors of immunity may underlie severe viral infections in otherwise healthy individuals. We will perform genetic analysis using whole exome/genome sequencing, immunological evaluation including measurement of viral-specific antibody response, autoantibody profiling, single-cell RNA and B-cell receptor sequencing, and additional relevant functional assays.The research will be carried out by four internationally recognized investigators with complementary expertise. During the initial phase, which will last for 6-12 months, patient samples will be collected, and genomic sequencing will be performed. Subsequently, immunological and other functional assays will be conducted.The project aims to identify the underlying molecular pathogenic mechanisms in patients with severe COVID-19, which could lead to better prevention strategies and more targeted therapies. Additionally, the research pipeline we develop may serve as a model for how to approach the identification of the etiological factors, pathways involved, and therapy for future pandemics.
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 januari 2023 - 31 december 2025
  • Swedish Research Council for Environment Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning
    1 januari 2023 - 31 december 2027
    Cardiovascular and metabolic diseases (CMD) remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, including myocardial infarction, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Although young people are not typically affected by CMD, the risk factors for these conditions are present during the early years of life, affecting long-term disease risk and the disease burden in the adulthood. Air pollution, transportation noise, and greenness are among the modifiable risk factors that may influence cardiometabolic health. Previous research on causes of CVD often focuses on single risk factors while effects from multiple environmental exposures in young adults are understudied. This project aims to investigate how air pollution, transportation noise and neighborhood greenness contribute to the development of a wide range of early markers of CMD and to elucidate characteristics that may modify the relation between environmental exposures and CMD traits. The project will be based on the prospective population-based birth cohort BAMSE comprising 4000 individuals followed from birth up to young adulthood with repeated questionnaires and extensive clinical investigations. Exposure to environmental factors is estimated based on residential address history. The results of the project will serve as a basis for policy makers in decision making processes, particularly related to environmental policies and urban planning as well as for individual risk assessment and prevention in clinical practice.
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 januari 2022 - 31 december 2024
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 januari 2022 - 31 december 2024
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 januari 2021 - 31 december 2021
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 januari 2021 - 31 december 2023
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 januari 2021 - 31 december 2022
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 januari 2021 - 31 december 2024
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 augusti 2020 - 31 december 2020
  • European Commission
    1 januari 2020 - 30 juni 2025
  • Swedish Research Council
    1 januari 2020 - 31 december 2022
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 januari 2020 - 31 december 2022
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 januari 2019 - 31 december 2021
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 januari 2019 - 31 december 2021
  • Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation
    1 januari 2019 - 31 december 2020
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Anställningar

  • Professor/Specialistläkare, Pediatrik, Klinisk forskning och utbildning, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, 2019-

Examina och utbildning

  • Docent, Epidemiologi, Karolinska Institutet, 2012
  • MEDICINE DOKTORSEXAMEN, Institutet för miljömedicin, Karolinska Institutet, 2006

Uppdrag

  • Prefekt, Department, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-
  • Prefekt, Klinisk forskning och utbildning, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-

Handledning

  • Handledning till doktorsexamen

    • Fredrik Larsson, Do common neonatal conditions affect respiratory morbidity in later childhood and adolescence?, 2029
    • Shizhen He, Biological mechanisms behind health effects of air pollution exposure from childhood to adulthood, 2024

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