Our research

Subsets of lymphocytes, such as cytotoxic T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, can kill infected or neoplastic cells. Individuals carrying mutations in specific genes required for such lymphocyte cytotoxicity may develop life-threatening disorders.

In the most severe cases, these are often triggered by viral infections and elicit uncontrolled immune cell proliferation and hyperinflammatory immune pathology. Otherwise, such mutations may predispose to malignancies.

We have developed methods for quantification of human cytotoxic lymphocyte responses. Our research strives to understand the complex regulation of cytotoxic lymphocyte function in health, infection, and disease in the setting of human genetic variability and environmental factors. Moreover, we aim to develop refined techniques for determining human immune status. We hope that outcomes of this work will include fundamentally new conceptualizations of immunological disorders, basic immunological and genetic insights, and potent, specific immunomodulatory interventions for treatment of disease.

Our laboratory is based at the Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine and employs a wide range of techniques. To gain clinical and scientific insights into human diseases, we collaborate closely with clinicians at Karolinska Institutet, across Scandinavia and the rest of the world.