Biography
Professor Robert A. Harris
Professor Robert A. Harris (Bob) was born in Harpenden in Southern UK in 1966. He conducted a Bsc.Hons undergraduate degree at Portsmouth Polytechnic, majoring in Parasitology in 1987. PhD studies at University College London studying innate immune agglutinins in Schistosoma host snail species with Terry Preston and Vaughan Southgate as supervisors culminated with a thesis defence in early 1991. A 2.5 year postdoc at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in Paul Kaye’s research group ensued, with focus on understanding the intracellular fate of Leishmania spp. protozoans in macrophages. Bob was awarded a Wellcome Trust postdoctoral fellowship that permitted his relocation to the Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm, Sweden) in the spring of 1994. A postdoc period was spent split between the labs of Anders Örn and Tomas Olsson, in which he studied Trypanosoma cruzi and Trypanosoma bruceii protozoan proteins. Bob became an Associate Professor at the Karolinska Institutet in 1999, heralding his establishment as a PI. Bob started to work with autoimmune diseases in 1996 and began study of therapy using live parasite infections or parasite molecules. His research group has developed autoantigen-specific vaccines, defined the effects of post-translational biochemical molecules on autoantigenicity and developed a macrophage adoptive transfer therapy that prevents pathogenesis in several experimental disease models. He became Professor of Immunotherapy in Neurological Diseases in 2013. In recent years research focus has centred on understanding the immunopathogenesis of incurable neurodegenerative diseases, with particular emphasis on development of immunotherapies directed at microglial cells as potential therapeutic paradigms.
Bob Harris CV July 2020
ERIK HERLENIUS GROUP
Development of autonomic control
About
Immature or deficient autonomic control is a common problem in infants born at a premature age and is of central importance in apneas, secondary hypoxic brain damage and sudden infant death syndrome.
PER ERIKSSON GROUP
Research
For better understanding of disturbances in respiratory control we study early development of cardiorespiratory control, brainstem neural networks and its associations with normal and pathological breathing. The conceptual change introduced by our recent data that endogenous prostaglandins are central pathogenic factors in respiratory disorders and the hypoxic response, open new diagnostic and therapeutic avenues that should significantly better the diagnostics and treatment of newborns and adult patients.
Inflammation is a major culprit in breathing disorders and we hypothesize that by using a newly developed urinary prostaglandin biomarker we can screen, detect and protect against inflammation related breathing disorders.
Our collaborative efforts enable us to move from a clinical problem to molecular understanding of the disease and studies are performed in patients, animal & in vitro models.
Our research is focused on the development of autonomic control with normal and paediatric patients as the target. Autonomic dysfunction in breathing and circulatory control often has its origin in neurodevelopment disorders. Furthermore, our basic research in developmental neuroscience how neural activity and stem cells form activity dependent networks is vital for the development of therapeutic interventions.
Read more
Contact: communication@cmm.se
CENTER FOR MOLECULAR MEDICINE
About
Academic honors, awards and prizes
Half-time committees
Thesis committees
Press
Web presence
Selected publications
EDUARDO VILLABLANCA GROUP
About
Our research program seeks to dissect the complex dynamics of host-environment interactions required to sustain intestinal immune homeostasis and how breakdown in these interactions may lead to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Although genome wide association studies (GWAS) have been instrumental in associating genetic variants/polymorphisms with IBD, assigning causality to these variants in IBD pathogenesis has proven to be difficult. In particular we are trying to understand how deregulation of intestinal immune homeostasis might lead to IBD and trying to discover the function of IBD-risk genes identified by Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS). To discover the function of IBD-risk genes, we focus in immunological processes that are involved at the initiation (priming of adaptive immune responses), progression (chronic inflammation) or resolution (tissue repair) of IBD. To translate genetic mutations to function, we have developed an innovative pipeline that integrate bioinformatics and animal models, including zebrafish and mouse, to ultimately validate candidates mutations in human tissues by using organoids.
My training involves a variety of disciplines such as developmental biology using zebrafish models, mucosal immunology, computational, IBD mouse models, and the analysis of genetic variations as well as the microbiota composition. This provides a unique opportunity to position an integrative and innovative research program to tackle relevant questions in the field of intestinal immune homeostasis and inflammatory bowel diseases.
Academic honors, awards and prizes
- KI consolidator award (2020)
- StratReg Junior Research Award, KI strategic research area (2020)
- Wallenberg Academy Fellow prolongation award, KAW foundation (2020)
- Associated editor at Mucosal Immunology (2020-present)
- Young Investigator Award, Society of Mucosal Immunology (2017)
- Wallenberg Academy Fellow in Medicine, KAW foundation (2014)
- IMTAC FoAss position award, chosen as primary candidate (2014)
- FoAss extension award, Karolinska Institutet (2019)
- 40 under 40 in Latin American Science, Que Pasa magazine (2014)
- Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) research award, NY, USA (2010)
Half-time Committees
2020 Emily Ross (Supervisor: Antonio Barragan), Stockholm University
2018 Gabriella Edfeldt (Supervisor: Kristina Broliden), Karolinska Institutet
2017 Silke Sohn (Supervisor: Mikael Karlsson), Karolinska Institutet
2016 Marianne Forkel (Supervisor: Jenny Mjösberg), Karolinska Institutet
Thesis Committees
2020 Aleksandra Chikina (Supervisor: Anna-Maria Lennon), Institut Curie, Paris
2020 Elaine Piket (Supervisor: Maja Jagodic), Karolinska Institutet
2020 Martin Solders (Supervisor: Helen Kaipe), Karolinska Institutet
2020 Dilipkumar Malipatlolla (Supervisor: Cecilia Bull), Gothenburg University
2019 Carmen Herrera (Supervisor: Mia Philipsson), Uppsala University
2019 Inta Gribonika (Supervisor: Nils Lycke), Gothenburg University
2019 Melanie Pieber (Supervisor: Robert Harris), Karolinska Institutet
2018 Violaine Randrian (Supervisor: Anna-Maria Lennon), Institut Curie, Paris
Press
- http://www.wallenbergacademyfellows.se/en/List-of-scientists/Eduardo-Villablanca/ (English)
- https://www.wallenberg.com/Kaw/en/research/explores-mechanisms-behind-chronic-bowel-disease (English)
- http://diario.elmercurio.com/detalle/index.asp?id={20ced8db-392d-4c1e-b978-f5dca2bdb755} (Spanish)
- http://www.australtemuco.cl/prontus4_noticias/site/artic/20100111/pags/20100111000312.html (Spanish)
- http://ki.se/en/research/diversity-rather-than-simplicity (English)
- http://ki.se/forskning/hellre-mangfald-an-enfald (Swedish)
- https://10.129.28.247/web/guest/-/new-method-divides-patients-with-ulcerative-colitis-in-groups?inheritRedirect=true&redirect=%2Fweb%2Fguest (CMM press release, 2019, English)
- https://nyheter.ki.se/ny-metod-grupperar-patienter-med-ulceros-kolit_ga=2.146036084.1336318103.1561548688-1573738379.1546528346 (KI press release, 2019, Swedish)
- https://biermann-medizin.de/c-ulcerosa-neues-verfahren-teilt-patienten-in-zwei-gruppen-ein/ (Bierman medizin, 2019, German)
Web Presence
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ejvillablanca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/villablancalab/?ref=bookmarks
Webpage: https://villablancalab.com/
Institutional webpage: https://ki.se/en/meds/research-group-eduardo-villablanca
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eduardo-villablanca-b4b44b36/
Pubmed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=villablanca+ej
Google Scholar: https://bit.ly/2uVEJ3U
Selected publications
Link to all publications on PubMed here.
Evren E, Ringqvist E., Tripathi KP., Sleiers N., Rives IC, Alisjahbana A, Gao Y, Sarhan D, Halle T, Sorini C, Lepzien R, Marquardt N, Michaëlsson J, Smed-Sörensen A, Botling J, Karlsson M, Villablanca EJ, Willinger T. Distinct developmental pathways from blood monocytes generate human lung macrophage diversity. Immunity 2020, Dec 23;S1074-7613(20)30531-8. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2020.12.003. Online ahead of print.
Kaya B, Doñas C, Wuggenig P, Diaz O, Morales R, Melhem H, Swiss IBD Cohort, Hernández PP, Kaymak T, Das S, Hruz P, Ayata CK, Villablanca EJ*, Niess JH* . Lysophosphatidic acid-mediated GPR35 signaling in CX3CR1+ macrophages regulates the intestinal cytokine milieu. Cell Reports, 2020, August 04. (*) Equal contribution
Parigi SM, Das S, Frede A, Cardoso RF, Tripathi KP, Doñas C, Yue OO, Antonson P, Engstrand L, Gustafsson JA, & Villablanca EJ. Liver X receptor regulates Th17 and RORgt+ Treg cells by distinct mechanisms. Mucosal Immunology. 2020, July 17.
Diaz OE., Xue S., Luo X., Nava J., Appelblom A., Morales RA., Das, S. & Villablanca EJ. Retinoic acid induced cytokines are selectively modulated by liver X receptor in zebrafish. Reprod Toxicol. 2020. April; 93. 163-168.
Czarnewski P, Parigi SM, Sorini C., Diaz OE., Das D, Gagliani N., & Villablanca EJ. Conserved transcriptomic profile between mouse and humans allows temporal dynamic visualization of IBD-risk genes and unsupervised patient stratification. Nature Communications. 2019. Jun 28;10(1).
Das S, Doñas C, Akeus P, Quiding-Järbrink M, Mora JR, Villablanca EJ. β7 integrins contribute to intestinal tumor growth in mice. PLoS One. 2018 Sep 20;13(9):e0204181.
Parigi S, Czarnewski P, Das S, Steeg C, Brockmann L, Fernandez-Gaitero S, et al. Flt3 ligand expands bona fide innate lymphoid cell precursors in vivo. Sci Rep 2018 Jan;8(1):154.
Jijon H, Suarez-Lopez L, Diaz O, Das S, De Calisto J, Yaffe M, et al. Intestinal epithelial cell-specific RARα depletion results in aberrant epithelial cell homeostasis and underdeveloped immune system. Mucosal Immunol. 2018 May;11(3):703-715.
Peloquin J, Goel G, Villablanca E, Xavier R. Mechanisms of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Annu. Rev. Immunol. 2016 May;34():31-64.
Parigi S, Eldh M, Larssen P, Gabrielsson S, Villablanca E. Breast Milk and Solid Food Shaping Intestinal Immunity. Front Immunol 2015 ;6():415.
Villablanca E, De Calisto J, Torregrosa Paredes P, Cassani B, Nguyen D, Gabrielsson S, et al. β7 integrins are required to give rise to intestinal mononuclear phagocytes with tolerogenic potential. Gut 2014 Sep;63(9):1431-40.
Chung H, Pamp S, Hill J, Surana N, Edelman S, Troy E, et al. Gut immune maturation depends on colonization with a host-specific microbiota. Cell 2012 Jun;149(7):1578-93.
Cassani B, Villablanca E, De Calisto J, Wang S, Mora J. Vitamin A and immune regulation: role of retinoic acid in gut-associated dendritic cell education, immune protection and tolerance. Mol. Aspects Med. 2012 Feb;33(1):63-76.
Villablanca E, Cassani B, von Andrian U, Mora J. Blocking lymphocyte localization to the gastrointestinal mucosa as a therapeutic strategy for inflammatory bowel diseases. Gastroenterology 2011 May;140(6):1776-84.
Cassani B, Villablanca E, Quintana F, Love P, Lacy-Hulbert A, Blaner W, et al. Gut-tropic T cells that express integrin α4β7 and CCR9 are required for induction of oral immune tolerance in mice. Gastroenterology 2011 Dec;141(6):2109-18.
Villablanca E, Wang S, de Calisto J, Gomes D, Kane M, Napoli J, et al. MyD88 and retinoic acid signaling pathways interact to modulate gastrointestinal activities of dendritic cells. Gastroenterology 2011 Jul;141(1):176-85.
Villablanca E, Raccosta L, Zhou D, Fontana R, Maggioni D, Negro A, et al. Tumor-mediated liver X receptor-alpha activation inhibits CC chemokine receptor-7 expression on dendritic cells and dampens antitumor responses. Nat. Med. 2010 Jan;16(1):98-105.
Villablanca E, Pistocchi A, Court F, Cotelli F, Bordignon C, Allende M, et al. Abrogation of prostaglandin E2/EP4 signaling impairs the development of rag1+ lymphoid precursors in the thymus of zebrafish embryos. J. Immunol. 2007 Jul;179(1):357-64.