Gustav Stålhammar
Affiliated to research
About me
Associate professor of ophthalmology
Research group leader
M.D. Ph.D. FEBO
Board certified ophthalmologist
Board certified pathologist
Director, St. Erik Ophthalmic Pathology Laboratory
Research description
My research is focused on predicting and preventing death from ocular tumors.
Uveal melanoma is the most common primary intraocular tumor in adults. Almost half of all patients develop metastases even if the eye has been removed. This is believed to be due to so-called micrometastases that leave the primary tumor very early. These micrometastases can remain dormant in their metastatic niche, including the bone marrow and liver, for several years. Once they leave dormancy and start growing, the patient’s prognosis is poor with a median survival of only 4–15 months. Uveal melanoma is thereby a cancer disease with unpredictable, high mortality and limited treatment options. I would like to help remedy this. I am the Principal Investigator in the world's longest randomized trial of adjuvant treatment for uveal melanoma - AMUM (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05502900?term=Adjuvant+Melatonin…)
Similarly, I am trying to expand our knowledges about retinoblastoma – the most common intraocular tumor in children. In national and international cooperations, we are investigating how chromosomal and genetic aberrations influence survival, and use digital image analysis to find changes in cell size and shape that correlate with a poor prognosis.
Teaching portfolio
Supervision:
Alexander Berg Rendahl, M.D. Ph.D. Post doc
Christina Herrspiegel, M.D. Doktorand
Viktor Gill, M.D. Doktorand
Shiva Sabazade, M.D. Doktorand
Basel Haj Hassan, M.D.
Anna Hagström, M.D.
Ruba Kal Omar, U.G.
Krzysztof Kotowski, M.D.
Elin Asplund, MSc. (Alumni)
Maria Filì, M.D. Ph.D. (Alumni)
Adrianna Opalko, M.D. (Alumni)
Emelie Norrman, M.D. (Alumni)
Education
2022. Director, St. Erik Ophthalmic Pathology Laboratory
2020. Board certified pathologist.
2020. Associate professor of ophthalmology, Karolinska Institutet.
2018-2019. Clinical and Research Fellowship, Ocular Oncology and Pathology, Emory Eye Center, Emory University Hospital, Atlanta, USA
2018. Fellow of the European Board of Ophthalmology, FEBO. Board certified ophthalmologist.
2013-2017. Ph.D. Deptartment of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden
2005-2011. University Medical Degree, M.D. Uppsala University, Sweden
2007. Pathology, Université Catholique de Lille, France
Academic honours, awards and prizes
Board member, Clinicum
Board member, Edwin Jordan foundation for ophthalmological research
Board member, Fru Karin Sandqvist foundation
Editorial Board Member, Nature Communications Medicine
Associate Editor 2022, BMC Cancer
Clinical postdoctorial appointment, Region Stockholm 2021-2022
Supervisor, best Degree project in Medicine, Karolinska Institutet 2021
Swedish Society of Pathology Dissertation of the Year 2017
Research grants:
The Swedish Cancer Society
Region Stockholm
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Swedish Society of Medicine
The Swedish Eye Foundation
The Crown Princess Margareta Foundation for the Visually Impaired
Research to Prevent Blindness, Emory University School of Medicine
Karolinska Institutet
Carmen and Bertil Regnér Foundation