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:

Maria Filì, M.D. Ph.D. Post doc

Christina Herrspiegel, M.D. PhD student

Viktor Gill, M.D. PhD student

Shiva Sabazade, M.D. PhD student

Anna Hagström, M.D. PhD student

Ruba Kal Omar, U.G.

Krzysztof Kotowski, M.D.

Elin Asplund, MSc. (Alumni)

Alexander Berg Rendahl, 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, Edwin Jordan foundation for ophthalmological research

Board member, Fru Karin Sandqvist foundation

Editorial Board Member, Nature Communications Medicine

Associate Editor 2022, BMC Cancer

Board member, Clinicum 2021-2022

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