Twana Alkasalias

Twana Alkasalias

Assistant Professor
Visiting address: Forskningsmottagning WHO, QB84 Karolinska vägen 37 A, 17176 Stockholm
Postal address: K6 Kvinnors och barns hälsa, K6 NOGRH Gemzell Danielsson, 171 77 Stockholm
Part of:

About me

  • Dr. Twana Alkasalias is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health (KBH) at the Karolinska Institutet (KI), where he specializes in cancer research. He completed his doctoral studies at KI, focusing on the tumor microenvironment under the mentorship of Professor George Klein. Successfully defended his Ph.D. thesis under the supervision of Prof. Kaisa Lehti.

    Following the completion of his doctoral studies, he joined Prof. Sonia Lain at KI's Department of Microbiology, Tumor, and Cell Biology (MTC) to start a postdoctoral study focusing on drug development approaches aimed at fighting cancer.

    Later, he transitioned to the Department of Women’s and Children’s Health (KBH) at KI, where he worked under the mentorship of Prof. Kristina Gemzell Danielsson. Currently, as an assistant professor, Dr. Alkasalias leads pioneering research initiatives within the Gemzell group. He collaborates closely with Prof. Martin Widschwendter and his esteemed team at the Institute of European Translational Oncology Prevention &
  • Screening (EUTOPS) in Austria.

Research

  • Throughout his academic journey, he has demonstrated a keen focus on the tumor microenvironment, particularly investigating the interactions between normal stromal cells and cancer cells to understand tumor growth and invasion. His early work with Prof. Klein laid the foundation for his research direction, emphasizing the significance of the microenvironment in cancer initiation.

    In Lehti lab, Twana developed expertise in 3D co-culture models, specifically studying the interaction between cancer-associated fibroblasts and ovarian cancer cells. During his postdoctoral studies with Prof. Lain, He delved into combinatorial drug development projects, expanding his independent research portfolio.

    Under the guidance of Prof. Danielsson, Twana leads projects focusing on cancer prevention, particularly studying endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer, and investigating the impact of progesterone signaling on healthy women with pathogenic variants of BRCA mutation. He has contributed significantly to scientific literature, with publications in collaboration with prominent researchers.

    As an assistant professor, Twana continues to innovate, having developed a high-throughput 3D model to study hormone signaling in normal and breast cancer. His dedication to advancing cancer research is evident through his supervision of PhD and master’s students and his active involvement in cutting-edge research projects.

Articles

All other publications

Employments

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, 2023-2028

Degrees and Education

  • Degree Of Doctor Of Philosophy, Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, 2018

News from KI

Events from KI