Jenny Mjösberg - new Professor at MedH
Congratulations to Jenny Mjösberg at Karolinska Institutet who has been appointed Professor of tissue immunology at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge from July 1, 2022.
On October 13 2022, Jenny Mjösberg will be presented as Professor during the Karolinska Institutet Installation Ceremony.
Tell us about your research!
"I study the immune system in tissues, focusing on tissues that often are affected by chronic, inflammatory conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease in the bowel and asthma in the lungs. We still don't know much about the immune system in the mucosal tissues of these organs since they are difficult to sample. For these types of studies, access to tissue samples is needed, where we have an excellent collaboration with clinical researchers. Together with them we study inflammatory conditions in the lung and bowel, but also colorectal cancer.
In our lab at the Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM), we conduct translational research. Together with clinicians we ask clinical questions that can be answered by using our methods in the lab where we analyze tissues, particularly innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) with single cell techniques for example. The hope is that we will be able to use our results to predict response to treatment and find new therapies".
Clinical and translational research in collaboration with Karolinska University Hospital
"The position is planned to include a 20 percent position as director of the clinical lung- and allergy research unit which is run in close collaboration between MedH and the medical unit lung- and allergy diseases at the Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge. The unit conducts clinical and translational research within severe lung diseases including asthma. It has special competence in clinical management of these patients and can for example measure immunological responses to biological treatments. The focus of this unit is now on immunological studies of lung tissues from patients with severe lung diseases including asthma".
What are your objectives as Professor?
"I want to contribute to MedH:s work in several ways, above all through continued good research in intestinal and lung immunity. It's also exciting to follow up the work around the MedH 2025 strategy. Right now we are working with a career program, taking inspiration from the much valued career program that has been running at CIM for the past year.
At CIM I also participate in teaching and giving lectures. We actively need to attract students to our unit and create a better structured interaction with undergraduate project students. This way we can present our research projects to the students and get them better involved in our activity. It's very important to incorporate younger students in research projects and to let young researchers at CIM supervise them. Explaining your research to someone else is a great way to learn how to formulate your own research questions!"
What's the best part of your job?
"I can be creative and do many different things. I get to work with young people with great potential who are motivated and passionate about what they do; together we can ask big and difficult research questions. I also have the possibility to collaborate with people with different areas of expertise. The most exciting things can be found between the disciplines".
Do you have any advice for young researchers?
"It's important that the motivation and curiosity come from within, it must be fun and exciting. If you enjoy testing things, asking questions and experimenting, then research could suit you. It's important to experience different types of research environments to find an environment where you feel safe and comfortable enough to ask all your questions".