New docent in paediatrics at CLINTEC

Congratulations Milan, what does the title ’Associate professor’ mean to you?

I love research. As an associate professor I will be able to apply for research grants and thus continue with my research and supervision of PhD students. This is the most important meaning of the title for me.

What is your research about?

All my research is about a balance:

1. Water and salt balance in the body and
2. Balance between surrounding bacteria and innate immunity.

Balance means health. Imbalance leads to disease.

I and my colleagues, for example, described the presence and production of antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin, which is a part of innate immunity, an endogenous antibiotic. It is produced among other places in the kidney, urinary tract, and in the gut. Using animal experiments and clinical studies, we have suggested that deficiency in cathelicidin production leads to increased susceptibility to urinary tract infections and haemolytic uraemic syndrome, the most common cause of acute kidney injury in young children in western world. Certain substances, e.g., vitamin D, stimulate cathelicidin production and may therefore protect us from diseases.

Urinary tract infections and other infections are very common among children and even more common in patients after kidney transplantation. Often, we must treat our patients with antibiotics and some even need to be on antibiotic prophylaxis, which leads to rapid increase in antibiotic resistance. This has become one of the most important global problems. Understanding and modulating of innate immunity may lead to new treatment strategies, a promising alternative or complement to antibiotics.

How do you celebrate?

First, I was not planning to celebrate at all. However, since I got so many gratulations I changed my mind, and I am thinking about a nice dinner with my close colleagues and friends.