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Leif Eriksson

Professor

Department of Chemistry & Molecular Biology
Telephone
+46 31-786 91 17
+46 766-22 91 17
Mail
leif.eriksson@chem.gu.se
Visiting address
Medicinaregatan 7 B
41390 Göteborg
Room number
7283
Postal address
Box 462
40530 Göteborg

About Leif Eriksson

Contact information: Natrium science building, Medicinareg. 7b, 40530 Göteborg; office 7283.

RESEARCH

Theoretical biophysical chemistry in form of computer based modeling of various biochemical processes and systems. Our focus has for a long time related to DNA damage processes, cancer and drug design. In recent years, we have explored increasingly larger systems, including diffusion across biological membranes, drug loaded liposomes, derivation of protein structures and studies of their mechanisms, modeling of protein-protein complexes, and development of new inhibitors in cancer treatment and as antibiotics. A large part of our research deals with understanding at a detailed atomistic level, different stress response mechanisms in the cell, and how we can utilize these in the treatment of aggressive cancers such as glioblastoma, TNBC and brain metastases.

We utilize a wide range of methods in our research, from DFT and QM/MM to molecular dynamics simulations and bioinformatic tools such as VHTS/docking and homology modeling. Since 2020 we develop our own AI-based tools for ultrafast drug discovery, ADMET properties, drug-drug interactions, etc.

ResearcherID: D-1226-2012. ORCID: 0000-0001-5654-3109

Current research group: 1 senior researcher (Dr Jalil Mahdizadeh), 2 Postdocs (Dr Asma Gholami, Dr Shraddha Parate), 1 PhD student (Fredrik Lannestam Holmelin), and several Master students, visiting researchers and PhD students.

TEACHING

Mainly on the following courses: General chemistry (KEM011) Analytical pharmaceutical chemistry (KER210) General pharmaceutical chemistry (KER220) Basic Molecular Modeling (KEM552)

COMMISSIONS OF TRUST

Deputy chair of the National Allocations Committee (NAC) allocating grants of computing time at the Swedish supercomputing centers.

Participates in H2020 MSCA-RISE project VIDEC. Member of UGOT CARe (Center for Antibiotics Resistance Research).

MERITS

Leif Eriksson studied Chemistry at Stockholm university and University of Sussex 1985-1988. He received his PhD in Quantum chemistry at Uppsala University (1992), followed by a postdoctoral fellowship from the Swedish science research council VR (then 'NFR') to go to Dalhousie University, Canada, 92/93. He most recently comes from NUI Galway, Ireland, and holds the current professorship in physical chemistry at GU since 2011. He was awarded the 2017 Pedagogic price from the Science section of the Göta Student Union at University of Gothenburg.

Eriksson has published >300 peer reviewed research papers and some 20 review papers and book chapters, in the field of theoretical/computational (bio)chemistry. He holds the patents of new pharmaceuticals targeting skin cancer, glioblastoma, and Vitamin A degradation, and is part owner of spin-out companies ANYO Labs, C26 Bioscience, and Cell Stress Discoveries. He is currently involved in the development of several new drugs, of which the first are in the patenting stage.

Eriksson's work is supported by e.g. the Swedish Science Research Council (www.vr.se), the Swedish Cancer Foundation (cancerfonden.se), Sven and Lilly Lawski Foundation (lawskistifelsen.se), Wenner-Gren Foundations (swgc.org) and the GBM Foundation (gbmfoundation.com).