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Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Research and teaching on infection and immunity at mucosal surfaces, vaccine development, immune regulation in the context of tumors and chronic inflammation, as well as cellular aging and protein quality control are conducted at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.

Research is focused on infection and immunity at mucosal surfaces, including studies on bacterial and viral pathogens that infect the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts, as well as immune regulation in chronic inflammation and in the setting of tumors and cancer. Research programs include:

Pathogenesis of infections caused by Vibrio cholera, Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC), Helicobacter pylori, Salmonella, and Influenza virus
Regulation of immune responses at mucosal surfaces, intestinal tumors and colorectal cancers
Development of adjuvants to modulate immunity versus tolerance at mucosal surfaces
Evaluation of immune responses and development of vaccines to Vibrio cholera, ETEC, Influenza and SARS-COV-2
Mechanisms underlying inflammatory bowel diseases, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer and autoimmune diseases such as diabetes
The role of innate-like T lymphocytes, dendritic cells and macrophages in immunity, tolerance and disease
Cellular aging and protein quality control

The department carries out both preclinical and clinical studies and has many ongoing international collaborations with researchers in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Australia. Research projects are funded by national and international foundations including the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Cancer Foundation, the Wallenberg Foundation, the European Union, Vinnova, PATH and the Gates Foundation. Projects use state of the art technology in flow cytometry, cell sorting, fluorescence microscopy, gene expression and whole genome- and single cell sequencing.