Group Jonas Nilsson

Research summary

Our research seek to identify biomarkers of response to new targeted therapies and immunotherapies. We are making personalized animal models, so called PDX models or Avatar mice. These are used to test drugs as well as further humanization for use in immune oncology research.

The group has initiated and/or participated in several clinical trials, eg the SCANDIUM 1/2 trials, PEMDAC, HAITILS and MEGALIT. Patient samples from the trial has generated important knowledge about genetics and immunology of cancer and immunotherapy.

Focus currently is on cell and RNA therapy combined with tumor targeting drugs. Large national and international collaborations drive development of new generations of treatment for therapy resistant cancers like melanoma and pancreatic cancer.

Group members at SCCR

Group leader:
Jonas Nilsson, PhD, Group leader at Sahlgrenska Center for Cancer Research and Professor of Experimental Cancer Surgery

Preclinic/translational researchers:
Lisa Nilsson, PhD, Senior staff scientist
Maria Öberg, PhD, Postdoctoral fellow
Sofia Stenqvist, Animal Research Assistant
Elif Tanaydin, PhD student
Shamini Srinivasan, Research Assistant 
Sivanandhini Sankarasubramanian, Research Assistant

Kliniska samt GMP-forskare:
Lars Ny, MD/PhD, Professor, onkology
Axel Nelson, MD/PhD, Postdoctoral fellow
Rebecca Riise, PhD, Researcher
David Jansson, Resident, PhD student 

Selected publications

1. Phase I trial of locoregional administration of autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes in patients with uveal melanoma and liver metastases (the HAITILS trial). 
   Nelson A, Riise R, Alsén S, Wong A, Carlson P, Edman S, Holgersson J, Olofsson Bagge R, Johansson I, Sadik M, Edenbrandt L, Nilsson LM, Nilsson JA*, Ny L*. J Immunother Cancer. 2026 Mar 18;14(3). *Co-corresponding authors
    
2. Patient-derived xenografts and single-cell sequencing identifies three subtypes of tumor-reactive lymphocytes in uveal melanoma metastases.
   Karlsson JW, Sah VR, Olofsson Bagge R, Kuznetsova I, Iqba M, Alsen S, Stenqvist S, Saxena A, Ny L, Nilsson LM, Nilsson JA. Elife. 2024 Sep 23;12:RP91705. doi: 10.7554/eLife.91705.
    
3. The PEMDAC phase 2 study of pembrolizumab and entinostat in patients with metastatic uveal melanoma.
   Ny L, Jespersen H, Karlsson J, Alsén S, Filges S, All-Eriksson C, Andersson B, Carneiro A, Helgadottir H, Levin M, Ljuslinder I, Olofsson Bagge R, Sah V, Stierner U, Ståhlberg A, Ullenhag G, Nilsson LM, Nilsson JA. Nature communications, 2021, epub.
    
4. Molecular profiling of driver events in metastatic uveal melanoma.
   Karlsson J, Nilsson LM, Mitra S, Alsén S, Shelke GS, Sah VR, Forsberg EMV, Stierner U, All-Eriksson C, Einarsdottir BO, Jespersen H, Ny L, Lindnér P, Larsson E, Olofsson Bagge R, Nilsson JA. Nature communications, 2020, 11:1894
    
5. Supporting clinical decision-making in advanced melanoma by preclinical testing in personalized immune-humanized xenograft mouse models.
   Ny L, Rizzo LY, Belgrano V, Karlsson J, Jespersen J, Carstam L, Olofsson Bagge R, Nilsson LM, Nilsson JA. Annals of Oncology, 2020, 31:266-273
    
6. H-STS, L-STS, and KRJ-I are not authentic GEPNET cell lines.
   Hofving T, Karlsson J, Nilsson, O, Nilsson JA. Nature Genetics, 2019, 51:1426-1427
    
7. HER2 CAR-T cells eradicate uveal melanoma and T cell therapy-resistant human melanoma in interleukin-2 (IL-2) transgenic NOD/SCID IL-2 receptor knockout mice.
   Forsberg EM, Lindberg MF, Jespersen H, Alsén S, Olofsson Bagge R, Donia M, Svane IM, Nilsson O, Ny L, Nilsson LM, Nilsson JA. Cancer Res. 2019
    
8. Clinical responses to adoptive T-cell transfer can be modeled in an autologous immune-humanized mouse model.
   Jespersen H, Lindberg MF, Donia M, Söderberg EMV, Andersen R, Keller U, Ny L, Svane IM, Nilsson LM, Nilsson JA. Nature communications. 2017; 8(1):707. 
    
9. BET and HDAC inhibitors induce similar genes and biological effects and synergize to kill in Myc-induced murine lymphoma.
   Bhadury J, Nilsson LM, Muralidharan SV, Green LC, Li Z, Gesner EM, Hansen HC, Keller UB, McLure KG, Nilsson JA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2014; 111(26):E2721-30.
    
10. Therapeutic implications for the induced levels of Chk1  in Myc-expressing cancer cells. Clinical cancer research.
    Höglund A, Nilsson LM, Muralidharan SV, Hasvold LA, Merta P, Rudelius M, Nikolova V, Keller U, Nilsson JA. Clin Cancer Res. 2011; 17(22):7067-79. 

More group Jonas Nilsson publications