Image: Mattias Pettersson
Strategic research area Our group studies how viruses and human genetics influence disease, with a focus on myocarditis. Combining patient cohorts, molecular profiling, and advanced sequencing, we aim to improve diagnostics, identify biomarkers, and guide personalized treatment through translational research bridging basic science and clinical care.
My research group investigates the role of viruses and host genetics in human diseases, with a focus on understanding how infectious and genetic factors influence disease onset, progression, and outcomes. We combine metagenomic sequencing to identify and characterize viruses in clinical and animal samples with genetic and molecular analyses to study how human genetic variation impacts susceptibility to disease, disease phenotype, and long-term complications.
Our research is translational, beginning with patient samples, and aims to bridge molecular insights with clinical applications. In particular, our work in cardiology and cardiogenetics focuses on myocarditis and virus-associated cardiomyopathies. Using longitudinal patient cohorts, advanced imaging, and molecular profiling, including genomics, metabolomics, and biomarker analyses, we seek to improve diagnostics, risk stratification, and individualized patient management in cardiovascular disease.
Our multidisciplinary team includes physicians, biomedical analysts, researchers in biomedicine, and bioinformaticians, fostering close collaboration with national and international research partners. By integrating viral, immunological, metabolic, and genetic data, our group contributes to the development of precision medicine approaches that inform both diagnostics and patient care.
Our current projects are:
Synergizing Metagenomics and Human Genomics to Transform Myocarditis Diagnosis and Care: We have launched a research project focusing on myocarditis, an inflammatory disease of the heart muscle that primarily affects individuals under 40 and can progress to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) or heart failure. Although the updated ESC guidelines recognize cardiac MRI (cMRI) as an accepted non-invasive diagnostic modality, its sensitivity is limited in mild or early cases, and it cannot determine the underlying cause of the inflammation. Endomyocardial biopsy remains the gold standard but is rarely performed in routine practice, creating a critical need for complementary blood-based biomarkers.
We study a comprehensive cohort of myocarditis patients of all ages diagnosed in Västerbotten from 2009 onward, with continuous inclusion of newly diagnosed cases. By combining clinical data, imaging findings, and longitudinal follow-up with advanced molecular analyses, our work aims to fill existing diagnostic and prognostic gaps. Our analyses include:
Our overarching goal is to identify reliable, non-invasive biomarkers that can complement cMRI, strengthen diagnostic accuracy, guide treatment decisions, and predict which patients are at risk of developing chronic cardiac complications. By clarifying the infectious, immunological, metabolic, and genetic contributors to myocarditis, this project supports more personalized management strategies and aims to improve long-term outcomes for patients.
Genetic Characterization of Puumala Virus in Sweden: Puumala virus induces a mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in humans, transmitted via inhalation of dust particles carrying the virus spread by bank voles. While typically mild, severe cases may necessitate intensive care and dialysis due to renal impairment. Mortality rate stands at 0.5%, escalating to 6% in the elderly. Although highly endemic in northern Sweden, the virus is extending its reach southward. Given the absence of effective treatments or vaccines against nephropathia epidemica, it remains a priority area of investigation. Despite being highly endemic in northern Sweden, we lack comprehensive knowledge about the genetic diversity of the virus, primarily due to the notorious difficulty in sequencing it.
We've spearheaded the comprehensive genetic sequencing of Swedish Puumala virus directly from patient samples. Our focus is on understanding the genetic alterations as the virus transitions from its natural host, the bank vole, to humans, and monitoring the extent of viral mutation during human infection. Additionally, we explore historical and current genetic variants of Puumala virus in Sweden to identify strains predisposed to human infection and to elucidate why certain individuals develop severe nephropathia epidemica while others exhibit minimal symptoms. This collaborative project involves researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and international partners.
About my background: I am a medical doctor with a background in biomedical science, specializing in virology. My academic journey led me to pursue virology studies at Princeton University and to complete my doctoral research in virology at the Karolinska Institute. My doctoral thesis centered on the characterization of dengue virus isolates from children with dengue fever in Cambodia.
Following the completion of my doctoral studies, I transitioned into the role of a research advisor in global health and infectious diseases at Sida, where I focused particularly on research institutions in countries south of the Sahara and Bangladesh.
Currently, I work as a physician in Cardiology while concurrently leading my research group at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine and the Department of Clinical Microbiology (dual affilitions). Additionally, I am actively involved as a lecturer for sixth-term medical students.
Their aim is to close critical gaps in diagnostics, risk assessment, and patient follow-up.
MIMS awarded the 2024 Clinical Research Fellowships to Vanja Lunberg Wiraeus and Anne Tuiskunen Bäck.
