Molecular tools and functional genomics

In the research program Molecular Tools we develop and apply radically new molecular approaches to detect and study analyse DNA, RNA, proteins and cells.

Previously published techniques from the lab, such as padlock, proximity and selector probes, allow detection of also very small amounts of target molecules down to single molecules, and they can be used to investigate large number of molecules in parallel, even in minute samples. The techniques are suitable to measure levels of individual molecules or interacting complexes of molecules, or to visualize these in cells and tissues. Several of our techniques are already available as commercial products from leading international biotech companies, or are being commercialized by spin-outs form the lab. Our efforts are focused both on the development of new methods and on applying the established techniques in biomedical investigations.

Our techniques are employed both in basic molecular and cell biological research and for a number of medical applications, for instance in genetics, tumour biology and in cardiovascular disease, taking advantage of samples from biobanks. We are actively involved in the Swedish SciLifeLab organisation, supporting and coordinating large-scale molecular bioscience, which has become a valuable vehicle to make our techniques broadly available to Swedish scientists, before broader adoption internationally.

Recent research directions in the lab include development of procedures for evaluating experimental and clinical drugs, for single cell analyses, and in a longer perspective for rapid molecular diagnostics at the point of care. The latter techniques may prove valuable in routine health care and in Third World countries.
 

Many former graduate students and post docs from the Molecular Tools programme now have leading positions in companies and at universities in Sweden and abroad.
List of previous co-workers.

Research groups

• Xingqi Chen – Studies of the cell fate decision using single-cell technologies
• Marcel den Hoed – Molecular Epidemiology and Translational Medicine
• Lars Forsberg – The role of loss of chromosome Y (LOY) in human health and disease
• Masood Kamali-Moghaddam – Development and application of sensitive biomarker detection methods
• Ulf Landegren – Advanced molecular techniques in genomics, proteomics and medicine

Links
BBMRI.se
BBMRI.eu
BBMRI-LPC
SciLifeLab
READNA
ONCOTRACK
RAPP-ID
Berzelii Centre
Can-Cure
SYSMIC