Asthma and COPD display a problematic heterogeneity in terms of etiology and inflammatory mechanisms. We want to contribute to the understanding of this complexity, for future personalized medication. Our approach is a comprehensive decoding of immune patterns by cutting edge microscopy-based analyses (histomics) in large clinical studies, involving leading clinics in Copenhagen and all University Hospitals in Sweden. Another main interest of ours is immune cell plasticity. We investigate how external triggers and inflammatory microenvironments dictate cell phenotypes within diseased tissues. Specific projects concern e.g. mast cell heterogeneity, dendritic and macrophage populations, innate lymphoid cells, and Th1/Th2 balance. To decode complex cell patterns we collaborate around multiplex imaging, spatial statistics, image analysis, and artificial intelligence (AI) computing.

We aim to understand the immunology of inflammatory airway diseases. Specifically, we use cutting edge histological techniques to decode immune cell changes in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and respiratory infections. Our overall goal is to identify novel and clinically relevant immune patterns, paving the way for treatment innovations. We also have interests in immune cell profiling in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and cancer. In the research unit we have a histology platform for robotized and automated immunohistochemistry, a unique patient tissue bank and close collaborations with the Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Thoracic Surgery, as well as external collaborators in Copenhagen, Paris, Amsterdam, London and the US.