Johan Lundberg

What kind of research will you be conducting at MedTechLabs?

So far, my research has largely involved experimental endovascular procedures and advanced imaging studies. I am keen to continue developing cell transplantation using endovascular techniques, as well as preclinical imaging of transplanted cells and stroke, with Professor Staffan Holmin. During the pandemic, I have also started research projects involving clinical perfusion MRI inspired by earlier preclinical work in collaboration with several other research groups under the leadership of Malin Jonsson-Fagerlund, a docent at the Division of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, and clinical imaging with Dr Tobias Granberg of the Neuroradiology Department. I am also looking forward to collaborating with Mats Danielsson on clinical applications for the new computed tomography technology.

What kind of impact are you hoping your research will have?

I hope that I will achieve results that improve the lives of our patients. By using combinations of technical advancements or applying technical solutions from fields outside of medicine to medical problems, I hope in some small part to improve diagnostic or therapeutic alternatives.

When might the results of this research be of practical use to patients?

Hopefully, we will soon be testing the trans-vessel wall technique for endovascular organ access in clinical trials. This is obviously very exciting, given that we have been working on the project since 2007. I have been collaborating on a fast MRI sequence for calculating lung perfusion that has helped generate insights into the pathophysiology of COVID-19, which has already become clinical praxis.

What is your background and motivation as a researcher?

I entered the Medical Programme in 2002 and combined research and studies to gain my medical degree in 2009 and PhD in 2011, both at Karolinska Institutet. Since then, I have spent a considerable period of time on parental leave with my four children and combined building our house with working as a resident and continued research. In 2015, i started on the residency program in neuroradiology at Karolinska University Hospital.

Personally, my primary motivation to continue researching is to learn new things. Designing an experiment to understand more once I’ve thought about a problem is one of the most exciting things I can imagine.