Sandra Karlsson

Sandra is an associate professor in biomedicine at Jönköping University, conducting research that integrates genetics, epigenetics, and the vitamin D system, with a particular focus on how genetic and lifestyle-related factors influence healthy ageing and immunological processes.

A central part of her research concerns how vitamin D levels and genetic variants in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) affect the immune response, including in the context of TBE vaccination in older adults. She leads a collaborative project with Region Jönköping County aimed at identifying high-risk groups for insufficient vaccine protection, with the goal of enabling personalised vaccination strategies. Sandra is also involved in the molecular biology components of an interdisciplinary project on lipoedema, in collaboration with Linköping University, where genetic and epigenetic biomarkers are used to develop standardised diagnostic criteria for this underdiagnosed condition.

Sandra completed her PhD in genetics at the University of Gothenburg and has since independently established and led her own research lines. Her work has been published in internationally renowned journals and has received attention in national media. Sandra also has a background as co-founder and CEO of Nordic BioPharma AB, providing her with a broad understanding of the clinical and commercial landscape within life science. Alongside her research, she teaches on the biomedicine programmes at Jönköping University and supervises students at bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. She is also programme director for three master's programmes in Clinical Diagnostics: Biomedical Laboratory Science (Laboratory Medicine), Biomedical Laboratory Science (Clinical Physiology), and Radiography.