UU | Medical Faculty | Dept of Neuroscience | Unit of Pharmacology | Projects | Home

1. Personal data
2. Academic degrees
3. Positions
4. Supervised Ph. D. theses and postdoctoral fellows
5. Research group
6. External reserach grants
7. Memberships in scientific organizations
8. Honours and awards
9. Assignments
10. Symposia
11. Brief description of major discoveries and current research
12. Teaching
13. Public information about science and medicine

1. Personal data

2. Academic degrees

Professor of Molecular Cell Biology at Faculty of Medicine, Uppsala University, since November 1, 1994.

Docent of Medical Genetics at Faculty of Medicine, Uppsala University, February 27, 1987.

Doctor of Medical Science at Faculty of Medicine, Uppsala University, January 20, 1984.
Thesis: Class II transplantation antigens: Molecular Genetic Studies. Supervisor: Prof. Per A. Peterson.

Master of Pharmacy ("Farmacie magister") at Faculty of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, January 18, 1980.

3. Positions

Since November 1994: Professor of Molecular Cell Biology at Faculty of Medicine, Uppsala University.

October 1994: University lecturer (associate professor) in molecular cell biology at Faculty of Science, Uppsala University.

October 1988-September 1994: Researcher ("Forskartjänst") in molecular cell biology. Position provided by the Swedish Natural Science Research Council.

October 1987-September 1988: Visiting scientist (EMBO long-term fellowship) at Research Inst. of Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, U.S.A., Division of Preclinical Neuroscience and Endocrinology, Head: Dr. Floyd E. Bloom.

December 1985-September 1987: Research associate ("forskarassistent") in molecular genetics at Uppsala University, Dept of Medical Genetics. Head: Professor Ulf Pettersson.

Sept-Nov 1985: Parental leave 3 months.

Feb-Nov 1985: Research associate ("forskarassistent") in medical-chemical science at Uppsala University, Dept of Cell Research. Head: Professor Per A. Peterson.

July 1984-Jan 1985: Postdoctoral fellow at Bionova (owned by Pharmacia and STU, "Styrelsen för teknisk utveckling"). Research was done at the Department of Cell Research. Head: Professor Per A. Peterson.

1980-1984: Ph. D. student at the Department of Cell Research, Uppsala University (Supervisor: Professor Per A. Peterson).

4. Supervised Ph. D. and licentiate theses and postdoctoral fellows

Postdoctoral fellows and visiting scientists

5. Research group

6. External reserach grants (selected)

Swedish Research Council (VR): Grants since 1985; 945+405 kkr/year 2004-05; 945 kkr/year 2006; 900 kkr/year 2007-09, 900 kkr/year 2010-12.

SJFR/STINT: 710 kkr/year 2001-02

Swedish Medical Research Council (MFR): 1989-93 (Narcolepsy and HLA)

SSF (Stiftelsen f Strategisk Forskning), NNN(National Network in Neuroscience): Ph. D. student position Feb. 98-Jan 2001.

Wenner-Gren Foundations: 144 kkr 2000 (postdoc fellowship)

Wenner-Grenska samfundet: 150 kkr 1997 (postdoc fellowship)

Carl Trygger's Foundation: 276 kkr 2003; 120 kkr 2007.

Göran Gustafsson’s Foundation: 535 kkr 1994 (equipment grant)

7. Memberships in scientific organizations

Member of the Society for Neuroscience since 1987.
Member of the New York Academy of Science 1989-2002, 2005-.
Member of the European Society for Comparative Endocrinology since 1990.
Member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science since 1994.
Member of the Swedish Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Apotekarsocieteten) since 1997.
Associate member of CSI (Committee for Skeptical Inquiry) since 1997 (formerly CSICOP).

8. Honours and awards

Elected member in 2007 of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (founded 1739).

Awarded the Rosén Linnaeus Prize in Zoology 2004 by the Physiographic Society in Lund (founded 1772) .

Awarded the "Limbic Prize" (a teaching award) 2003 by the Biomedical Student Association at Uppsala University. Nominated for the prize also in 2002, 2004, and 2005.

Nominated for the "Inspiriet" prize (for valuable work for the medical students) 2005 and 2006 by the Medical Student Association at Uppsala University.

Elected member in 2000 of the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala (founded 1710) .

Awarded the Ingemar Hedenius prize 2000 by the Swedish Humanist Organization "Humanisterna" (The Swedish branch of IHEU, The International Humanist and Ethical Union).

Research programme was awarded the grade "excellent" (highest grade) in NFR:s international evaluation of neurobiology projects supported by the NFR (July 1999).

Selected to give the Bengt Danielsson lecture 1998 at the annual Pharmaceuticals Congress (Läkemedelskongressen) organized by the Swedish Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Apotekarsocieteten).

EMBO long-term postdoctoral fellowship 1987-88.

9. Assignments (selected)

President of the European Society for Comparative Endocrinology (ESCE) 2010-2014.

Vice-President of the European Society for Comparative Endocrinology (ESCE) 2006-2010.

Councillor of the International Federation of Comparative Endocrine Societies (IFCES) 2005-09.

Councillor of the European Society for Comparative Endocrinology (ESCE) 1994-98 and 2002-2006.

Associate editor for Frontiers in Neuroendocrine Science since 2010.

Member of the editorial board of General and Comparative Endocrinology since 2001.

Member of the international editorial board of FACT, Focus on Alternative and Complementary Therapies, an official journal of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (U.K.) since 2011.

Member of the board for the Disciplinary Domain (“områdesnämnden”) of Medicine and Pharmacy at Uppsala University 2011-14.

Member of the Expert Group on Research Misconduct ("expertgrupp för frågor om oredlighet i forskningen") at the Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) 2002-2010.

Member of the Scientific Committee of The Brain Foundation (Hjärnfonden) 2006-2010.

Member of the Swedish National Committee for Biology of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences since 2002. Chairperson 2005-08.

Member of the board for the Section of Pharmacology (Sektionen för läkemedelslära) of the Swedish Medical Society (Svenska Läkaresällskapet) 2006-2009.

Member of the board for Uppsala Center for Gender Research 2003-2006.

Deputy member of the board for the National Resource Center for Biology and Biotechnology (Bioresurs) 2002-06. (www.bioresurs.uu.se).

Member of the Biology Committee of the Swedish Natural Science Research Council (NFR) 1999-2000.

Chairperson of the Information Committee of the Swedish Natural Science Research Council (NFR) 1999-2000.

Chairman of "Föreningen Vetenskap och Folkbildning" 1998-2004, a non-profit association with the aim to increase public understanding of scientific methods and to debunk pseudoscientific claims such as creationism, astrology and dowsing. Board member since 1997. (VoF is the Swedish equivalent of the U.S. skeptic organization CSICOP, Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal.)

External thesis examiner (Faculty Opponent) at nine dissertations:

Stockholm University 1991
Norwegian Agricultural University 1992
Stockholm University 1997
Tartu University, Estonia 1999
Malmö University Hospital 1999
Linköping University 2003
University of Copenhagen 2003
Karolinska Institute 2004
Norwegian University for Life Sciences (Universitetet for Miljø- og Biovitenskap), 2007

10. Symposia

I have organized the following symposia:

Molecular Neurobiology, Uppsala BMC Summer Program, Aug. 10-13 1994. 80 participants. (Together with Prof. Sven Påhlman and Ass. Prof. Göran Andersson.)

Nordic-Baltic Symposium on Heptahelix Receptors, Uppsala BMC Summer Program, Aug. 15-16 1996. 100 participants.

Uppsala Neuroscience Meeting, 1995-99 (five occasions).

22nd CECE, Conference of European Comparative Endocrinologists, held 24-28 Aug. 2004 in Uppsala. 230 participants.

Naturläkemedel efter Linné (Natural [herbal] products after Linnaeus), Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, 28 Oct 2008. (Together with Bertil Fredholm)

Symposium "Frontiers of behavioral neuroscience - a tribute to Bengt J. Meyerson", Uppsala University, Dec. 5-6, 2008. 130 participants.

Darwin Symposium Uppsala 25-27 Oct 2009 (Together with Ulf Petterson) 300 participants.

Darwin Symposium, KVA, Stockholm 28 Oct 2009, 120 registered participants.

Invited speaker at the following symposia (selected examples):

3. Neuroscience in the Twenty-First Century: New Perspectives and Horizons. Georgetown University Bicentennial Symposium, Washington, D. C., USA, April 22-24, 1989.

4. Nobel Jubilee. Title of talk: "Molecular evolution of the nervous system". Organizer: Prof. Bengt Meyerson, Dept. of Medical Pharmacology. Uppsala University,Dec. 6, 1991.

7. Neuropeptide Y meeting. Organizer: Dr. Janet Allen. University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, Aug. 9-11, 1993.

9. The biochemistry and molecular biology of pancreatic polypeptide/neuropeptide family. Organizer: Prof. Richard C. Rogers, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, U. S. A. American Physiological Society, San Diego, Nov. 11-14, 1995.

10. European Society for Comparative Endocrinology. Organizer: Prof. Hubert Vaudry, Rouen, France, Sept. 10-14, 1996.

11. 4th International NPY Conference. Organizer: Prof. Stephen Bloom. London, Oct. 13-14, 1997.

12. 13th International Congress of Comparative Endocrinology. Organizer: Prof. Seiichiro Kawashima. Yokohama, Japan, Nov. 16-21, 1997.

15. 50th Anniversary of the Finnish Pharmacological Society. Organizer: Prof. Mika Scheinin. Helsinki, Finland, May 28, 1998.

16. 25th Silver Jubilee FEBS Meeting. Organizer: Prof. Julio E. Celis. Copenhagen, Denmark, July 5-10, 1998.

20. 3rd Nordic-Baltic Symposium on Molecular Pharmacology of 7TM receptors. Organizer: Dr. Mika Scheinin, BioCity, Turku, Finland, Aug. 24-26, 2000.

21. Minisymposium at Nobel Forum. Organizer: Dr. Markus Heilig. Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Oct 5, 2000.

22. Symposium on Molecular Recognition. Organizer: NFR (Swedish Natural Science Research Council), Dr. Lena Lewin. Jan. 24-25, 2001.

23. 6th International Neuropeptide Y Conference (Plenary lecture). Organizer: Dr. Herbert Herzog. Garvan Institute, Sydney, Australia, April 22-26, 2001.

24. 14th International Congress of Comparative Endocrinology. Organizer: Dr. R. Pierantoni. Sorrento, Italy, May 26-30, 2001.

25. 21st Conference of European Comparative Endocrinologists (Plenary lecture). Organizer: Dr. Rainer Keller, Bonn, Germany, Aug. 26-30, 2002.

26. 17th ECNP Congress (European College of Neuropsychopharmacology). Stockholm Oct. 9-13, 2004.

27. 15th International Congress of Comparative Endocrinology. Boston May 23-28, 2005.

28. Evolution and Genomes in Biology and Medicine. Biocity Turku, Finland, Aug. 25-26, 2005.

29. International Neuroscience Conference Al Ain, United Arab Emirates University, Nov. 26-29, 2005.

30. 8th NPY Meeting. St. Petersburg, Florida, USA, April 22-26, 2006.

31. International Symposium on the Evolution of Vertebrates. Organizers: Axel Janke and Ulfur Arnason. Lund University, Lund, Sweden, June 1—3, 2006.

32. Nordic Meeting on G Protein Coupled Receptors - from Molecular Aspects to Novel Therapy. Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Aug. 17-18, 2006.

33. 23rd Conference of European Comparative Endocrinologists (State-of-the-art lecture). Organizer: Dr. Richard Balment, Manchester, U.K., Aug. 29-Sept. 2, 2006.

34. 9th European Congress of Endocrinology. Organizer: Ezio Ghigo, Budapest, Hungary, Apr. 28-May 2, 2007.

35. Lecture: "The appeal of 'natural' - the art of advertising without evidence". Symposium: Remedies from animals and plants. The Royal Swedish Academy of Scineces. Organizer: Prof. Bertil Fredholm, Stockholm, Sept. 4-5, 2007.

36. 6th International Symposium on Fish Endocrinology (Symposium lecture). Organizer: Hamid Habibi, Calgary. June 22-27, 2008.

37. 24th Conference of European Comparative Endocrinologists (State-of-the-art lecture). Organizer: Mauro Vallarino, Genoa, Sept. 2-6, 2008.

38. Riksstämman, Svenska Läkaresällskapet. "Reglering av dygnsrytm och aptit" ("Regulation of circadian rhythm and appetite"). Symposium: "Störd dygnsrytm vilseleder aptiten och metabolismen". Organizer: Prof. Maria Lennernäs. Göteborg, Nov. 26-28, 2008.

39. 16th International Congress of Comparative Endocrinology (Plenary lecture: the Bargmann-Scharrer lecture). Organizer: Fred Leung. Hong Kong, June 22-26, 2009.

40. Genome evolution and the origin of novel gene functions (Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds International Titisee Conference). Organizers: Axel Meyer and Yves Van de Peer. Titisee, Germany, Oct. 14-18 2009.

41. Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB). Symposium organizers: Linda Holland and Stacia Sower. Seattle, Jan. 3-7 2010.

42. Lecture "The haphazard path to intelligent life". SWAN Astrobiology workshop. Uppsala, March 16, 2010.

43. 7^th International Conference of Neuroendocrinology. State-of-the-art lecture: Chromosome duplications in vertebrate neuropeptide evolution. Organizer: Hubert Vaudry, Rouen, July 11-15, 2010.

44. International Narcotics Research Conference. Plenary lecture: Evolution of the opioid system. Malmö, Sweden, July 11-16, 2010.

45. 65^th Annual Meeting of the Korean Association of Biological Sciences. Plenary lecture: The impact of genome duplications on funcitonal diversity. Seoul, Korea, Aug. 19, 2010. Organizer: Dr. Sang-Gu Kim, President of the KAOBS.

46. REG PEP 2010, Regulatory Peptides Meeting. Lecture: Evolution of vertebrate neuropeptide receptors. Belfast, UK, Sept. 5-8, 2010.

47. Meeting of the Swedish branch of INPS, the International Neuropeptide Society. Lecture: Evolution of the opioid system. Uppsala, Feb. 9, 2011. Organizer: Dr. Fred Nyberg, member of the INPS board.

48. Inaugural meeting of NASCE, the North American Society for Comparative Endocrinology. State-of-the-art lecture: Complex evolution of somatostatin and urotensin II receptors. Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 13-16, 2011. Organizer: Dr. Robert Denver, Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

11. Brief description of major discoveries and current research [will be updated]

My major discoveries after I switched to the field of neuroscience in 1986 are:

A) Neuropeptide Y and its receptors

·     The cloning of the rat NPY gene published in 1987.

·     The cloning of the first receptor for NPY, published in J. Biol. Chem. 1992.

·     The cloning of the enigmatic receptor for pancreatic polypeptide (PP), both in human and rat, published in PNAS and J. Biol. Chem. 1995-96.

·     The discovery of three receptor genes in zebrafish (and subsequently several other species). Two of these receptors have been lost in mammals.

·     The unravelling of the evolution of the NPY peptide family, primarily through cloning in several vertebrate species. Briefly, NPY and PYY are present in all vertebrates and are highly conserved and arose through a chromosome duplication in an early vertebrate. PP arose through a local duplication of the PYY gene in tetrapods and is quite divergent between species.

·     Discovery of a novel Y2-like receptor subtype in teleost fishes and amphibians. This receptor has been named Y7 and arose before the origin of gnathostomes, and was later lost in the lineage leading to mammals. Thus, no less than 7 NPY receptors existed before the gnathostome radiation.

·     The NPY receptor family was formed by a local triplication followed by chromosome duplications and a few gene losses, resulting in a set of seven NPY receptors in the ancestral gnathostome (jawed vertebrate). Subsequently, a few gene losses have occurred in the various vertebrate lineages. For instance, humans have retained four of the original seven genes. This scheme is based on receptor cloning in a large number of vertebrates including representatives for basal lineages like shark and lamprey.

·     NPY receptors from a broad range of species have characterized by functional expresion and pharmacological studies as well as signal transductions. Species differences have facilitated mutagenesis studies that have given clues to the three-dimensional structure of the receptors. This work may prove important for future design of clinically useful receptor agonists and antagonists.

The rat NPY gene has been cited 287 times, chicken-goldfish-Torpedo NPY 102 times, human Y1 receptor 352 times, human Y4 receptor 206 times, rat Y4 receptor 76 times, peptide review (1996) 170 times, receptor review (1996) 102 times. (As of May 2006.)

B) Other projects

·     The synapse protein SNAP-25 has been cloned in chicken, zebrafish, torpedo ray, and Drosophila.

·     The human 5-HT_1B receptor has been studied by site-directed mutagenesis that clarified the binding site for the well-known anti-migraine drug sumatriptan.

·     The two receptors for bradykinin, a pain-inducing inflammatory peptide, have been characterized in zebrafish and other fishes. The gene duplication took place before the split of bony fishes and tetrapods.

·     Claims of mysterious so-called long-term correleations in DNA sequences have been scrutinized and were found to arise from trivial fluctuations in DNA sequences.

·     I have also been involved in studies of claims that religions experiences in humans can be induced with ultraweak complex magnetic fields. We found no such effect. Rather, such experiences correlate with new age-oriented personality.

Present research emphasis

The present emphasis is on identifying the origin of the NPY system by investigating the genomes of a urochordate (tunicate) and a cephalochordate (lancelet). Candidate NPY receptors are being investigated. If a receptor and peptide can be identified, their functional roles and anatomical distribution will be investigated.

In a wider perspective, several gene families are being investigated to see if their expansion correlates with the early vertebrate chromosome duplications. Already many gene families have been identified that received additional members in these events. For instance, we have found that nine gene families involved in vision have expanded through these chromsomed doublings, including the vision receptors themselves (opsins). Thus, much of the complexity of the neuronal and endocrine systems of the vertebrates arose already approximately 500 million years ago. After these gene duplications, many genes evolved new functions while others became more specialized. The mechanisms for these general evolutionary processes will be investigated. This will have relevance for our understanding of the shaping of vertebrate genomes, including the human genome.

12. Teaching [will be updated]

13. Public information about science and medicine

I have worked actively to spread information about scientific discoveries and the scientific approach to lay audiences (radio, TV, newspapers and magazines) and to present the scientific evidence that contradicts pseudoscientific claims such as creationism, parapsychology and homeopathy and other types of alternative medicine, all of which are widely spread misconceptions in our society.

Popular science lectures and panel debates: >100

Radio and TV programmes and interviews: 46

Newspaper/journal interviews: >30

Letters to editors (Swedish: insändare): 28

Popular science articles and book reviews: >40

Miscellaneous

I have written outline for educational material about mutationsfor  Utbildningsradion, SVT (Swedish Television), 2008. The animation can be found at:

http://www.ur.se/Vuxen/Vetenskap/Evolutionsbiologi/Stora-puffar/Animationer/Klipp-3/#mediacontent

I have given numerous popular science lectures in various contexts, for instance to Rotary (eight occasions) an local branches of the Swedish Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Apotekarsocieteten) (two occasions), Swedish "gymnasium" pupils (Simrishamn, Hersby-Lidingö, Flen, Ale-Göteborg [KVA], Uppsala) and teachers (Eslöv).

Consultant for IT exhibit called Colour and Vision (“Färg och seende”) which has been on display in Uppsala during 1998. The project was a collaborative effort between artists and scientists.

Study visits: I have organized visits for school classes on multiple occasions, mostly for pupils in grade 9 and “gymnasium” grades 2 and 3.

Contacted by journalists, teachers, pupils and lay persons several times every week on issues such as alternative medicine, parapsychology, neurotheology, pseudoscience, and creationism/intelligent design.