Associate professor Asbjørn Christophersen at the Division of Anatomy recently received the ‘Young Investigator 2025’ award from the Scandinavian Society for Immunology (SSI). SSI comprises the national immunology societies of the five Nordic countries.
‘It is a great honour to receive this recognition from SSI. I have had several exciting and educational years with a particular focus on disease-specific T cells. In recent years, however, I have spent more time on clinical work and medical residency in rheumatology. It is therefore highly motivating to receive this prize now that I am establishing my own research group, where we focus on the immune response underlying selected rheumatic conditions,’ he says.
Researching the role of T cells in several autoimmune diseases
In the nomination, it was highlighted that Christophersen’s research has been crucial for understanding the role of T cells in the immune system in several autoimmune diseases. He has also paved the way for testing new medicines and diagnostics in coeliac disease.
Professor Gunnveig Grødeland nominated Christophersen on behalf of the Norwegian Society for Immunology.
‘In addition to research on T cells in autoimmune diseases, Christophersen has helped to enhance immunological knowledge among students in medicine and nutrition, as well as biomedical laboratory science students. He has a combined background in clinical practice and research, and I expect that much interesting research will continue to come from him and his group,’ she says.
Christophersen identified the same cell profile across several autoimmune conditions
T cells play a central role in our immune system in the fight against viruses, bacteria and cancer cells. Christophersen has conducted extensive research on coeliac disease, in which immune-system T cells react to something that ought to be recognised as harmless—namely gluten in food.
‘It became particularly exciting when we found that cells with the same profile as those that react to gluten are increased in rheumatic conditions such as systemic lupus and systemic sclerosis. This means that one cell type is shared across several autoimmune diseases,’ he says.
Christophersen aims to determine what the cells contribute to inflammatory processes
Autoimmune diseases cause the body’s own immune system to mistakenly attack its own cells and tissues, creating inflammation. Christophersen notes that other researchers have now also shown that the same cell type is increased in several autoimmune conditions, such as type 1 diabetes.
‘What these cells recognise in these diseases, and how they contribute to the inflammatory process, is something that we and other research groups are trying to find out,’ he says.
The T-cell findings led to contact with the rheumatology departments at Rikshospitalet and Diakonhjemmet Hospital. As a result, the researcher began his specialization in rheumatology.
‘During my medical residency I have tried to help ensure that we secure more patient material for research,’ says Christophersen.
‘We are now using this material for translational research—that is, to build bridges between the basic research at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences and the clinical rheumatology research at Diakonhjemmet and Rikshospitalet.’
The researcher is working to predict who should receive which treatment
His research group is engaged in translational research. The goal is both to improve the diagnosis of rheumatic diseases and to predict who should receive which treatment - so-called precision medicine.
‘At the same time, we are working to understand the immune response in certain rheumatic conditions and what drives these conditions,’ says Christophersen.