We do this by using human material, different murine models of cholangitis, sequening based approaches, organoids, organ-on-a-chip systems and other in vitro assays.
About the group
Our group is focusing on experimental and translational studies related to primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).
The overall aim of our research is to understand mechanisms regulating cholangitis with a clear focus on immunology and the interaction of the immune system with the microbiome and what role the cholangiocytes play in propagation of the inflammatory process.
From the previous genome-wide association studies it is clear that the genetic risk factors for PSC are genes involved in the immune response.
This inspired our clear focus on immunological mechanisms. We have therefore chosen to study various immune driven models of cholangitis along with models based on specific genetic findings in the human studies.
To uncover novel mechanisms, we are using unbiased spatial transcriptomics and single-cell sequencing.
To complement the in vivo studies the group is also using selected in vitro cellular models to study the role of various cell types in the liver and bile duct immune responses.
We are also aiming to model the disease process in the bile ducts using organoids and organ-on-a-chip technology. Such a bile-duct-on-a-chip model gives the opportunity to use organoids generated from patients in the experiments.
Our laboratory activities take place at the Research Institute of Internal Medicine.
Financial support
The experimental projects are funded by:
- The Norwegian PSC research center (NoPSC)
- PSC partners
- The South Eastern Norwegian Health trust
- The Research Council of Norway (NFR)
Publications
These are the group's latest publications in PubMed.
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Zonation Hallmarks in Human PSC-Derived Hepatic Organoids Integrated into an Immune-Compatible Organ-on-Chip for Liver Injury Modeling Oct. 12, 2026 11:00 AMAizenshtadt A, Dalmao-Fernández A, Stokowiec J, Kømurcu KS, Ali TML, Erlandsson TM, Skottvoll FS, Busek M, Golovin A, Øynebråten I, Ferencevic K, Chung BK, Øgaard J, Corthay A, Røberg-Larsen H, Melum E, Wilson SR, Krauss S (2026) Zonation Hallmarks in Human PSC-Derived Hepatic Organoids Integrated into an Immune-Compatible Organ-on-Chip for Liver Injury Modeling Adv Healthc Mater, e71834 PubMed 42860581 DOI 10.1002/adhm.71834
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Temporal assessment of spatial and single-cell transcriptomes identifies CD226-NECTIN2 T cell-cholangiocyte interaction in bile duct inflammation Oct. 5, 2026 11:00 AMJördens MS, Nordhus KS, Øgaard J, Amundsen-Isaksen E, Ramberg OH, Yeoh J, Holm K, Jiang X, Luedde T, Karlsen TH, Chung BK, Melum E (2026) Temporal assessment of spatial and single-cell transcriptomes identifies CD226-NECTIN2 T cell-cholangiocyte interaction in bile duct inflammation J Hepatol PubMed 42833310 DOI 10.1016/j.jhep.2026.09.021
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Gut microbiota-derived imidazole propionate promotes primary sclerosing cholangitis via p38 signalling Sep. 5, 2026 11:00 AMMolinaro A, Braadland PR, Carpino G, Carreras A, Nikolaidis M, Hanzely P, Beck KR, Ali AH, Bossen L, Frank A, Lundqvist A, Juran BD, Overi D, Geng L, Amundsen-Isaksen E, Reims HM, Björk I, Grzyb K, Abildgaard A, Folseraas T, Cornillet M, Helgadóttir H, McCauley BM, Cristoferi L, Carbone M, Cardinale V, Høivik ML, Engesæter LK, Tjønnfjord SKV, McCann A, Ueland PM, Vesterhus M, Karlsen TH, Grønbæk H, Gaudio E, Lazaridis KN, Bergquist A, Melum E, Bäckhed F, Hov JR (2026) Gut microbiota-derived imidazole propionate promotes primary sclerosing cholangitis via p38 signalling Nat Metab, 8 (9), 1910-1925 PubMed 42698000 DOI 10.1038/s42255-026-01600-1
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Liver transplantation in primary sclerosing cholangitis with hepatobiliary neoplasia: survival outcomes and impact of diagnostic uncertainty Aug. 4, 2026 11:00 AMBreder S, Wang B, Villard C, Båve A, Lindström-Älgå L, Eide E, Engesæter LK, Reims HM, Grzyb K, Aabakken L, Melum E, Line PD, Wiencke K, Folseraas T, Bergquist A (2026) Liver transplantation in primary sclerosing cholangitis with hepatobiliary neoplasia: survival outcomes and impact of diagnostic uncertainty Scand J Gastroenterol, 1-12 PubMed 42549941 DOI 10.1080/00365521.2026.2709611
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Intrahepatic T cell analysis reveals Th17 and MAIT17 enrichment in primary sclerosing cholangitis Apr. 19, 2026 11:00 AMBrynjulfsen LRV, ElAbd H, Øgaard J, Jördens MS, Bozward AG, Kearns D, Jiang X, Folseraas T, Trivedi PJ, Oo YH, Franke A, Karlsen TH, Melum E, Chung BK (2026) Intrahepatic T cell analysis reveals Th17 and MAIT17 enrichment in primary sclerosing cholangitis JHEP Rep, 8 (9), 101857 PubMed 42002038 DOI 10.1016/j.jhepr.2026.101857