Harri Alenius

Harri Alenius is a Professor of Molecular Toxicology and Head of the Systems Toxicology Unit at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet. He holds a PhD from Tampere University (1997) and conducted research at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (1996–2016). His research focuses on environmental exposures' impact on immunity, particularly host-microbiome interactions in skin diseases like atopic dermatitis and psoriasis, and the effects of chemical pollutants on metabolic health. He leads major projects such as BIOMAP (skin disease biomarkers) and the Karelia Allergy Study (environmental-microbiome links to allergies). His work integrates OMICs data, clinical cohorts, and experimental models.

• Education: PhD in Cellular & Molecular Biology, Tampere University (1997); Postdoc at Harvard Medical School (1998–2000)

Research Interests: Investigating environmental toxicants, microbiota, and immune interactions. Key areas include host-microbe dynamics in skin inflammation, chemically induced metabolic disruption, and nanosafety. Collaborates with teams on projects funded by IMI, Swedish Research Council, and FORMAS.

Recent publications explore transcriptomics in allergy, microbiome roles in psoriasis, and effects of nanomaterials on lung and gut health. Alenius chairs SweNanoSafe’s expert panel and advocates for biodiversity’s role in allergy prevention.

Grants & Projects: Leads BIOMAP (IMI-funded), Karelia Allergy Study (Swedish Research Council), and studies on chemical-microbiome interactions in metabolic disorders (FORMAS-funded). His lab uses zebrafish and mouse models, combining bioinformatics and systems biology approaches.