Nils-Göran Larsson

Nils-Göran Larsson is a Professor/Senior Physician at Karolinska Institutet, leading the Maintenance and Expression of mtDNA in Disease and Ageing research group within the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics. He holds adjunct roles at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing (2008-2015) and has served as Director of the Mitochondrial Medicine Center and Head of the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics. His research focuses on mitochondrial biology, particularly the role of mtDNA in aging, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic disorders.

Education and Career: Completed his pediatric residency and doctoral thesis at the University of Gothenburg, followed by an HHMI Postdoctoral Fellowship at Stanford University. Key administrative roles include Vice Chairman/Chairman of the Nobel Committee for Physiology or Medicine (2019-2021) and current membership in Karolinska Institutet’s Konsistoriet (Board of Directors). He advocates for strategic research vision and sustainable funding models.

Research Highlights: Pioneered studies linking mtDNA mutations to premature aging (2004 Nature paper). Developed mitochondrial transcription inhibitors for cancer therapy and obesity reversal. Collaborates with global networks, including annual MitoRetreats with Gothenburg University and international institutes. His group’s work spans basic mechanisms (mtDNA replication/translation) to translational applications in disease treatment.

Awards and Funding: Wallenberg Scholar, ERC Advanced Grant, Swedish Research Council Distinguished Professor Grant, and multiple foundation-funded projects. Active in industry partnerships, co-founding Pretzel Therapeutics for mitochondrial disease therapies.

Labs and Teams: Based at Biomedicum 9D in Stockholm, collaborates closely with CMMS (clinical metabolic disorders center) and international groups. Supervises postdocs, PhD students, and visiting researchers in molecular metabolism and mitochondrial biology.