معرفی
Teresa Frisan is Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology at Umeå University's Department of Molecular Biology, actively engaged in research on bacterial genotoxins and undergraduate/graduate education. Her work bridges infection biology and cancer research through the study of DNA-damaging bacterial effectors.
Her educational background includes a Bachelor's degree in Biology (1991, Italy), PhD in Cell and Tumor Biology from Karolinska Institutet (1999), followed by postdoctoral work at Karolinska Institutet and Laval University. She became Associate Professor in Infection Biology at Karolinska Institutet in 2007 before joining Umeå University as Professor in 2017 (installed 2019).
Her research focuses on bacterial genotoxins—particularly colibactin, cytolethal distending toxin (CDT), and typhoid toxin—and their role in DNA damage, cellular senescence, and carcinogenesis. Using in vivo mouse models and 3D human organotypic systems, her lab investigates how these toxins modulate intestinal mucosa homeostasis, reprogram immune responses toward anti-inflammatory states, and influence cancer development in chronic infections. Key findings reveal genotoxins act as immunomodulators rather than direct cell killers, establishing persistent infections through tissue-specific crosstalk between DNA damage and immune responses.
Frisan leads the Teresa Frisan Lab, which explores connections between bacterial genotoxins, chronic inflammation, and cancer in the gut-hepatobiliary tract. The lab develops therapeutic protocols for early bacterial eradication to prevent tumor initiation, addressing gaps in understanding how dysbiosis, tissue microenvironments, and immune landscapes define pro-tumorigenic outcomes.
She has received multiple educational awards for her dedication to pedagogy in undergraduate programs and doctoral education, emphasizing her dual commitment to research excellence and teaching innovation.
