Ulla Stenius

Ulla Stenius is a Professor of Occupational Toxicology at Karolinska Institutet's Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM) since 2010, previously serving as its Head/Director (2014–2022). She leads the Chemical Carcinogenesis research group within the Unit of Biochemical Toxicology. Her work focuses on understanding sex differences in cancer susceptibility and the carcinogenic effects of silica, aiming to improve risk assessment methodologies.

Education:

• Docent (Associate Professor), Karolinska Institutet, 1999

Research Interests:

Her research explores mechanisms of silica-induced carcinogenesis, gender disparities in cancer development, and the application of text mining to cancer risk assessment. Key projects include:

• Investigating how silica particles induce DNA damage at low doses, challenging traditional risk assessment models.
• Examining androgen receptor roles in male cancer susceptibility and sexual dimorphism in carcinogen responses.
• Developing tools like LION LBD and CHAT for literature-based discovery in cancer biology.

Funding & Grants:

• New DNA damage mechanisms in silica carcinogenesis (AFA Försäkring, 2023–2026).
• Role of androgen receptor in environmental carcinogens (Formas, 2023–2025).
• Gender disparities in cancer risk (Forte, 2019–2021).

Labs & Teams:

Her group collaborates with researchers like Huiyuan Zheng, Johan Högberg, and Aram Ghalali. They study cellular models and databases to uncover carcinogenesis pathways and improve risk assessment strategies, particularly for occupational and environmental exposures.