Dr. Björn Önfelt

Biography

Björn Önfelt is a Professor at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, leading a multidisciplinary research group within the Department of Applied Physics and the Science Life Laboratory. His primary research focuses on understanding the basic functions of immune cells, particularly natural killer (NK) cells and T cells, and translating this knowledge into efficient immunotherapy strategies. He obtained his MSc in Chemistry from Gothenburg University in 1997 and his PhD in Physical Chemistry from Chalmers University of Technology in 2002. Following his doctoral studies, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Imperial College London from 2003 to 2006, where he combined expertise in immunology and photonics. In 2006, he began his independent research career at Karolinska Institutet, later joining KTH in 2007 as part of the Future Faculty program. He became a Docent in 2011 and was appointed as a Professor in 2016. His work utilizes microchip techniques for live cell imaging and screening to characterize immune responses at the single-cell level. He has made significant contributions to the understanding and development of adoptive cell therapies targeting malignancies and viral infections, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of T and NK cells while mitigating severe side effects such as graft-versus-host disease. His research includes exploring the variability of NK and T cell populations and their responses to stimuli, which may improve current immunotherapeutic methods.

Research Interests

Experience

Courses