Professor Dr. Mikael Elofsson

Biography

Mikael Elofsson received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Lund Institute of Technology, Lund, Sweden, in 1996, under the supervision of Professor Jan Kihlberg, where he focused on the synthesis of glycosylated amino acids and solid-phase glycopeptide synthesis. Following his Ph.D., he obtained postdoctoral experience in the lab of Professor Craig M. Crews at Yale University, CT, USA, primarily working on epoxyketone proteasome inhibitors. This work led to the development of the drug Kyprolis (Carfilzomib), which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2012 and by the European Medicines Agency in 2015. In 1999, he was recruited to Umeå University, where he was appointed as a professor in 2008. He currently serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology. His research lab focuses on chemical approaches to investigate bacteria and viruses that cause infections, aiming at the identification of antibacterial and antiviral compounds, exemplified by natural products, glycoconjugates, and small molecules. The research typically utilizes screening-based technologies, followed by iterative design, synthesis, and evaluation in biochemical and biophysical systems in infection models both in vitro and in vivo.

Research Interests

Experience