This is up in our research group
Here you will find news from our research group in Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Please contact us for more details.
New Adjunct Professor in Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry
The Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry group is pleased to officially welcome Cari Sänger–van de Griend as Adjunct Professor. Cari has collaborated closely with the group for many years and has contributed with her extensive expertise in pharmaceutical analytical chemistry, capillary electrophoresis, analytical method development, validation, troubleshooting, and Analytical Quality by Design. We are very happy that this long-standing collaboration is now being formalized, and we look forward to continuing to develop our research and education in pharmaceutical analysis together with Cari.
2026-04-29
New publication on gel-free capillary electrophoresis for oligonucleotide analysis
Jakob Haglöf and colleagues recently published the article “Systematic optimization of gel-free capillary zone electrophoresis for phosphodiester oligonucleotide separations at acidic pH” in Analytica Chimica Acta. In this work, the Jakob and colleagues systematically evaluate a gel-free capillary zone electrophoresis approach at acidic pH for the analysis of phosphodiester oligonucleotides. The method achieves high-resolution separation of oligonucleotides of identical length by exploiting sequence-dependent properties, while careful optimization of buffer system, cation selection, and temperature improves robustness and repeatability. The resulting workflow provides a fast and reproducible platform for characterization of therapeutic oligonucleotides, microDNA, and microRNA in pharmaceutical and bioanalytical applications.
Great work, Jakob and colleagues!
2026-04-08
Strong interest in Analytical Degree Projects
The AFK study room is now overcrowded after as many as seven new students have chosen to carry out their degree projects with us this spring.
From the Pharmacy Programme, we welcome Mahroze Khalid, Johanna Bodén, Emilia Haraldsson, and Maryan Abdirahman. They will conduct their projects using a wide range of techniques such as LC-MS, SFC-MS, CE-UV/MS, and HPLC-UV.
From the Dispensing Pharmacy Programme, we welcome Elin Sjöblom and Kersti Carlsson, who will carry out their projects in product analysis together with Sofia Nilsson.
From the REACH Programme, we welcome Quoc Huy Tran, who will be working on lipidomics together with Mikael Engskog.
We would like to welcome all students and wish you the best of luck with your projects!
2026-01-21
Metabolic Profiling Reveals New Mechanisms in Inflammatory Microglia
Earlier this September, Mikael Engskog and others published the article “Metabolic Profiling Reveals a Glycolytic Shift and an IRG1/Itaconate/NF2L2 Axis Regulating Neurotoxic Oxidative Stress in Inflammatory Microglia” in the Journal of Neurochemistry. The study uses advanced metabolic profiling to show how inflammatory microglia undergo metabolic shifts that regulate neurotoxic oxidative stress, providing new insights relevant to neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative disease research.
As always, great quality science produced by Mikael.
2025-12-16
AFK PhD Students in Texas
In early November, PhD students Nichlas and Jenny participated in the international conference PharmSci 360 in San Antonio, Texas, where they presented their research in lipidomics. The conference is an important meeting place for pharmaceutical research, bringing together academia and industry. Their work highlights how lipidomics and analytical pharmaceutical chemistry contribute to a better understanding of biological systems and the development of safe and effective medicines. The conference also had a strong focus on how AI can be used in pharmaceutical research, for example through AI-driven method development, more efficient bioanalytical workflows, and predictive maintenance of analytical instrumentation.
2025-12-16
New student
We welcome Kyriaki Paraschou to our group! Under the supervision of Jakob Haglöf, Kyriaki will carry out her master’s project (45 credits) on the analysis of oligonucleotides using CE-UV and CE-MS.
We wish Kyriaki the best of luck with her work!
2025-11-17
Three new publications from Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry
We are proud to announce three new publications from members of the Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry research group
Maria Kopsida, Lotta Regtop, Hans Lennernäs, Mikael Hedeland, Femke Heindryckx, and Mikael K.R. Engskog published the article “Mapping the polar metabolome in Huh-7 liver cancer cells reveal the role of atorvastatin in enhancing chemotherapeutic efficacy of doxorubicin” in Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. This study shows that atorvastatin enhances the cytotoxic effect of doxorubicin in liver cancer cells. Through detailed metabolomic profiling, the authors reveal how the drug combination disrupts lipid metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, and oxidative stress management, suggesting a promising strategy to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
Jakob Haglöf, Erik Bivehed, and Cari Sänger-van de Griend published the article “Gel-free capillary zone electrophoresis at acidic pH for micro DNA and RNA analysis” in Talanta. Their work introduces a gel-free capillary zone electrophoresis method that separates short DNA and RNA sequences based on nucleobase composition at acidic pH. The method provides a simple and efficient alternative to traditional gel-based systems, with promising applications in the analysis of therapeutic oligonucleotides and microRNAs..
Jakob Haglöf, Jenny M. Nilsson, and Jufang Wu Ludvigsson published the article “Development of Enhanced Separation Techniques for Oligonucleotides Utilizing Mixed-Mode Chromatography and 2D-LC/UV/MS Analysis” in Journal of Separation Science. This study demonstrates how mixed-mode chromatography, combined with a two-dimensional LC–UV–MS workflow, can achieve improved resolution and significantly enhanced MS sensitivity for oligonucleotide analysis. The approach offers powerful tools for impurity characterization and quality control in the development of therapeutic oligonucleotides.
2025-08-26
Douglas Westerlund, jubilee doctor.
We celebrate Douglas Westerlund, who was awarded the prestigious title of jubilee doctor at Uppsala University’s doctoral conferment ceremony on 23 May. Fifty years ago, Douglas defended his thesis with us in what was then the Department of Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Since then, he has served, among other roles, as a professor of Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry. Although Douglas is now retired, he remains active in the group, taking an active role in our regular scientific seminars.
Congratulations, Douglas, from all of us in the Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry group!
2025-05-23
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Rupender Finishes Her Research in Bacteriomics.
Rupender Katiyar has worked as a researcher within the group of Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry since her arrival in October 2023. Her work has focused on exploring dynamic sample preparation/analysis methods, using high-resolution LC-MS to analyze small molecules, and understanding metabolomic patterns to support new antibacterial drug discoveries. Rupender has been an important part of the research group, contributing not least with her positive attitude and deep expertise. New challenges now await Rupender outside the group.
We thank Rupender for these 18 months and wish her the best of luck in the future!
Guest PhD Student Concludes Six-Month Stay
We would like to thank Francessco Castagini for six inspiring and educational months with us in the Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry group. In collaboration with Uppsala University and external partners, Francessco has contributed with great enthusiasm, a positive attitude, and high-quality research. He now returns back to Italy to focus on his thesis and defense during the final months of his PhD studies at the University of Parma.
We wish you the best of luck, Francessco!
Sofia Nilsson Awarded Grant for Research
We congratulate Sofia Nilsson on receiving a scholarship of 30,000 SEK from the Lars Hierta Memorial Foundation for a project on 3D-printed microreactors linked to mass spectrometry. The funds will be used to 3D-print reactors and purchase chemicals to study and optimize reaction conditions for pharmaceutical candidates.
New guest PhD student
We welcome another new guest PhD student, Martina Viglioli, to our group!
Martina joins us most recently from the University of Parma, Italy. She will be working on a project aimed at evaluating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) by developing an LC-MS method to study the pharmacokinetics of idarubicin and its metabolite, idarubicinol.
Martina will be part of the Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry group until the end of July 2025.
Welcome Martina!
New students
We welcome new students to our group! Reuana Al-Khameesi and Aysha Siddika are students on the Pharmacy programme and will be doing their in-depth projects in the group during the spring semester. They are supervised by Mikael Engskog and Jakob Haglöf.
Maya Alkssas and Lilian Hammadeh are students on the BSc. Pharmacy programme and will also be doing their in-depth projects in the group during the spring semester. They are supervised by Sofia Nilsson.
Julia Regnell is a student on the MSc program in chemical engineering, majoring in pharmaceuticals, and is also doing her in-depth project in the group during the fall semester. She is supervised by Jakob Haglöf and Catharina Sänger van de Griend.
We wish all students a warm welcome to us, and good luck with your projects!
New guest PhD student
We welcome a new guest PhD student, Francessco Castagini, to our group!
Francessco joins us most recently from the University of Parma, Italy. During his time at Uppsala University, he will work on developing a model for predicting chromatographic retention times based on physicochemical structures, as well as metabolomic studies of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
Francessco will be part of the Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry group until the end of March 2025.
Welcome Francessco!
Half-time seminar
Jenny Nilsson, doctoral student in the Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry group, presented her ongoing research project, "Development of Novel Analytical Methods in Lipidomics using LC-MS," at her half-time seminar on October 1st. The focus of the project was on developing and improving chromatographic methods for the simultaneous analysis of lipids in biological samples.
Jenny’s research aims to compare lipid patterns in tumors and healthy tissue, as well as to identify how these patterns change following chemotherapy treatment. Through this work, she seeks to identify biochemical causes of the disease, drug effects, and side effects, ultimately paving the way for distinguishing biomarkers of both disease and therapeutic effects over the long term.
Thank you for an outstanding seminar, and best of luck with your continued research.
New PhD student
We welcome a new PhD student, Nichlas Näsström, to our group! Nichlas has a pharmacy degree, and most recently came from work as a chemist at Unilabs. His research is in the field of lipidomics and metabolomics, and he is supervised by Mikael Hedeland, Mikael Engskog and David Balgoma. Read more about the research on the project page.
Grants for education and research
The group receives new stipends in excess of 250 000 SEK for projects within both research and education.
We congratulate Jakob Haglöf (130 000+ SEK from Ahlqvists fund for education); Sofia Nilsson (60 000+ SEK from Schimmelpfenning fund); and Jenny Nilsson (60 000+ SEK from Olga Jönsson fund).
Dalia Abdelrahim Awadella winner of the Per Manell Award
We congratulate Dalia Abdelrahim Awadella, student at the Master of Science Programme in Pharmacy, on receiving the Per Manell Award for Best presentation of degree project 2024.
At the Faculty of Pharmacy's traditional Project Symposium, students at Uppsala University's Master of Science Programme in Pharmacy present their degree projects. Also according to tradition, the Alumni Association Farmis presents the Per Manell Award for Best presentation of degree project, a recognition that this year was awarded to Dalia Abdelrahim Awadella for her project carried out at the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry's research environment in Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry.
New thesis introduces high tech tools to expose doping
In her thesis, Malin Nilsson Broberg launches new methods to trace use of illegal doping substances. "Our group has already helped to expose two cheating Olympic medalists, so these are without a doubt tools that can contribute to cleaner sports," says Malin on site in Uppsala University's laboratory for Analytical Pharmaceutical Chemistry.
Malin defended her thesis in an outstanding way Friday 22 March. Our congratulations to an excellent job PhD Nilsson Broberg.
SRC grants SEK 3.75 million to Professor Mikael Hedeland
The Swedish Research Council allocates SEK 3.75 million to Mikael Hedeland, Professor of Analytical pharmaceutical chemistry, for the development of methods to analyse lipids.
“The grant allows us to take the next important step in an ongoing project with a focus on more effective treatment of primary liver cancer. We will shortly begin the recruitment of a PhD student with the aim to develop methods for more precise lipid analyses, tools that we will benefit greatly from in our interdisciplinary collaboration with, above all, medical research,” states Mikael Hedeland.
Contact
- Mikael Hedeland
- Institutionen för läkemedelskemi, 070-657 1663