Summary
Dr Josefin Ahnström is a Senior Lecturer in Haematology in the Centre for Haematology.
She obtained an MSc in Pharmaceutical sciences from Uppsala University, Sweden. In 2009 she was awarded her PhD from Lund University after performing structural and functional studies on apolipoprotein M in Professor Björn Dahlbäck's lab. Following on from her PhD, Josefin joined the Thrombosis and Haemostasis group, led by Professor David Lane and Professor James Crawley, at the Centre for Haematology at Imperial College as a post-doc in September 2009. During her post-doc, she developed an interest in the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of coagulation. In 2013 she was awarded a BHF-funded Intermediate Basic Science Research Fellowship and was appointed as a Lecturer in October 2019 and promoted to Senior Lecturer in September 2022.
Throughout her career at Imperial College, Josefin’s research interests have continued to focus around structural and functional studies of various coagulation proteins. Her main focus is related regulation of coagulation through the three anticoagulant pathways, with a particular focus on the tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) and activated protein C (APC) pathways. Through this research, Josefin is investigating how the various components of these pathways are associated with thrombotic risk and their suitability as therapeutic targets when preventing bleeding or thrombosis.
Further details on Josefin’s research are available from the Haemostasis Lab Homepage
Josefin also teaches in several courses at Imperial College London and is the Module 1 lead in the BSc in Haematology. She is also involved in outreach programmes, including being a registered STEM ambassador and acting as a scientific advisor in the “Invisible warrior – sickle cell disease” project. In these programmes, Josefin visits schools where she talks about her career as a scientist and is passionate about encouraging girls to pursue a career in STEM.
Josefin is also since 2017 a committee member of the British Society for Haemostasis and Thrombosis.
Publications
Journals
Petri A, Sasikumar P, Badia Folgado P, et al., 2024, TFPIα anticoagulant function is highly dependent upon protein S in vivo, Science Advances, Vol:10, ISSN:2375-2548
Dong Y, Xu Y, Lian C, et al., 2024, Safe and efficacious near superhydrophobic hemostat for reduced blood loss and easy detachment in traumatic wounds, Acs Applied Materials and Interfaces, Vol:16, ISSN:1944-8244, Pages:4307-4320
Gierula M, Noakes VM, Salles-Crawley I, et al., 2023, The TFPIα C-terminal tail is essential for TFPIα-FV-short-protein S complex formation and synergistic enhancement of TFPIα, Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Vol:21, ISSN:1538-7836, Pages:3568-3580
Minns AF, Qi Y, Yamamoto K, et al., 2023, The C-terminal domains of ADAMTS1 contain exosites involved in its proteoglycanase activity, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Vol:299, ISSN:0021-9258
Conference
Prince RE, Schaeper U, Aretz J, et al., 2022, SLN140 a Small Interfering RNA Targeting Protein S Improves Hemostasis Potency in Hemophilia, 64th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH), AMER SOC HEMATOLOGY, Pages:1670-1671, ISSN:0006-4971