Anders Vahlne

Anders Gustaf Vahlne (born May 25, 1946) is a Swedish virologist and professor emeritus at Karolinska Institutet. He is best known for his research in HIV and herpes simplex virus. He has been closely involved with the Global Virus Network (GVN), an international coalition of virologists aimed at addressing viral challenges and outbreaks across the world.
==Early Life and Education==
Anders Vahlne was born on May 25, 1946, in Lund, Sweden, to professor Gösta Vahlne and Anna-Lisa Vahlne. He pursued medical studies at the University of Gothenburg, where he earned his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1973 and later a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 1978.
==Career==
Vahlne began his career as a laboratory physician at the Department of Clinical Virology at the University of Gothenburg, where he worked from 1973 to 1985. He later became the deputy director of the department from 1985 to 1993.
In 1994, he joined the Karolinska Institutet as a professor of clinical virology. His research focuses on HIV and herpes viruses, with notable work on HIV-1 capsid assembly and antiviral therapies.
==Global Virus Network==
Vahlne is a key figure in the Global Virus Network (GVN), where he serves as center director and member of the board of directors. GVN, which was co-founded in 2011 by Professors Robert Gallo, William Hall and Reinhard Kurth, is an international collaborative network of virologists dedicated to research and prevention of viral diseases. The GVN brings together leading researchers to address global viral threats, including emerging pandemics like COVID-19, as well as long-standing challenges such as HIV and other viral infections. Vahlne's involvement has focused on advancing the network's mission of sharing research, training virologists, and coordinating global responses to viral outbreaks.
==Research==
Professor Vahlne has contributed to the fields of virology, immunology, and molecular biology, focusing on viral infections and their interaction with the human immune system. His research has addressed various aspects of viral pathogenesis, host immune response, and viral epidemiology.
One of Vahlne's early works investigated the differences in attachment mechanisms between herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) to neurons and glial cells. This study, published in Infection and Immunity in 1980, explored the molecular interactions between viruses and host cells and contributed to the understanding of herpesvirus neurotropism.
Vahlne also conducted research on auditory brain stem response abnormalities in patients with Bell's palsy, as reported in a 1983 study published in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
. This research examined neurological complications associated with viral infections, particularly in relation to the peripheral nervous system.
In the 1990s, Vahlne's research extended to retroviruses, with a focus on human T-cell leukemia viruses (HTLV) and HIV-1. In a 1991 study published in Science, Vahlne and colleagues identified deleted HTLV-I provirus in blood and cutaneous lesions of patients with mycosis fungoides, offering insights into the viral mechanisms associated with this condition. During this period, Vahlne also worked on identifying continuous epitopes of the HIV-1 transmembrane glycoprotein. His research, published in the Journal of Virology
, contributed to the understanding of how human sera react to different HIV-1 isolates and supported the development of synthetic peptides for diagnostic purposes.
In addition, Vahlne was involved in a 1991 study on the identification of type-specific linear epitopes in the glycoproteins gp46 and gp21 of HTLV types I and II, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
. This work was relevant for advancing diagnostics and therapeutic strategies against HTLV.
In 1996, Vahlne co-authored a study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics that used mitochondrial DNA variation to suggest that Mongolia may have been the source of the founding population of the New World. This research intersected molecular biology with anthropological studies and provided insights into human population migration patterns.
Vahlne's body of research has contributed to the understanding of viral infections, epidemiology, and host immune responses, and has supported the development of diagnostic tools for managing viral diseases.
Some of his most influential work includes research on the transport of herpes simplex virus in neural cells and the development of therapies to inhibit HIV-1 infectivity. His research has contributed significantly to the understanding of viral assembly and infectivity.
==Selected Publications==
* Merriwether DA, Hall WW, Vahlne A, Ferrell RE. "mtDNA variation indicates Mongolia may have been the source for the founding population for the New World." American Journal of Human Genetics. 1996 Jul;59(1):204-12.
* Horal P, Svennerholm B, Jeansson S, Rymo L, Hall WW, Vahlne A. "Continuous epitopes of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) transmembrane glycoprotein and reactivity of human sera to synthetic peptides representing various HIV-1 isolates." Journal of Virology. 1991 May;65(5):2718-23. doi:10.1128/JVI.65.5.2718-2723.1991.
* Hall WW, Liu CR, Schneewind O, Takahashi H, Kaplan MH, Röupe G, Vahlne A. "Deleted HTLV-I provirus in blood and cutaneous lesions of patients with mycosis fungoides." Science (journal)|Science. 1991 Jul 19;253(5017):317-20. doi:10.1126/science.1857968.
* Horal P, Hall WW, Svennerholm B, Lycke J, Jeansson S, Rymo L, Kaplan MH, Vahlne A. "Identification of type-specific linear epitopes in the glycoproteins gp46 and gp21 of human T-cell leukemia viruses type I and type II using synthetic peptides." PNAS. 1991 Jul 1;88(13):5754-8. doi:10.1073/pnas.88.13.5754.
* Rosenhall U, Edström S, Hanner P, Badr G, Vahlne A. "Auditory brain stem response abnormalities in patients with Bell's palsy." Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 1983 Aug;91(4):412-6. doi:10.1177/019459988309100413.
* Vahlne A, Svennerholm B, Sandberg M, Hamberger A, Lycke E. "Differences in attachment between herpes simplex type 1 and type 2 viruses to neurons and glial cells." Infection and Immunity. 1980 Jun;28(3):675-80. doi:10.1128/iai.28.3.675-680.1980.
==Awards and Honors==
* Fogarty Foundation Research Fellowship, 1982
* Member of the Swedish Medical Society
* Member of the New York Academy of Sciences
* Member of the Henry Kunkel Society
==Personal Life==
Anders Vahlne has been married twice. He first married Cecilia Boman in 1969, with whom he has two children, Anna and Gustaf. They divorced in 1990. He later married Catharina Armstrong.
Category:1946 births
Category:Swedish virologists
Category:People from Lund
Category:Swedish people