By uncovering how skin stem cells form and repair tissue, Maria Kasper wants to contribute to new therapies targeting wounds, skin disorders and cancer. Meet one of the new professors of Karolinska Institutet who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 8 October.
Text: Karin Tideström, for KI's installation ceremony booklet 2026
Maria Kasper's research focuses on cellular and molecular processes that enable epidermal stem cells to build, maintain and repair tissue.
Epidermal stem cells coordinate diverse functions, such as growing hair, sensing touch and regulating temperature. To dissect the underlying mechanisms, Professor Kasper and her research group investigate how stem cells communicate and what makes them divide and form new stem cells or develop into specialised cells.
"If we can learn to control stem cell development, we'll unlock new therapeutic opportunities," she says.
A combination of advanced methods enables the research group to identify individual cells, locate them within tissues, and track their fate over time. The work has uncovered how healthy skin cells can restrain tumour growth and that new hair follicles can be induced in adult skin. Ultimately, Professor Kasper hopes that the results will pave the way for future treatments for tissue damage, skin diseases and cancer.
About Maria Kasper
Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology from 4 March 2026
Maria Kasper was born in Ulrichsberg, Austria, in 1977. She studied Natural Sciences at the University of Salzburg, earning her PhD at the same institution in 2006. She completed her postdoc training at Karolinska Institutet, where she has led her own research group since 2013.
