About Mesargen

Our goal in this international initiative is to provide the opportunity to tackle various research aspects in the genomics of sarcoidosis with scientific rigor and clinical relevance. Therefore, the MESARGEN consortium was created.

MESARGEN is an international framework created by Natalia Rivera (Principal Investigator). Natalia is a team leader at the Center for Molecular Medicine and an assistant professor in the respiratory medicine division of the Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet.

MESARGEN aims to conduct translational and genomic investigations using large sample sizes, including diverse ethnic populations with well-phenotyped clinical data and molecular phenotypes (genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics). Using high-throughput omics technologies coupled with cutting-edge bioinformatics and statistical methods, we intend to elucidate the underlying disease mechanisms in sarcoidosis target-organ phenotypes (pulmonary, cardiac, skin, ocular, and neurosarcoidosis) as well as other extrapulmonary manifestations. We aim to identify biomarkers for various clinical applications in sarcoidosis early diagnosis, diagnostic, prognostic, and therapy monitoring through the consortium. By investigating molecular phenotypes and their integration, we aim to discover genes that can potentially become molecular targets for the development of more realistic gene-based therapies.

Sweden is the coordinating center of the MESARGEN consortium, which has brought together many scientific and clinical investigators from across the globe. The MESARGEN cohorts section describes current participating cohorts from different countries. MESARGEN also includes data from established biobanks.