Low TM6SF2 in the liver → high TG in the liver, low TG secretion into plasma.
High TM6SF2 in the liver → low TG in the liver.
I apologize for the inconvenience. I just had to …
I hardly think anybody other than my opponent, dissertation committee, supervisors (hopefully) and my wife (hopefully2) will read my full thesis, but I know almost everyone will open this page. 5 years of financing my PhD and this is what it comes down to, a take home message about a gene named after having 6 transmembrane regions when it really has between 7 to 10 and we still really don’t know how many . It’s hard to purify
transmembrane proteins they say. Hopefully, one day TM6SF2 will be given a more deserving name and will be targeted either for reducing plasma triglycerides or for reducing liver fat helping millions. Myself? I do not know where I will be then but I surely know I want to thank many people for these fantastic 5 years!
I would like to start by thanking all the financiers for supporting this thesis.
The Swedish Research Council, the European Commission, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, the Torsten and Ragnar Söderberg Foundation, the Strategic Cardiovascular and Diabetes Programs of Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm County Council, the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, the Stockholm County Council, the Foundation for Old Servants and Mr. Fredrik Lundberg, last but not least, all the tax payers.
My main supervisor Ferdinand Matthijs van ’t Hooft. You are special. Not only because your middle name is Matthijs and your full name actually includes an apostrophe, but because you are a perfectionist and a visionary at the same time. As your student, this gave me comfort, because I always knew no matter how long it would take, in the end the outcome would be great. I sincerely thank you for all your teachings and wish you all the best for the future.
My co-supervisor Per Eriksson. You are now a busy man, but somehow you are still able to give everyone in the group your full attention. Thank you for your support, honesty and
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always-open door. When coming to you for answers, thank you for answering them with new questions, it has helped a lot!
My co-supervisor Anders Hamsten, The Vice Chancellor of Karolinska Institutet. You are one of the most humble persons I know. Thank you for taking me in and believing in me.
Thank you for being a spokesperson for establishing an international multidisciplinary research environment for our group and now even for the KI.
Angela. I have called you “Master of details” before; I will do it again here. Without your secret powers, this manuscript would have been a mess. Thank you for all the help along the way, whether they were APOB assays and manuscript reviews or keeping track of the whereabouts of my supervisor.
Fariba. You truly are an angel! Our angel! You are full of love and kindness. You have been immensely important to me during these 5 years. I hope we still keep our contact wherever we may be in the future. Thank you for all the experimental assistance! Without your organized skills I do not know what I would have done.
Apostolos. You were a breath of much needed fresh air into the lab. I wish you the best of luck for the coming, as I know you will excel! You have the desire to learn like no other and the will of the Greek god Hercules.
Ewa, thank you for all your comments and discussions. Rachel, thank you for always being very kind and pleasant. Thank you for knowing so much about lipid metabolism, I am very much looking forward to being grilled to the teeth by you
Sergey Krapivner. We had a short but pleasant few months together. You are a big man with a big heart. You generously shared with you your experimental hacks as well as your wisdoms of life. You made me feel welcome from day 1! Thank you!
Sergej Popov. You came you saw you reduced publication time! Thank you for being tolerant and professional! Good Luck with the family.
Valentina. My neighbor! You are of the kindest and smartest people I know. Keep on going your own path with the same energy, passion and dedication. Never lose your color! You
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have all the characteristics of becoming a great researcher. Thank you for all the Italian delicacies and football discussions over the years and thank you for being a great host in Milano!
Joëlle. Thank you for being the voice of wisdom. Thank you also for all the scientific and non-scientific discussions over the years. You are of premium quality professionally and personally, I hope you keep your fire burning!
Laura. Thank you for always being so generous and honest. You are a true friend and a loyal colleague. Thank you for all the Dolce de Leche- s and football discussions over the years.
Thank you for introducing me to TransIT 2020 Good luck with the research, I know its tough out there but I am sure you will one day soon come out victorious.
Hanna. Thank you for always caring and sharing. You have a big heart and I envy you because you find the joy and beauty even in the smallest of things. Also because you are so focused and organized in your work. Thank you for “digging” and sharing lovely music.
Keep it flowing without turbulence.
Shohreh. Kheili Khanom! You make us feel old and wise and young and stupid at the same time. How? I honestly don’t know! Your big heart is always tilted more to the left, just where you want it to be. Your humility, honesty and energy amaze me. You are the most passionate person I know to learning and progressing. Thank you so much for being the person you are and for what you bring to the room. I know I can always count on you!
Joanna. We missed you for a year! Your energy and joy for life is indeed infectious. I wish you the best of luck, as you are next in line to defending your thesis. You will of course do great, just as you do with balancing work and your wonderful family. Thank you for your special laughs during these years.
Lei. You are the definition of cool. Your laid-back style is so great that I sometimes try to walk like you. Thank you for all your patience and instantaneous help with the ASAP database.
Jesper. You compete with Lei on coolness. I haven’t seen anybody wearing sunglasses indoors and get away with it like you do, Brad Pitt in Fight Club included.
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Peter. It’s getting closer and closer my friend. If you manage to stay away from refereeing games in the wild suburbs, then maybe you make it Good Luck with everything.
Louisa You are one of the sweetest people I know. You always give 100% in everything you do which is contagious on the rest of us. Thank you for all the support during the years!
Anders M. Thank you for all the nice discussions around biomarkers and therapeutics over the years. Few people understand translational research like you do. I am looking forward to spending some intensive months together soon.
Karin H, Olivera and Karin L. Thank you for always being there to put things right. Thank you for all the borrowing of materials and enzymes and all the nice talks during these years.
Lars. Thank you for all the relevant inputs during the meetings. Your broad knowledge in biology is amazing. Thank you for sharing it. Congratulations for the Prince Daniel Award!
Katja. Thank you for always being there for me from day 1. Thank you for teaching me so many experimental techniques and to being a co-author on your PCSK9 paper. Good Luck with your new group!
Sanne Congratulations on the newborn and good luck with your PhD, Wong thank you for refreshing inputs during Wednesday meetings and your constant smile whenever we meet in the corridors, Maria GD Thank you for all the small chats. I wish you the best in your research. Maria S Thank you for all the pleasant baby discussions during lunch and your relevant inputs during Thursday meetings. Maria M thank you for the collaboration on the APOE paper. You leave nothing to chance Rona thank you for your inputs regarding biobanks and GWASs and special thanks for your concerns about my future job applications.
I am now registered on all of those portals you forwarded to me Kalle Thank you for all the chit-chats and a great meeting in Visby. Good Luck you’re your paternity leave! Bengt, I have always wondered how you keep track of all those notes you take during all those meetings over all those years? You are a thoughtful man with thoughtful comments during the Wednesday meetings. John, although I get to meet you only during Wednesday morning meetings and the afternoon fika, your expert comments and deep understanding of statistics are always appreciated. Mathias Good luck with your PhD.
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Ami It is sad you are not with us anymore. We appreciated you very much. I want to thank you for all the years you helped me out from booking tickets to reminding me of signing my contracts to asking me how it was with my “little family”. You made difficult and boring things look so easy and fun. I hope you are enjoying your pension!
Linda Thank you for all your help especially during these last weeks.
Anders FC You are a rare variant of your kind. Not so many surgeons are as devoted to research as you are. You see the importance of translational medicine and you are ready to contribute even though it takes so much time from your already busy schedule. Without you and Per TM6SF2 and other findings would not have been possible. Thank you!
Jakob Odeberg. You were my mentor during my undergraduate years and you were also the catalysator in my move to KI. I wanted to thank you for all your help along the way, and wanted you to know that I still have not met a more efficient multi-tasking oracle like you.
Anna-Lena, Kristina, Kerstin, Nina Thank you for always being so kind and generous and so fun to talk to. Anna-Lena thanks for all the “snus” during these years!
Sara-Jayne, Therese and Maria J Although you are not with us anymore you still are highly appreciated and missed from many of us until today. Good Luck in whatever you are doing and thank you for the great moments we shared when you were around!
Thank you everyone on CMM floors 2 and 3 for the great atmosphere during the last 5 years!
Nanor. my sister, thank you for all the encouragement and help, especially during the last couple of months. You deserve nothing but the best! The best of luck pursuing the balance between your career and your family life. I am looking forward to becoming an uncle one day.
Mom and Dad. Thank you for showing me the power and importance of education from young age. I didn’t turn out to be the doctor you were implying me to be Mom, but its close enough. Thank you Dad, for always encouraging me to make my own decisions for as long as I can remember. It has been of the most important assets in my life so far.
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Diana. My partner in life, my Superwoman. Talking about making decisions, thank you for accepting my proposal to get engaged at age 17 . I do not know what I have done to deserve you, but I am a lucky lucky man! I hope to be giving you the same love and support in life that you have given me. It is soon your turn to defend, I hope to be half as supportive as you were to me. Considering the fact that this is not a love-letter writing forum, I will restrict by saying that I look forward to spending a long loving life with you and our beautiful children!
I love you dearly!
Christopher & Alexander thank you for your contribution to daddy’s thesis: Jkköäåokmjk (Christopher), vzgsxcx f hcfm (Alexander). I think you’ve written a cryptic code for saying
“you are finally done being a student, now get a real job” . You both are the best there is!
You are the joy of our lives! I hope to be around by the time you can read this! Mom and dad will love and support you to our last breath! In the end, you are the reason for everything we do.
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