Paula Mölling
Paula Mölling Position: Affiliated Researcher School/office: School of Medical SciencesEmail: cGF1bGEubW9sbGluZztvcnUuc2U=
Phone: No number available
Room: USÖ
About Paula Mölling
Paula Mölling, PhD, is a Molecular Biologist and Associate Professor (Docent) at the School of Medical Sciences since 2013.
Paula is working with research and development of clinical diagnostics in microbiology focusing on NGS (next generation sequencing) at the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Clinical Microbiology & National reference laboratory for pathogenic Neisseria, University Hospital Örebro, Sweden, since 2001. She also work as a national project manager for the Microbiology section in Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS), a project aiming to strengthen precision medicine and the opportunity for equal care across the country through the implementation of large-scale sequencing techniques and genomics in health care. The GMS project aims to strengthen precision medicine and the possibility of equal care throughout the country through the implementation of large-scale sequencing techniques and genomics in the health and medical care sector. The goal for GMS-Microbiology is to obtain a rapid and reliable identification of microorganisms that cause infectious diseases where quality-assured methods and results can easily share between regions via GMS technical solutions. This is to be able to map the transmission paths during outbreak situations and obtain a national consensus on the characterization of microbial agents.
Most of Paula´s research is about Neisseria meningitidis, a bacterium that can cause anything from asymptomatic carrier to serious infections in the form of meningitis or sepsis. Since Örebro is a national reference laboratory for pathogenic Neisseria, the focus of the research is on the epidemiology of N. meningitidis, but also to investigate why some people suffer serious illness while others are only carriers of the bacterium. Other research and development projects is about finding new molecular genetic methods for optimal diagnostic of other bacterial meningitis, sepsis and respiratory infections as well as epidemiological and genetic studies on methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Ongoing projects (among others)
- Precision diagnostics of bacterial infections with 16S Nanopore sequencing – national project with 17/21 regions participating, for rapid identification of pathogenic bacteria directly from a clinical sample
- Rapid sequencing of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) – precision diagnostic tool to prevent and reduce outbreaks in healthcare
- Precision genetic diagnostics of meningococci – the search for genetic markers that can be used to predict the bacterium's ability to cause invasive disease
In above projects Paula is now supervising four PhD students (three as the main-supervisor) and been the supervisor for an additional six PhD students over the past years (two as main-supervisor and four as co-supervisor).
Paula has published >70 scientific articles.
For further information about Paula´s publications and Curriculum vitae:
https://www.researchweb.org/is/oll
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-m%C3%B6lling-41771b83/
Are primarily contacted via paula.molling@regionorebrolan.se
Research groups
Publications
Articles in journals
- Björnberg, A. , Nestor, D. , Peker, N. , Sinha, B. , Couto, N. , Rossen, J. , Sundqvist, M. & Mölling, P. (2025). Critical Steps in Shotgun Metagenomics-Based Diagnosis of Bloodstream Infections Using Nanopore Sequencing. Acta Pathologica, Microbiologica et Immunologica Scandinavica (APMIS), 133 (1). [BibTeX]
- Hallbäck, E. T. , Björkman, J. T. , Dyrkell, F. , Welander, J. , Fang, H. , Sylvin, I. , Kaden, R. , Eilers, H. & et al. (2025). Evaluation of nationwide analysis surveillance for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus within Genomic Medicine Sweden. Microbial Genomics, 11 (1). [BibTeX]
- Brunet, S. , Grankvist, A. , Jaen-Luchoro, D. , Bergdahl, M. , Tison, J. , Wester, A. , Elfving, K. , Brandenburg, J. & et al. (2025). Nationwide multicentre study of Nanopore long-read sequencing for 16S rRNA-species identification. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. [BibTeX]
- Alpkvist, H. , Ziegler, I. , Mölling, P. , Tina, E. , Sellvén, L. , Norrby-Teglund, A. , Cajander, S. & Strålin, K. (2024). Damage-associated molecular patterns in bacteraemic infection, including a comparative analysis with bacterial DNA, a pathogen-associated molecular pattern. Scientific Reports, 14 (1). [BibTeX]
- Widen, J. , Morén, J. , Mölling, P. , Fagerström, A. , Enblad, P. , Eriksson, B. , Ronne-Engström, E. , Sundqvist, M. & et al. (2024). Diagnosis of external ventricular drainage related infections with real-time 16S PCR and third-generation 16S sequencing. Infectious Diseases, 56 (7), 521-530. [BibTeX]
- Koskela, A. , Lindqvist, C. M. , Asghar, N. , Johansson, M. , Sundqvist, M. , Mölling, P. & Stenmark, B. (2023). Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing using tiled amplicon enrichment and bait hybridization. Scientific Reports, 13 (1). [BibTeX]
- Eriksson, L. , Johannesen, T. B. , Stenmark, B. , Jacobsson, S. , Säll, O. , Hedberg, S. T. , Fredlund, H. , Stegger, M. & et al. (2023). Genetic variants linked to the phenotypic outcome of invasive disease and carriage of Neisseria meningitidis. Microbial Genomics, 9 (10). [BibTeX]
- Säll, O. , Eriksson, L. , Idosa Berhane, A. , Persson, A. , Magnuson, A. , Thulin Hedberg, S. , Sundqvist, M. , Per, O. & et al. (2023). Prevalence and persistence of Neisseria meningitidis carriage in Swedish university students. Epidemiology and Infection, 151. [BibTeX]
- Haars, J. , Palanisamy, N. , Wallin, F. , Mölling, P. , Lindh, J. , Sundqvist, M. , Ellström, P. , Kaden, R. & et al. (2023). Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Sublineages and Spike Protein Mutations Conferring Resistance against Monoclonal Antibodies in a Swedish Cohort during 2022-2023. Microorganisms, 11 (10). [BibTeX]
- Shaw, D. , Jacobsson, S. , Mölling, P. & Brueggemann, A. B. (2023). Trends in invasive bacterial diseases during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic: analyses of prospective surveillance data from 30 countries and territories in the IRIS Consortium. The Lancet Digital Health, 5 (9), e582-e593. [BibTeX]
- Campillay Lagos, A. , Sundqvist, M. , Dyrkell, F. , Stegger, M. , Söderquist, B. & Mölling, P. (2022). Evaluation of within-host evolution of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by comparing cgMLST and SNP analysis approaches. Scientific Reports, 12 (1). [BibTeX]
- Fioretos, T. , Wirta, V. , Cavelier, L. , Berglund, E. , Friedman, M. , Akhras, M. , Botling, J. , Ehrencrona, H. & et al. (2022). Implementing precision medicine in a regionally organized healthcare system in Sweden. Nature Medicine, 28 (10), 1980-1982. [BibTeX]
- Säll, O. , Stenmark, B. , Jacobsson, S. , Eriksson, L. , Thulin Hedberg, S. , Hertting, O. , Fredlund, H. , Sundqvist, M. & et al. (2021). Atypical presentation of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W disease is associated with the introduction of the 2013 strain. Epidemiology and Infection, 149. [BibTeX]
- Brueggemann, A. B. , Jacobsson, S. , Mölling, P. & Zhou, F. (2021). Changes in the incidence of invasive disease due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis during the COVID-19 pandemic in 26 countries and territories in the Invasive Respiratory Infection Surveillance Initiative: a prospective analysis of surveillance data. The Lancet Digital Health, 3 (6), e360-e370. [BibTeX]
- Nestor, D. , Andersson, H. , Kihlberg, P. , Olson, S. , Ziegler, I. , Rasmussen, G. , Källman, J. , Cajander, S. & et al. (2021). Early prediction of blood stream infection in a prospectively collected cohort. BMC Infectious Diseases, 21 (1). [BibTeX]
- Stenmark, B. , Eriksson, L. , Thulin Hedberg, S. , Anton, B. P. , Fomenkov, A. , Roberts, R. J. & Mölling, P. (2021). Genome-wide methylome analysis of two strains belonging to the hypervirulent Neisseria meningitidis serogroup W ST-11 clonal complex. Scientific Reports, 11 (1). [BibTeX]
- Willerton, L. , Lucidarme, J. , Campbell, H. , Caugant, D. A. , Claus, H. , Jacobsson, S. , Ladhani, S. N. , Mölling, P. & et al. (2020). Geographically widespread invasive meningococcal disease caused by a ciprofloxacin resistant non-groupable strain of the ST-175 clonal complex. Journal of Infection, 81 (4), 575-584. [BibTeX]
- Werner, A. , Mölling, P. , Fagerström, A. , Dyrkell, F. , Arnellos, D. , Johansson, K. , Sundqvist, M. & Nilsson, T. K. (2020). Whole genome sequencing of Clostridioides difficile PCR ribotype 046 suggests transmission between pigs and humans. PLOS ONE, 15 (12). [BibTeX]
- Nestor, D. , Thulin Hedberg, S. , Lignell, M. , Mölling, P. , Skovbjerg, S. & Sundqvist, M. (2019). Evaluation of the FilmArray™ Meningitis/Encephalitis panel with focus on bacteria and Cryptococcus spp. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 157, 113-116. [BibTeX]
Articles, reviews/surveys
- Shaw, D. , Jacobsson, S. , Mölling, P. & Brueggemann, A. B. (2025). The importance of microbiology reference laboratories and adequate funding for infectious disease surveillance. The Lancet Digital Health, 7 (4), e275-e281. [BibTeX]
- Borrow, R. , Campbell, H. , Caugant, D. A. , Cherkaoui, A. , Claus, H. , Deghmane, A. , Dinleyici, E. C. , Harrison, L. H. & et al. (2024). Global Meningococcal Initiative: Insights on antibiotic resistance, control strategies and advocacy efforts in Western Europe. Journal of Infection, 89 (6). [BibTeX]
- Edsjö, A. , Lindstrand, A. , Gisselsson, D. , Mölling, P. , Friedman, M. , Cavelier, L. , Johansson, M. , Ehrencrona, H. & et al. (2023). Building a precision medicine infrastructure at a national level: The Swedish experience. Cambridge Prisms: Precision Medicine, 1. [BibTeX]
Conference papers
- Koskela, A. , Lindqvist, C. M. , Asghar, N. , Johansson, M. , Sundqvist, M. , Mölling, P. & Stenmark, B. (2023). Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing using tiled amplicon enrichment and bait hybridization. Paper presented at Smögen Virology Symposium 2023, Smögen, Sweden, August 24-26, 2023. [BibTeX]
Manuscripts
- Eriksson, L. , Idosa, B. A. , Ndlovu, N. M. , Persson, A. , Fredlund, H. , Stenmark, B. , Thulin Hedberg, S. & Mölling, P. pilE expression and copy number dynamics in carriage and invasive Neisseria meningitidis. [BibTeX]
- Säll, O. , Eriksson, L. , Asfaw, B. , Persson, A. , Magnusson, A. , Thulin Hedberg, S. , Sundqvist, M. , Olcén, P. & et al. Prevalence and persistence of Neisseria meningitidis carriage in Swedish university students. [BibTeX]