I am a Senior Researcher in Translational Neuroimmunology at the University of Bergen, Department of Clinical Medicine. My research focuses on immune mechanisms, biomarkers and treatment response in multiple sclerosis, with particular emphasis on progressive disease, neurodegeneration and high-dimensional immune profiling.

My work combines clinical cohorts, biobanking, advanced single-cell technologies and translational experimental models. I have particular expertise in mass cytometry (CyTOF) and have played a central role in establishing and developing CyTOF-based clinical immune monitoring at the University of Bergen and Haukeland University Hospital.

My research integrates blood, cerebrospinal fluid, tissue, imaging and molecular data to identify clinically relevant immune signatures and mechanisms of disease progression. I have scientific leadership roles in several national and international research projects and investigator-initiated clinical studies, including RAM-MS, SMART-MS, OVERLORD-MS, 3TR and MAXIBONE.

My roles include leadership of immunology work packages, development of biobanking and immune-monitoring strategies, high-dimensional immune profiling, data interpretation and coordination of interdisciplinary and international collaborations.

I regularly present my research at national and international scientific meetings, workshops and conferences within neuroimmunology, multiple sclerosis, immunotherapy, stem cell transplantation, flow cytometry and mass cytometry.

I have contributed more than 30 scientific presentations since 2016, including invited talks at international cytometry meetings and specialist meetings in immunology and multiple sclerosis. I also contribute to scientific peer review and professional societies within immunology, neuroimmunology and cytometry.

I have contributed to teaching and supervision at the University of Bergen for more than a decade, particularly within immunology, neuroimmunology, flow cytometry and mass cytometry.

My teaching combines theoretical instruction with practical laboratory training and the application of advanced technologies in clinical and translational research. I supervise PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, master students and medical research-track students, and have contributed to courses, workshops and research training at UiB and internationally.

I have also completed university-pedagogy training at UiB in teaching and course design, evaluation of teaching, digital learning, universal design and group supervision.

Academic article

• Christopher Elnan Kvistad; Torbjørn Kråkenes; Trygve Holmøy et al. (2026). Intrathecal Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Progressive Multiple Sclerosis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial (SMART-MS). (external link)
• Dimitrios Kleftogiannis; Sonia Gavasso; Benedicte Sjo Tislevoll et al. (2024). Automated cell type annotation and exploration of single-cell signaling dynamics using mass cytometry. (external link)
• Richard Allan Davies; Irene Sarkar; Daniel Hammenfors et al. (2019). Single cell based phosphorylation profiling identifies alterations in toll-like receptor 7 and 9 signaling in patients with primary sjogren's syndrome. (external link)
• Benedicte Sjo Tislevoll; Monica Hellesøy; Oda Helen Eck Fagerholt et al. (2022). Early response evaluation by single cell signaling profiling in acute myeloid leukemia. (external link)
• Ellen Færgestad Mosleth; Christian Alexander Vedeler; Kristian Hovde Liland et al. (2021). Cerebrospinal fluid proteome shows disrupted neuronal development in multiple sclerosis. (external link)
• Sonia Gavasso; Ellen Færgestad Mosleth; Tove Helene Marøy et al. (2014). Deficient phosphorylation of stat-1 in leukocytes identifies neutralizing antibodies in multiple sclerosis patients treated with interferon-beta. (external link)
• Anders Krogh Aarebrot; Silje Michelsen Solberg; Richard Allan Davies et al. (2018). Phosphorylation of intracellular signaling molecules in peripheral blood cells from psoriasis patients on originator or biosimilar infliximab. (external link)
• Ina A. Stelzer; Mohammad S. Ghaemi; Xiaoyuan Han et al. (2021). Integrated trajectories of the maternal metabolome, proteome, and immunome predict labor onset. (external link)
• Simeon Sahani Mayala; Ida Ajvazi Herdlevær; Jonas Bull Haugsøen et al. (2022). GUBS: Graph-based unsupervised brain segmentation in MRI images. (external link)
• Sonia Gavasso; Ottar Nygård; Eva Kristine Ringdal Pedersen et al. (2005). Fc gamma receptor IIIA polymorphism as a risk-factor for coronary artery disease. (external link)
• Sonia Gavasso; Øivind Torkildsen; Tove Helene Marøy et al. (2012). Fcγ receptors in Norwegian multiple sclerosis patients and healthy controls. (external link)
• Sonia Gavasso; Kjell-Morten Myhr; Christian A. Vedeler (2006). Multiplexed phosphoprotein analysis in immune cells. (external link)
• Andre Sulen; Stein-Erik Gullaksen; Lucius Bader et al. (2016). Signaling effects of sodium hydrosulfide in healthy donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells. (external link)
• Stein-Erik Gullaksen; Jørn Skavland; Sonia Gavasso et al. (2017). Single cell immune profiling by mass cytometry of newly diagnosed chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia treated with nilotinib. (external link)
• Sonia Gavasso; Jonas Bull Haugsøen; Dimitrios Kleftogiannis et al. (2025). High-dimensional Immune Profiling Following Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. (external link)
• Gerd Haga Bringeland; Kjell-Morten Myhr; Christian A. Vedeler et al. (2020). Wearing-off at the end of natalizumab dosing interval and risk of MS disease activity: A prospective 1-year follow-up study. (external link)
• Gerd Haga Bringeland; Nello Blaser; Kjell-Morten Myhr et al. (2021). Wearing-off symptoms during standard and extended natalizumab dosing intervals: Experiences from the COVID-19 pandemic. (external link)
• Neha Rana; Salwa Suliman; Samih Salah Eldin Mahgoub Mohamed-Ahmed et al. (2021). Systemic and local innate immune responses to surgical co-transplantation of mesenchymal stromal cells and biphasic calcium phosphate for bone regeneration. (external link)
• Gerd Haga Bringeland; Lucius Bader; Nello Blaser et al. (2019). Optimization of receptor occupancy assays in mass cytometry: Standardization across channels with QSC beads. (external link)
• Gerd Haga Bringeland; Nello Blaser; Kjell-Morten Myhr et al. (2020). Wearing-off at the end of natalizumab dosing intervals is associated with low receptor occupancy. (external link)
• Richard Allan Davies; Daniel Hammenfors; Brith Bergum et al. (2018). Aberrant cell signalling in PBMCs upon IFN-? stimulation in primary Sjogren's syndrome patients associates with type I interferon signature. (external link)
• Lucius Bader; Stein-Erik Gullaksen; Nello Blaser et al. (2019). Candidate markers for stratification and classification in rheumatoid arthritis. (external link)
• Lucius Bader; Silje Michelsen Solberg; Silje Katrine Helland Kaada et al. (2017). Assays for Infliximab Drug Levels and Antibodies: A Matter of Scales and Categories. (external link)
• Simeon Sahani Mayala; Ida Ajvazi Herdlevær; Jonas Bull Haugsøen et al. (2022). Brain Tumor Segmentation Based on Minimum Spanning Tree. (external link)
• Stein-Erik Gullaksen; Lucius Bader; Monica Hellesøy et al. (2019). Titrating complex mass cytometry panels. (external link)
• Benedicte Sjo Tislevoll; Monica Hellesøy; Oda Helen Eck Fagerholt et al. (2023). Early response evaluation by single cell signaling profiling in acute myeloid leukemia. (external link)
• Sonia Gavasso; Bjørn Tore Gjertsen; Endre Anderssen et al. (2012). Immunogenic effects of recombinant interferon-beta therapy disrupt the JAK/STAT pathway in primary immune cells from patients with multiple sclerosis. (external link)

Doctoral thesis (PhD)

• Sonia Gavasso (2013). Evaluation of interferon-beta neutralizing antibodies in individual patients with multiple sclerosis based on phospho-specific flow cytometry. (external link)

Academic book chapter

• Ida Ajvazi Herdlevær; Lucia Lisa Petrilli; Fatime Qosaj et al. (2022). Use of Imaging Mass Cytometry in Studies of the Tissue Microenvironment. (external link)

Conference poster

• Kjell-Morten Myhr; Tove Helene Marøy; Sonia Gavasso et al. (2007). Nøytraliserende antistoffer mot interferon-beta ved Multippel Sclerose. (external link)
• Sonia Gavasso; Nina Karin Aarskog; Kjell-Morten Myhr et al. (2004). Fc gamma receptor expression of peripheral leukocytes in Multiple Sclerosis patients treated with interferon-beta or glatiramer acetate.. (external link)
• Sonia Gavasso; Jonas Bull Haugsøen; Dimitrios Kleftogiannis et al. (2024). Short-Term and Long-Term Impact of Autologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation on Immune Profiles in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. (external link)
• Nello Blaser; Morten Brun; Lucius Bader et al. (2018). Diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis with mass cytometry using topological data analysis. (external link)

Academic literature review

• Torbjørn Kråkenes; Casper Eugen Sandvik; Marie Ytterdal et al. (2024). The Therapeutic Potential of Exosomes from Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Multiple Sclerosis. (external link)
• Sonia Gavasso; Torbjørn Kråkenes; Håkon Olsen et al. (2024). The Therapeutic Mechanisms of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in MS—A Review Focusing on Neuroprotective Properties. (external link)
• Christopher Elnan Kvistad; Torbjørn Kråkenes; Sonia Gavasso et al. (2024). Neural regeneration in the human central nervous system—from understanding the underlying mechanisms to developing treatments. Where do we stand today?. (external link)
• Sonia Gavasso; Stein-Erik Gullaksen; Jørn Skavland et al. (2016). Single-cell proteomics: Potential implications for cancer diagnostics. (external link)

Conference abstract

• Sonia Gavasso; Tove Helene Marøy; Ellen Færgestad Mosleth et al. (2012). Single cell pStat1 activation, a promising biomarker to evaluate neutralizing antibody effects in interferon-beta treated multiple sclerosis patients. (external link)
• Sonia Gavasso; Jørn Skavland; Bjørn Tore Gjertsen et al. (2008). Interferon-beta signal transduction, multiple sclerosis and auto-antibodies. (external link)

Conference lecture

• Neha Rana; Salwa Suliman; Samih Salah Eldin Mahgoub Mohamed-Ahmed et al. (2021). Systemic monocyte-macrophage response to co-transplanting mesenchymal stromal cells and biphasic calcium phosphate biomaterial for bone regeneration. (external link)

Editorial/Leader article

• Sonia Gavasso; Gerd Haga Bringeland; Attila Tarnok (2019). Receptor occupation in the fjords.. (external link)

Journal corrigendum

• Benedicte Sjo Tislevoll; Monica Hellesøy; Oda Helen Eck Fagerholt et al. (2023). Author Correction: Early response evaluation by single cell signaling profiling in acute myeloid leukemia (Nature Communications, (2023), 14, 1, (115), 10.1038/s41467-022-35624-4). (external link)

See a complete overview of publications in NVA.

My publications span translational neuroimmunology, multiple sclerosis, stem cell therapy, immune monitoring, mass cytometry and high-dimensional single-cell analysis. My recent work focuses particularly on immune reconstitution, progressive MS, neurodegeneration and treatment response.

I lead and contribute to national and international translational research projects and investigator-initiated clinical studies in multiple sclerosis and immune monitoring.

Current and recent projects include:

• Data-driven Immunological Signatures in Multiple Sclerosis (2025–2028) – Work Package Lead/PI for immunology; Helse Vest.
• SMART-MS – Research committee member and PI/lead for immunological studies in a clinical trial of mesenchymal stem cells in progressive MS.
• OVERLORD-MS – Research committee member; translational immunology, biobanking and immune monitoring.
• RAM-MS – Research committee member and PI for the immunology work package studying immune reconstitution after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
• 3TR – Taxonomy, Treatment, Targets and Remission – Lead of the UiB Immunophenotyping Analysis Group, coordinating high-dimensional CyTOF analysis in an international EU consortium.
• MAXIBONE, Horizon 2020 (2018–2024) – Co-PI and Work Package Lead for immune monitoring.
• B-cell reconstitution and free kappa light chains in RAM-MS (2025-2028) – Scientific lead for a PhD project investigating B-cell reconstitution and free kappa light chains as markers of intrathecal immune activity following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in multiple sclerosis.
• Patient-specific microglia models in multiple sclerosis (2026–2029) – Project initiator and scientific lead; funded PhD project investigating mechanisms of progression and neurodegeneration.