Carolina Vogs

My research interests relate to the understanding and modelling of toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic processes of chemicals. Toxicokinetics explain “how a chemical gets into a body and what happens to it in the body”, while toxicodynamics describe “what the chemical does to the body”. To this end, computational modeling aims to integrate realistic human exposures with measured effects in in vitro studies for an improved health risk assessment.

1. Human exposure and risk assessment

At SLU, I am working on the establishment of predictive tools that can be used for human exposure and risk assessment of chemicals in food and drinking water. Much focus currently lies on per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), where we want to contribute to the question which PFAS levels in drinking water and food can be regarded as unconcerned from a health point-of-view. 

Fundings are:

• DRICKS: A collaboration platform for drinking water research with the goal of contributing to a safer drinking water supply. (Organized by Chalmers).
• New practice for assessing and managing risks of undesirable chemical substances in water. (PI Ekatterina Sokolova, Water Wise Society , 2024 - 2025)
• Data-driven modeling of PFAA substances in serum as basis for setting limit values for drinking water and food (PI Carolina Vogs, Formas, 2024-2028)
• Effects of early life exposure to a cocktail of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances on development in children (PI Carolina Vogs, specific activity in WP 6.2 within the EU-funded project PARC, 2023 - 2026)
• PFAS i animaliska livsmedel från förorenade områden (PI Anders Glynn, Naturvårdsverket, 2022 - 2024)
• Modeling of blood levels of PFAS in populations exposed to PFAS in drinking water (PI Anders Glynn, Naturvårdsverket, 2019 - 2021)

2. Hazard assessment

I am also affiliated at Karolinska Institutet to further investigate toxicity mechanisms of PFAS and other chemicals in zebrafish embryo (more information on ongoing projects).

Fundings are:

• Transcriptome analysis of the zebrafish embryo brain exposed to perfluorinated alkyl acid – Toward a better understanding of neurodevelopmental disorders (PI Carolina Vogs, Centre for Reproductive Biology, 2019)
• A combination of toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic studies of environmental pollutants in a zebrafish model (PI Kristian Dreij, IMM Strategic grant, 2018)

I am supervising master students in the physiologically based pharmacokinetic modelling course and zebrafish embryo laboratory course. I have further experiences as supervisor for bachelor and master students. Please contact me, if you are interested in conducting a thesis project.

2023 - Associate Professor in Predictive Toxicology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences

2015 - Ph.D. in Ecotoxicology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research/RWTH Aachen University

2009 - Diploma in Geoecology, Technical University of Braunschweig

PhD Supervision

Emelie Lindfeldt (since 2024). Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. (Main-supervision)  

Jennifer Nyström-Kandola (2024): Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – unravelling exposure sources and demographical exposure patterns in a Swedish adolescent population. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. (Co-supervision)

Ioana C. Chelcea (2023): Computational methods for assessing chemical risk: focusing on toxicokinetic modelling in zebrafish (danio rerio). Umeå University. (Co-supervision).

Gastellu, T, Karakoltzidis, A, Ratier, A, Bellouard, M, Alvarez, J-C, Le Bizec, B, Rivière, G, Karakitsios, S, Sarigiannis, D A, Vogs, C (2025). A comprehensive library of lifetime physiological equations for PBK models: Enhancing dietary exposure modeling with mercury as a case study. Environ Res. 265. 120393.

Vogs, C*, Lindqvist, D*, Tang, S W, Gugescu, L, Alenius, H, Wincent, E (2024). Transcriptomic and functional effects from a chemical mixture based on the exposure profile in Baltic Sea salmon, on metabolic and immune functions in zebrafish embryo. Environ. Int. 192. 108166. 109018. *contributed equally to this work

Gutsfeld, S, Wehmas, L, Omoyeni, I, Schweiger, N, Leuthold, D, Michaelis, P, Howey, X M, Gaballah, S, Herold, N, Vogs, C, Wood, C, Bertotto, L, Wu, G M, Klüver, N, Busch, W, Scholz, S, Schor, J, Tal, T (2024). Investigation of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Genes as Requirements for Visual Startle Response Hyperactivity in Larval Zebrafish Exposed to Structurally Similar Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). Environ. Health Perspect. 132(7):77007. 

Säve-Söderbergh, M., Gyllenhammar, I., Schillemans, T., Lindfeldt, E., Vogs, C., Donat-Vargas, C., Halldin Ankarberg, E., Glynn, A., Ahrens, L., Helte, E., Åkesson, A. (2024). Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and fetal growth: A nation-wide register-based study on PFAS in drinking water. Environ Int. 187:108727. 

Glynn, A. Sand, S., Vogs, C., Ejhed, H., McCleaf, P., Wiberg, K., Ahrens, L., Lundqvist, J. (2024): Risktermometern− riskrankning av kemikalier i dricksvatten. Svenskt vatten utveckling rapport. 2024-18. https://res.slu.se/id/publ/135198.

Chelcea I, Vogs C, Hamers T, Koekkoek J, Legradi J, Sapounidou M, Örn S, Andersson PL (2023). Physiology-informed toxicokinetic model for the zebrafish embryo test developed for bisphenols. Chemosphere. 345, 140399.

Nyström-Kandola J, Ahrens L, Glynn A, Johanson G, Benskin JB, Gyllenhammar I, Lignell S, Vogs C (2023). Low concentrations of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) in municipal drinking water associated with serum PFAA concentrations in Swedish adolescents. Environ. Int., 108166

Ratier, A., Karakitsios, S., Karakoltzidis, A., Zeman, F., Vogs, C., et al. (2023): Inventory of PBK models for assessing the internal exposure through life. Additional Deliverable AD 6.4. Partnership for the Assessments of Risks for Chemicals (PARC). https://www.eu-parc.eu/sites/default/files/2023-08/PARC_AD6.4.pdf

Crepet, A., Carsique, M., van Klaveren, J., Angeli, K., Bil, W., et al. (2023): Development of the strategy for mixture risk assessment using HBM data and its application to prioritised mixtures. Additional Deliverable AD 6.5. Partnership for the Assessments of Risks for Chemicals (PARC). https://www.eu-parc.eu/sites/default/files/2023-08/PARC_AD6.5.pdf.

Nyström-Kandola J, Johanson G, Vogs C, Hallberg I, Ekstrand C, Glynn A (2023) Delrapport 1. Överföring av perfluoroalkylsyror från foder och dricksvatten till livsmedelsproducerande djur, och till livsmedel från dessa djur. Uppsala, p. 43. urn:nbn:se:naturvardsverket:diva-10713

Billat P-A, Vogs C, Blassiau C, Brochot C, Wincent E, Brion F, Beaudouin R (2023). PBTK modeled perfluoroalkyl acid kinetics in zebrafish eleutheroembryos suggests impacts on bioconcentrations by chorion porosity dynamics. Toxicol in Vitro. 89, 0887-2333.

Johanson G, Gyllenhammar I, Ekstrand C, Pyko A, Xu Y, Li Y, Norström K, Lilja K, Lindh C, Benskin JP, Georgelis A, Forsell K, Jakobsson K, Glynn A, Vogs C. (2023). Quantitative relationships of perfluoroalkyl acids in drinking water associated with serum concentrations above background in adults living near contamination hotspots in Sweden. Environ Res. 16; 219:115024.

Glynn A, Vogs C, Johanson G, Gyllenhammar I, Ekstrand C, Georgelis A, Forsell K, Jakobsson K. (2022). PFAS i blod - modellering av exponering via dricksvatten. Uppsala: SLU, p. 32. urn:nbn:se:naturvardsverket:diva-10193

Bajard L, Adamovsky O, Audouze K, Baken K, Barouki R, Beltman JB, Beronius A, Bonefeld-Jørgensen EC, Cano-Sancho G, de Baat ML, Di Tillio F, Fernández MF, FitzGerald RE, Gundacker C, Hernández AF, Hilscherova K, Karakitsios S, Kuchovska E, Long M, Luijten M, Majid S, Marx-Stoelting P, Mustieles V, Negi CK, Sarigiannis D, Scholz S, Sovadinova I, Stierum R, Tanabe S, Tollefsen KE, van den Brand AD, Vogs C, Wielsøe M, Wittwehr C, Blaha L.  (2022) Application of AOPs to assist regulatory assessment of chemical risks - Case studies, needs and recommendations. Environ Res. 27; 217:114650.

Satbhai, K., Vogs, C., Crago, J. (2022). Comparative Toxicokinetics and Toxicity of PFOA and its Replacement GenX in the Early Stages of Zebrafish. Chemosphere, 308(Pt 1), 136131. 

Chelcea, I., Örn, S., Hamers, T., Koekkoek, J., Legradi, J., Vogs, C., Andersson, P. L. (2022). Physiologically Based Toxicokinetic Modeling of Bisphenols in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Accounting for Variations in Metabolic Rates, Brain Distribution, and Liver Accumulation. Environ. Sci. Technol., 56(14), 10216–10228. 

Tal, T., Vogs, C. (2021): Invited Perspective: PFAS Bioconcentration and Biotransformation in Early Life Stage Zebrafish and Its Implications for Human Health Protection. Environ. Health Perspect. 129 (7), 071304

Krais, A.M., Essig, J. Y., Gren, L. Vogs, C., Assarsson, E., Dierschke, K., Nielsen, J., Strandberg, B., Pagels, J., Broberg, K., Lindh, C.H., Gudmundsson, A., Wierzbicka, A. (2021): Biomarkers after Controlled Inhalation Exposure to Exhaust from Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil (HVO). Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health INT J ENV, 18(12).

Lungu-Mitea, S., Vogs, C., Carlsson, G., Montag, M. Friberg, K., Oskarrson, A., Lundqvist, J. (2021): Modelling bioavailable concentrations in zebrafish cell lines and embryos increases the correlation of toxicity potencies across test systems. Environ. Sci. Technol. 55(1), 447-457.  

Cunha, V.*, Vogs, C*., Le Bihanic, F., Drej, K. (2020): Mixture effects of oxygenated PAHs and benzo[a]pyrene on cardiovascular development and function in zebrafish embryos. Environ. Int. 143. 105913.*contributed equally to this work

Xu., Y., Fletcher, T., Pineda, D., Lindh, CH., Nilsson, C., Glynn, A., Vogs, C., Norström, K., Lilja, K., Jakobsson, K., Li, Y. (2020): Serum Half-Lives for Short-and Long-Chain Perfluoroalkyl Acids after Ceasing Exposure from Drinking Water Contaminated by Firefighting Foam. Environ. Health Perspect., 128(7). 077004.

Vogs, C., Johanson, G, Näslund, M., Wulff, S., Sjödin, M., Hellstrandh, M., Lindberg, M., Wincent, E., (2019): Toxicokinetics of perfluorinated alkyl acids influences their toxic potency in the zebrafish embryo (Danio rerio). Environ. Sci. Technol.  53(7), 3898-3907.

Kühnert, A., Vogs, C., Serwert, B., Aulhorn, S., Altenburger, R., Hollert, H., Küster, E., Busch, W., (2017): Biotransformation in the zebrafish embryo –temporal gene transcription changes of cytochrome P450 enzymes and internal exposure dynamics of the AhR binding xenobiotic benz[a]anthracene. Environ Poll., 230, 1 - 11.

Klüver, N., Vogs, C., Altenburger, R., Escher, B., Scholz, S., (2016): Development of a general baseline toxicity QSAR model for the fish embryo acute toxicity test. Chemo, 50(14), 164 - 173.

Vogs, C., Altenburger, R., (2016): Time-dependent effects in algae for chemicals with different adverse outcome pathways: A novel approach. Environ. Sci. Technol., 50(14), 7770 - 7780.

Massei, R., Vogs, C., Renner, P., Altenburger, R, Scholz, S., (2015): Differential sensitivity in embryonic stages of the zebrafish (Danio rerio): the role of toxicokinetics for stage-specific susceptibility for azinphos-methyl lethal effects. Aquat. Toxicol., 166, 36 - 41.

Vogs, C., Kühnert, A., Hug, C., Küster, E., Altenburger, R., (2015): A toxicokinetic study of specifically acting and reactive organic chemicals for the prediction of internal effect concentrations in Scenedesmus vacuolatus. Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 32(5), 1161 – 1172.

Faust, M., Vogs, C., Rotter, S., Wöltjen, J., Höllrigl-Rosta, A., Altenburger, R., (2014): Comparative assessment of plant protection products: how many cases will regulatory authorities have to answer?, Env. Sci. Eur., 26(1): 11

Kühnert, A., Vogs, C., Altenburger, R., Küster, E., (2013): The internal concentration of organic substances in fish embryos – a toxicokinetic approach. Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 32 (8), 1819-27.

Liu, Z., Flury, M., Harsh, J.B., Mathison, J.B., Vogs, C., (2013): Colloid mobilization in an undisturbed sediment core under semiarid recharge rates. Water Resour. Res., 49 (8), 4985 – 4996.

Vogs, C., Bandow, N., Altenburger, R., (2013): Effect propagation in a toxicokinetic/ toxicodynamic model explains delayed effects on the growth of unicellular green algae Scenedesmus vacuolatus. Environ. Toxicol. Chem., 32 (5), 1161 – 1172.