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Ahmadreza Djalali - imprisoned for nine years

Interview with Ahmadreza Djalali's wife and daughter

The organisation Scholars at Risk has been campaigning for the release of Ahmadreza Djalali for a long time. They have interviewed Dr Djalali's wife Vida Mehrannia and his daughter about their husband and father. The interviews describe their lives from 2000 to today, in Sweden and Iran.

Photo: Liza Simonsson

KI's Vice President: We will continue to stand for scientific excellence, openness and collaboration

The concept of academic freedom is a highly topical one that has been brought to a head by the death sentence passed on our colleague Ahmadreza Djalali. He has been languishing in an Iranian prison under inhuman conditions for nine years now, a reminder of how academic freedom can be threatened by political forces. We must continue to fight for his release.

Karolinska Institutets President Annika Östman Wernerson

Photo: Liza Simonsson

KI’s President: Valuable with the government's open support for Ahmadreza Djalali (in Swedish)

It has now been nine years since the Swedish-Iranian doctor and researcher Ahmadreza Djalali was imprisoned in Iran. In recent months, his health has deteriorated further. It is therefore ‘excellent that the Swedish government, via the Swedish Foreign Ministry, recently sent a clear signal to the Iranian regime’, writes KI's President Annika Östman Wernerson in a debate article.

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New study

Heart valve abnormality is associated with malignant arrhythmias

People with a certain heart valve abnormality are at increased risk of severe heart rhythm disorders, even after successful valve surgery, according to a new study. The condition is more common in women and younger patients with valve disorder and can, in the worst case, lead to sudden cardiac arrest.

Grants, prizes and donations

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Grants from the Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund to seven KI researchers

The Swedish Childhood Cancer Fund has decided to grant funding for paediatric oncology research for the next one to six years. Diagnoses in focus include brain tumours and leukaemia. Seven researchers at KI will receive funding.

Photo: Mikaela Friedman

SEK 80 million from the government in special support for precision medicine

The government is funding Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS) with SEK 80 million in 2025. The special support will be used, among other things, for continued investments in the sustainable development and implementation of precision medicine in cancer care. Richard Rosenquist Brandell, professor at KI and director of GMS, describes the initiative as an important investment in the future of healthcare.

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Tim Bergling Foundation funds digital training in suicide prevention among the young

A four-year grant from the Bergling Foundation will provide support to Karolinska Institutet’s digital training initiative to help medical students be better at identifying and responding to suicidal children and young adults.

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Olle Kämpe gets extension as Wallenberg Clinical Scholar

In 2025, five Wallenberg Clinical Scholars have been granted an extended grant for another five years. Among these is KI researcher Olle Kämpe, who will thus receive support for a total of ten years for his research into the causes of autoimmune diseases.

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Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation extends support for research on obesity-related diseases

Congratulations to Mikael Rydén who has been granted an extension as Wallenberg Clinical Scholar. The extension from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation means three million SEK per year for five years for his research.

Photo: Liza Simonsson

Evaluation

KI excels in the Swedish Research Council’s evaluation of medical research

The Swedish Research Council has published its report "Quality and impact of research in basic medicine in Sweden", which evaluates the scientific quality and societal impact of medical research at seven universities. Karolinska Institutet is a leader among Swedish higher education institutions.

The Conversation

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The dangerous myth about white snus

What do British footballers have in common with young women in Sweden? The answer is white snus. KI researchers explain why tobacco-free is not the same as risk-free in The Conversation.

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Why the eyes are the mirror of breathing

New research has discovered a fundamental mechanism that affects pupil size - our breathing. The pupil is smallest when we breathe in and largest when we breathe out - something that could affect vision. In The Conversation, the researchers explain the implications of this.

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How fluoride may be linked to poorer cognition in children

Photo: Sara Bakhshi

Nine reasons why the myth that vaccines cause autism persists

From a research perspective, there is little left to discover about vaccines used in long-standing nationwide vaccine programmes, such as polio, measles, and rubella. So why do suspicions that vaccines cause autism remain? Professor Sven Bölte presents nine reasons in The Conversation.

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New method reveals how the brain and inner ear are formed

KI researchers have developed a method that shows how the nervous system and sensory organs are formed in a mouse embryo, and used it to study how the inner ear is formed. The discovery, published in Science, could provide important insights for future treatment of hearing loss.

Photo: Johan Nord

Palliative care: how to improve quality of life in terminal illness

We have all been born, and we will all die. But how do we want to die, and how can the final period be as good as possible? Researchers in palliative care aim to improve the quality of life for people with incurable diseases.

Photo: Johan Nord

Important to talk about death when children are incurably ill

Children who are dying often understand that they are indeed dying. A major task for healthcare professionals is to help children, parents and siblings to talk about it. But how do you do that?