| Karolinska Institutet

Grants, prizes and donations

Rolf Kiessling receives a distinguished award for immunotherapy research

Professor Rolf Kiessling at Karolinska Institutet has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 CIMT Lifetime Achievement Award for his groundbreaking discovery of natural killer (NK) cells, which has significantly advanced our understanding of the immune response to viruses and cancer cells.

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Generous allocation from the Swedish Rheumatism Association to KI research

This year, the Swedish Rheumatism Association (Reumatikerförbundet) is awarding almost SEK 14 million to research into rheumatic diseases. What unites many research projects is a clear focus on personalised diagnostics and treatment. Of the total of 87 research projects in this year's allocation, 32 are conducted at KI.

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KI research receives SEK 3.4 million from the Swedish Kidney Foundation

This year's awarded research grant from the Swedish Kidney Foundation (Njurfonden) was a record amount, seven and a half million SEK for kidney research. About half, SEK 3,450,000, goes to projects at Karolinska Institutet.

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Prestigious Göran Gustafsson Prize to Laura Baranello

Researchers who are awarded a Göran Gustafsson Prize are among Sweden's foremost under 45 years of age in their field. One of this year's five Göran Gustafsson Prize winners is KI researcher Laura Baranello, who is being recognized for “groundbreaking studies on the regulation of topoisomerases and their role in tumor biology”. The aim of the research is a new strategy for less intrusive cancer treatments.

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Erling-Persson Foundation supports development of advanced Parkinson’s therapy

The Erling-Persson Foundation is donating SEK 8 million to KI researcher Johan Ericson to fund the verification of his ATMP (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products) concept with the aim of producing a highly effective restorative Parkinson’s therapy.

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New study

Cell atlas of the endometrium in women with PCOS may lead to better treatment

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) find it harder to get pregnant, have more frequent miscarriages and have a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer. Now, Swedish researchers have shown that the uterine lining of these women differs in terms of both the composition of individual cells and gene expression.

Palliative care theme in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap

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. Another important task is to achieve more equitable access to this care.

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?

Photo: Hanna Persson

Jennie Gustavsson is terminally ill: ‘A palliative person can be very vital’

In autumn of 2022, Jennie Gustavsson was diagnosed with rectal cancer. In March 2024, she learnt that the disease was incurable.

Photo: Lisa Wikstrand

Krister Sjörén has incurable cancer: ‘Death does not scare me’

A few years ago, Krister Sjörén started having a pain in his back and shoulder, especially when he worked out where certain movements became difficult to perform. At the health centre, the doctor could not provide any explanation. He did not take a PSA test either, which Krister find difficult to forgive him for.

Photo: Rose-Marie Imoni

Making death more present in everyday life

Malin Eneslätt wants to initiate more conversations about death, dying and grief. This can be done, for example, with the help of the Dö bra deck of cards, which will now be produced in digital form.

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New study

Continued medication important for heart failure patients

Patients who have been treated for heart failure and experience an improvement of their pump function, are still at higher risk of heart-related death or hospitalisation if they stop taking heart failure medications. This is according to a new study published in the top-ranked journal Circulation.

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Artificial intelligence

New KI centre to make AI research more accessible

The aim of the newly established Centre for AI Innovation at Karolinska Institutet is to support and expedite the development of AI innovations in healthcare.

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New study

Genes combined with immune response to EBV increase MS risk

In multiple sclerosis (MS), antibodies to the common Epstein-Barr virus can accidentally attack a protein in the brain and spinal cord. New research shows that the combination of certain viral antibodies and genetic risk factors can be linked to a greatly increased risk of MS.

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New study

Fluoride in drinking water linked to impaired childhood cognition

New research from Karolinska Institutet supports a few previous studies indicating that exposure to fluoride during the fetal stage or early childhood may impair cognition in children.

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New study

New biomarkers may improve diagnosis of gallbladder cancer

Researchers have identified biomarkers in the blood that can be used to distinguish gallbladder cancer from inflammation of the gallbladder. This could lead to fewer unnecessary operations and better treatment decisions for patients with suspected gallbladder cancer.

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.

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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What the rise in bisexual identity in Stockholm tells us about global trends

As social acceptance of diverse sexual identities continues to grow in many countries, more people are identifying as bisexual. Research on Stockholm residents by Willi Zhang and colleagues reflects this trend.

Photo: Martin Stenmark

Hyperbaric chamber treatment may alleviate PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common in military veterans but can affect anyone who has suffered or witnessed an extreme physical or emotional event, and it is very hard to treat. Novel treatments are urgently needed. A recent study has been showing promise with an unusual treatment: hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

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Critical illness more common than expected in African hospitals

One in eight patients in hospitals in Africa is critically ill, and one in five of the critically ill die within a week, according to a new study. The researchers behind the largest study of critical illness in Africa to date conclude that many of these lives could have been saved with access to cheap life-saving treatments.

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Collaboration

Vinnova renews support for KI’s business incubator

KI Innovations – the company that helps researchers at Karolinska Institutet commercialise their discoveries – is to receive SEK 29 million from Vinnova (the Swedish governmental agency for innovation systems) for 2025 to 2029.

Photo: Martin Stenmark

Gonçalo Castelo-Branco wants to fundamentally understand MS

His research shows molecular changes in brain cells when a person has Multiple sclerosis (MS). But it is still unclear whether they contribute to - or even protect against - the disease. Gonçalo Castelo-Branco is open to the answer.

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What your brain is up to when resting

When we are not doing anything in particular, the brain is still busy producing thoughts and daydreams. Research shows that mental chatter increase if we are sleep deprived and can sometimes even become a barrier to sleeping. But there are techniques for those who need a break from their thoughts.

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Speech therapist: ‘The reading gap affects the most vulnerable’

Reading ability among young people is declining, and it is the most vulnerable students who are hardest hit, according to speech therapist and researcher Anna Eva Hallin. In her research, she aims to understand how best to support students with language and reading difficulties.

Photo: Arad Golan Coll

Radiotherapy charged with new energy

Radiotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer care. However, in recent decades, Sweden has fallen behind in this area, both in terms of healthcare resources and research. Medicinsk Vetenskap has interviewed researchers who want to continue developing a bright idea.