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The Nobel Week 2024

Celebrity worm researchers hold Nobel lectures

Moon landings, worms and micro-RNA are just three shared interests held by Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun, who told the story of how they first aimed for the stars and achieved a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in their Nobel lectures with humor and erudition.

The 2024 Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine (from left) Gary Ruvkun and Victor Ambros.

Photo: Joshua Touster och UMass via AP,AP

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2024: “A groundbreaking discovery that has finally been rewarded”

Gary Ruvkun and Victor Ambros share this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. They are being awarded for their discovery of microRNAs, which play a crucial role in the development of complex organisms. Research is underway at Karolinska Institutet on how these small molecules can be applied clinically.

Photo: Gunnar Ask

Nobel Prize laureates at KI

Professor Bengt Samuelsson is one of several KI researchers who have been awarded the Nobel Prize for groundbreaking research.

Photo: Montage

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet appoints the laureates of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The laureate is announced on the first Monday in October every year.

Photo: Creative commons

The extraordinary life of Alfred Nobel

Alfred Nobel, the inventor and entrepreneur has left a lasting legacy with the annual prizes he established in 1901 for physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and peace. But life wasn’t always so illustrious for Alfred Nobel, writes Professor Jonas F. Ludvigsson in The Conversation.

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New studies

Research reveals two types of fatty liver disease

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the University of Gothenburg have identified two types of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease – a liver-specific type and a systemic type that affects other organs and tissues. Two studies are published in Nature Medicine.

Grants, prizes and donations

Portrait of a white woman with brown short hair and black t-shirt.

Photo: Linda Lindell

KI researcher Camilla Björkegren awarded a distinguished professor grant

Professor Camilla Björkegren at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, is awarded a distinguished professor grant within natural and engineering sciences by the Swedish Research Council. Out of 83 applications, four grants are awarded to four different universities.

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Four KI researchers awarded 2024 ERC Consolidator Grant

KI researchers Emma R. Andersson, Volker Lauschke, Gustaf Edgren and Alireza Salami have been awarded the European Research Council’s prestigious consolidation grant and a total of approximately EUR 8 million (about SEK 90 million) for their research.

Photo: Getty Images

Seven different grants from the Swedish Research Council to researchers at KI

The Swedish Research Council has awarded seven different grants, including doctoral programme grants within register-based research and project grants for research on antimicrobial resistance. The grant decisions apply to eleven researchers at KI.

Carl Johan Sundberg is awarded the newly established FFF Hall of Fame for his work and commitment to science communication. The award was presented by Jenny Björkman, director of collaboration at Riksbankens Jubileumsfond.

Photo: Erik Cronberg

Carl Johan Sundberg awarded newly instituted honorary prize for his work in science communication

KI professor Carl Johan Sundberg has been awarded the newly instituted FFF Hall of Fame Prize for his efforts to make science accessible to the public and develop science communication.

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More than SEK 98 million from the Swedish Research Council for clinical therapy research at KI

The Swedish Research Council has decided which applications have been awarded grants in clinical therapy research. In total, more than SEK 233 million will be granted for the years 2024-2027, of which SEK 98.5 million will be awarded to 13 researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

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New study

The bisexual population in Stockholm has doubled in a decade

Over the past decade, the proportion of residents in Stockholm County who identify as bisexual has nearly doubled. The younger generations are driving the trend and many of them have previously identified as heterosexual.

Photo: Copilot

New study

The heart has its own ‘brain’

Research on zebrafish shows that the heart has a mini-brain – its own nervous system that controls the heartbeat. A better understanding of this system, which is much more diverse and complex than previously thought, could lead to new treatments for heart diseases.

Photo: Getty Images

New study

Long-term benefit from anti-hormonal treatment is influenced by menopausal status

Today, women with oestrogen-sensitive breast cancer receive anti-hormonal therapy. Researchers now show that postmenopausal women with low-risk tumours have a long-term benefit for at least 20 years, while the benefit was more short-term for younger women with similar tumour characteristics who had not yet gone through the menopause.

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New study

New study shows how dementia affects the brain's ability to empathise

Patients with frontotemporal dementia often lack the ability to empathize. A news study has now shown that these patients do not show the same brain activity as healthy individuals when they witness the pain of others, a finding that it is hoped will increase understanding of this specific dementia disease.

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New study

Hormone therapy affects the metabolic health of transgender individuals

Long-term sex hormone treatment in transgender individuals can lead to significant changes in body composition and risk factors for cardiovascular disease, particularly in transgender men.

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New study

Women who suffer pregnancy complications have fewer children

Women who suffer severe complications during their first pregnancy or delivery are less inclined to have more babies, a study published in JAMA by researchers at Karolinska Institutet reports.

The Conversation

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).

Photo: Ulf Sirborn

Eight reasons why ADHD diagnoses are increasing

The rate of children diagnosed with ADHD has increased significantly in recent years. In an article in The Conversation, KI Professor Sven Bölte explains why this is the case.

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Does psilocybin really provide long-term relief from depression, as new study suggests?

Recent studies suggest that psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, shows promise as a treatment for depression, with rapid effects. But is the effect long-lasting? Science does not yet have an answer to this question.

Photo: Getty Images.

Go with the flow for better health

New research seems to confirm that regular flow, losing yourself in time and space during an activity, has positive health effects. For example, lower risk of cardiovascular disease and depression. At the same time, there are factors that complicate this picture. What is clear, however, is that what brings us joy is good for us.

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Conference on the role of creativity in the school of tomorrow

More and more students are leaving school with incomplete grades or without qualifications for upper-secondary education. This trend needs to be broken, but how? One way could be through creativity, which was the topic of lectures and discussions at a recent conference in Aula Medica. Minister for Education Johan Pehrson spoke on the importance of teaching methods that reflect pedagogical research.

Photo: Science

New study

New imaging method enables detailed RNA analysis of the whole brain

Researchers have developed a microscopy method that enables detailed three-dimensional (3D) RNA analysis at cellular resolution in whole intact mouse brains. The new method has the potential to transform our understanding of brain function, both in normal conditions and in disease. The study was published in Science and will be portrayed on the journal's cover.

Photo: Gettyimages.

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Mucus and snot - more important than you think

When you hear the words mucus and snot, you might think of colds, snails or drooling babies. But the runny, sometimes sticky substance often plays a vital role in our lives. And mucus also has potential to be a medicine.

Photo: Emma Hanquist

A clearer picture of ADHD: focus on function

Over the past 15 years, the number of ADHD diagnoses has risen sharply in Sweden. Is this development reasonable? And what might be the cause? Whilst asking these questions, researchers would also like us to focus less on the diagnosis and more on the functional capacity of people with ADHD.

Photo: DDKI

AI method for detecting biliary tract cancer on IVA's 100 list

The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) has published this year's 100 list of the most promising research projects from Sweden's colleges and universities. The list includes several projects involving researchers at Karolinska Institutet.