The Coronavirus
Antibodies in the airways provide durable protection against SARS-CoV-2
High levels of mucosal IgA antibodies in the airways protect against SARS-CoV-2 infection for at least eight months. A new study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Danderyd Hospital raises further hope for the feasibility of future nasal vaccine platforms.
New findings on how to avert excessive weight loss from COVID-19
Losing too much weight when infected with COVID-19 has been linked to worse outcomes. Now, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered that SARS-CoV-2 infection fuels blood vessel formation in fat tissues, thus revving up the body’s thermogenic metabolism. Blocking this process by using an existing drug curbed weight loss in mice and hamsters that were infected with the virus.
Researchers may have found a new biomarker for acute COVID-19
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have shown that patients with acute COVID-19 infection have increased levels of the cytokine IL-26 in their blood. Moreover, high IL-26 levels correlate with an exaggerated inflammatory response that signifies severe cases of the disease. The findings, which are presented in Frontiers in Immunology, indicate that IL-26 is a potential biomarker for severe COVID-19.
New Omicron subvariant largely evades neutralizing antibodies
A study at Karolinska Institutet shows that the coronavirus variant BA.2.75.2, an Omicron sublineage, largely evades neutralizing antibodies in the blood and is resistant to several monoclonal antibody antiviral treatments. The findings, published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, suggest a risk of increased SARS-CoV-2 infections this winter, unless the new updated bivalent vaccines help to boost immunity in the population.
Grants, Prizes and Donations
KI role model for equality in EU – now awarded for its long-term work
Karolinska Institutet has been awarded a new EU prize for its long-term commitment to gender equality in higher education. The prize of 100,000 euro is the result of nearly 40 years of sustained activity to advance equal opportunities. The efforts have paid off and now KI is recognized as a role model for equality, a “Gender Equality Champion.”
Funding for global study on HPV-burden among girls and women
Several KI researchers are part of an international project that has been awarded nearly $15 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with $1 million co-funding from the Swedish government. The project involves a multi-country study to better understand the burden of Human papillomavirus (HPV) among girls and women in low and lower middle-income countries.
Rickard Sandberg awarded the Torsten Söderberg Academy Professorship in Medicine
KI Professor Rickard Sandberg has been awarded the Torsten Söderberg Academy Professorship in Medicine by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, a donation of 10 million Swedish kronor for a five-year period. Rickard Sandberg has developed methods that make it possible to deeply penetrate the human genome by studying genes in individual cells.
Jenny Mjösberg awarded the 2023 Göran Gustafsson Prize
Jenny Mjösberg, Professor of Tissue Immunology at Karolinska Institutet, is one of five researchers to be awarded the Göran Gustafsson Prize this year. The prize is intended for young researchers in medicine, molecular biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics and is awarded by the Göran Gustafsson Foundations in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
Major VR grant for facilitating clinical precision medicine studies
A team of researchers at Karolinska Institutet, SciLifeLab and Karolinska University Hospital will receive a total of 14.7 million Swedish kronor from the Swedish Research Council (VR). The four-year grant is part of the council’s push to increase accessibility to research infrastructure and will involve making available new technologies for clinical studies in precision medicine.
Molly Stevens awarded the Novo Nordisk Prize
Professor Molly Stevens at Karolinska Institutet and Imperial College London has been awarded the 2023 Novo Nordisk Prize for her pioneering work in innovative bioengineering approaches. One of her goals is to democratise access to healthcare using nanotechnologies.
The Conversation
Kourtney Kardashian’s ‘vaginal health gummies’: here’s what the evidence shows
Even if KI researcher Ina Schuppe Koistinen fully agree with Kourtney Kardashian that vaginal health is an important but not sufficiently talked about part of women’s wellbeing, the two have a strikingly different view on how to tackle the problem.
Beta blockers may reduce the risk of violence
A KI study found that beta blockers, a commonly used heart medication, is linked to lower rates of violence. When people were taking beta blockers they had a 13 percent lower risk of being charged with a violent crime by the police and an 8 percent lower risk of being hospitalized for mental health problems.
Genetics a major factor in the little-known eating disorder Afrid
A twin study from Karolinska Institutet places Arfid among the most heritable of mental disorders. Read researcher Lisa Dinkler’article about the findings in The Conversation.
More articles from KI researchers published in The Conversation
From cold-resistant genes to face masks, Karolinska Institutet researchers contribute to the global public discourse on a range of topics through our collaboration with the international news site The Conversation.
New university management
KI’s new vice-president – the cancer researcher with the empirical mindset
KI’s vice-president is Martin Bergö, a professor of molecular medicine whose most significant discovery to date is that antioxidants can accelerate tumour growth. He aims for a research-inspired leadership, and will start by tuning into the voice of the university and channelling the collective wealth of ideas to make KI even better.
Ole Petter Ottersen on his time as KI’s president
Ole Petter Ottersen has been president of Karolinska Institutet for five and a half years. At the end of this month, February 2023, he will be leaving his office for the last time. Of all he has seen and done, he remembers especially the day when the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic.
Selected top publications
Researchers have mapped the human adipose tissue: This is how fat cells change in health and disease
Lucas Massier et al, Nature Communications, March 2023
Too much oxygen after cardiac arrest is associated with lower survival
Akil Awad et al, Critical Care, March 2023
Movement reduces sensory responses in Parkinson’s disease
Roberto de la Torre-Martinez et al, Nature Communications, February 2023
Researchers identify T cells involved in the autoimmune disease AAV
Ravi Kumar Sharma et al, Kidney International, February 2023
The risk of pregnancy complications for women with axial spondyloarthritis has decreased over time
Matilda Morin et al, The Lancet Rheumatology, January 2023
Reduced risk of alcohol related disorders in elite football players
Peter Ueda et al, BMJ, December 2022
Vaccination effective and safe in mice with hereditary small vessel disease
Daniel V Oliveira et al, EMBO Molecular Medicine, December 2022
Simultaneous mapping of different epigenetic landmarks in a single cell
Marek Bartosovic and Gonçalo Castelo-Branco, Nature Biotechnology, December 2022
More high impact publications
