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Medicinsk Vetenskap

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.

Photo: Privat

Radiopharmaceuticals being tested for brain tumours in children

Neuroblastoma is a rare disease that affects children, often before the age of two. Some are born with the disease. Paediatric surgeon Jakob Stenman is investigating whether targeted radioactive drugs can slow down the disease in those with the most severe form.

Photo: Privat

Local radiation effective against early rectal cancer

Radiation oncologist Alexander Valdman conducts research at the Department of Oncology-Pathology at Karolinska Institutet. He works to ensure that patients with rectal cancer experience fewer side effects from their treatment.

Photo: Hanna Brunlöf Windell,EXPRESSEN

Louise Karlsson: "More people need to know that radiation can damage the lungs"

When Louise Karlsson was treated for breast cancer, she suffered radiation damage to her lung. Now she wants more people to know that it can happen.

Photo: Martin Stenmark

Loke received radiotherapy as a child

As a child, Loke Lassen underwent harsh treatment, including whole-body radiotherapy. Today she lives with the side effects of the treatment that saved her life.

Symbolic illustration of AI: A human figure in cross-section in the foreground, showing the brain and spine. The figure is surrounded by ones and zeros, patterns and colors.

Photo: Gerd Altmann/Pixabay CC0

Artificial intelligence

Spotlight on: AI in medicine and health

Artificial intelligence (AI) is being tested in several medical fields, such as identifying breast cancer from mammograms or making an initial assessment of patients in emergency care. But the potential applications are many – and research is ongoing to make AI both safe and useful in healthcare. Here is a collection of some articles about researchers and research projects in this field at Karolinska Institutet.

Grants, prizes and donations

Photo: Getty Images.

Glaucoma researcher Pete Williams receives grant from American foundation

Pete Williams, researcher at Karolinska Institutet and St. Erik Eye Hospital, has been awarded a research grant from the American Glaucoma Foundation to develop a treatment for glaucoma and other eye diseases. With the grant of USD 75,000 (SEK 840,000), the Foundation wants to recognize groundbreaking, innovative glaucoma research. This is the second time Pete Williams has received the grant.

Cell held by a pipette and a needle. 3D rendering.

Photo: Getty Images.,Getty Images

The Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation supports life science research at KI

Ten innovation projects in life sciences have received grants within the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation's and SciLifeLab's Proof-of-Concept Program. Four of the projects are run by researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The Proof-of-Concept Program aims to bridge the gap from academic research to innovations in the life sciences.

Photo: Liza Simonsson

Eight KI researchers receive grants from the Asthma and Allergy Association's Research Fund

This year, the Asthma and Allergy Association's Research Fund is distributing SEK 8.8 million to important asthma and allergy research. Eight of the researchers who receive grants work at Karolinska Institutet.

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The Swedish Cancer and Allergy Fund grants SEK 2.3 million to KI researchers

Cancer- och allergifonden (the Swedish Cancer and Allergy Fund) is awarding a total of SEK 3.6 million to 21 research projects in the field of cancer and allergy. Of these, twelve researchers at Karolinska Institutet will be awarded SEK 2.3 million. The grants aim to promote groundbreaking research that improves the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of cancer and allergies.

Photo: Getty Images.,Getty Images

Mats Paulsson Foundations allocate SEK 10 million to Alzheimer's research at KI

The Mats Paulsson Foundations award Jan Johansson, professor at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SEK 10 million for research into new innovative treatment methods for Alzheimer's disease. The aim of the research project is to create a new drug that can achieve a breakthrough in the treatment of the most common dementia disease.

Photo: Gerd Altmann Pixabay

New study

AI can improve ovarian cancer diagnoses

A new international study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that AI-based models can outperform human experts at identifying ovarian cancer in ultrasound images. The study is published in Nature Medicine.

The Conversation

Rebecca Angelif and Lisa Risberg dancing during the Pride Parade.

Photo: Fredrik Persson

Sexual identity more fluid than previously thought

A new study challenges long-held beliefs about sexual identity as unchanging over time. It shows that nearly 16 per cent of the study's participants redefined their sexual identity over a 12-year period, writes researcher Willi Zhang in 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.

Photo: Getty Images

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

MS brain atlas could pave the way for personalised treatment

An international research team, including researchers at Karolinska Institutet, has mapped the genes expressed in the brain cells of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The atlas, which is presented in the journal Neuron, is hoped to contribute to more personalised treatment of MS in the future.

Photo: Getty Images

New study

Poor vascular health accelerates brain ageing

Using AI, researchers have analysed brain images from 70-year-olds and estimated their brains’ biological age. They found that factors detrimental to vascular health, such as inflammation and high glucose levels, are associated with an older-looking brain, while healthy lifestyles were linked to brains with a younger appearance.

illustration of a womb with plants around

Photo: VectorMine

New study

New method could improve cervical cancer screening

Analyses of self-tests for human papillomavirus (HPV) can be used to divide HPV-positive women into three risk groups, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet and Queen Mary University of London published in PLOS Medicine. This method could be important for enhancing cervical cancer screening.

Illustration of liver surrounded by medical professionals.

Photo: Getty Images.

New study

Combined screening can detect liver damage in diabetes patients

New research from Karolinska Institutet highlights the possibility of screening people with type 2 diabetes for liver damage at the same time as they undergo screening for eye disease. The study is published in Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

Photo: Martin Stenmark

Small structures can explain severe illness

Professor Anna Wredenberg wants to understand in detail how the body works. That is why she delves into the unknown world of mitochondria. For patients with hereditary genetic diseases, this could mean a long-awaited diagnosis.

Photo: GettyImages,Getty Images

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.