| Karolinska Institutet

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Early-life gut bacteria exposures may protect children against allergies

Certain gut bacteria in infants may reduce the risk of developing allergies later in childhood. This is the finding of new research from the ALADDIN study at Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Microbiology.

Alexander Borg, doctoral student at the Department of Medicine, Solna, next to the AI-driven robot patient used in teaching at KI.

Photo: Andreas Andersson

New thesis

AI-driven robot patient can train medical students in clinical reasoning

A doctoral thesis at Karolinska Institutet investigates how an AI-enhanced social robot can be used as a virtual patient to improve the clinical reasoning and communication training of medical students.

Grants, awards and donations

Photo: David Cooper

KI and University of Toronto announce two Mats Sundin Fellowships 2026

Karolinska Institutet (KI) and the University of Toronto (U of T) have announced the second cohort of Mats Sundin Fellows in Human Developmental Health for postdoctoral researchers. The two-year exchange programme offers promising young researchers the opportunity to grow and test their wings in other research environments. Behind the initiative is ice hockey legend Mats Sundin.

Two course participants dressed in hospital gowns practise providing care on the floor of a tent.

Kamprad Family Foundation enables continued collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières

The Centre for Health Crises and the research group Global Disaster Medicine will deepen their educational collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières over the next three years thanks to new support from the Kamprad Family Foundation.

Four innovation grants awarded to KI by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation

Four innovation projects at KI in the field of life science receive funding from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and SciLifeLab's Proof-of-Concept program. The grants aim to strengthen the path from academic research to innovation and commercial application in life science.

Record donation for point-of-care cancer research at KI

The Cancer Research Funds of Radiumhemmet is to donate SEK 102 million kronor to point-of-care cancer research at KI. The grant is the largest in the history of the Funds and will finance diagnosis-specific research, infrastructure and research positions.

Swedish Research Council awards SEK 246 million to KI in four calls

The Swedish Research Council (Vetenskapsrådet) has decided on four calls and awarded funding to 39 researchers at Karolinska Institutet (KI).

Stock photo showing a woman in her late middle age walking with an older woman.

Photo: Getty Images.

Mutation type shapes early Alzheimer’s

How hereditary Alzheimer’s disease develops in its early stages depends on which genetic mutation a person carries, according to a new study.

No increased risk of rectal cancer in ulcerative proctitis

People with ulcerative proctitis, a milder and more limited form of ulcerative colitis, are not at higher risk of developing rectal cancer than the general population, a new study shows. The findings may contribute to more individualized follow-up of patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Photo: Martin Stenmark

New thesis

Socioeconomic gaps in mental healthcare use

People born outside the Nordic region use less mental healthcare than those born in Sweden, despite similar levels of poor health. This is shown in a new doctoral thesis by Joseph Junior Muwonge.

IBS in adolescence is usually resolved

Two out of three adolescents with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) start adulthood without the disease, according to a long-term study by researchers at the University of Gothenburg and Karolinska Institutet. In addition, several factors which increase the risk of adult IBS can be influenced.

Photo: hainguyenrp from Pixabay

Pain in adolescence linked to increased risk of self-harm

Adolescents who report pain at the age of 18 are at higher risk of later self-harm, according to a new study. The findings suggest that pain may form part of the chain of events leading to self-harming behaviour.

Photo: Erik Flyg

Bill Gates visits KI’s Alzheimer’s researchers

Bill Gates visited Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital last Friday at his own initiative to discuss the latest advances in Swedish Alzheimer’s research, a field that interests him and that he supports.

The Conversation

Why our physical bodies may be a core part of conscious experience

Research from Karolinska Institutet sheds new light on body ownership, which is a key part of self-consciousness: the feeling of being a self located in a particular body, separate from the world around you.

Elderly couple walking away in a green park.

Photo: Gettu Images

Your genes matter more for lifespan now than they did a century ago – here’s why

Photo: Pixabay

Researcher explains how to use facial cleanser properly

A child is lying in bed, using a smartphone that display various social media apps.

Photo: Sanket Mishra on Unsplash

Social media, not gaming, tied to rising attention problems in teens

No increased risk of stomach cancer with long-term medication for heartburn

Long-term use of medications for heartburn and acid reflux, known as proton pump inhibitors, does not appear to increase the risk of stomach cancer, according to a new study. The results are based on extensive Nordic health data and may provide reassurance to patients who need long-term treatment, according to researchers.

Ranking

Strengthened positions for KI in Times Higher Education's subject ranking

Times Higher Education (THE) in the UK has published its subject ranking World University Rankings by Subject 2026. The ranking is based on both hard data and reputation surveys. For the third year in a row, KI improves its ranking in the subject "Medical and Health".

Photo: Pixabay

Air pollution may increase the risk of ALS

Prolonged exposure to air pollution can be linked to an elevated risk for serious neurodegenerative diseases like ALS and seems to speed up the pathological process, according to a new Swedish study.

Photo: Getty Images.

Photo: cc Pixabay,Public domain CC0

New brain maps challenge traditional descriptions of the brain

For more than a century, maps of the brain have been based on how brain tissue looks under the microscope. These anatomical maps divide the brain into regions according to structural variations in the tissue. But do these divisions really reflect how the brain works? A new study on mice suggests that this is often not the case.

Laboratory || A hand with plastic glove holding two test tubes with blood. In the background a laboratory.

Blood test can help identify cancer in patients with non-specific symptoms

A simple blood test can help detect cancer in patients with non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, pain or weight loss, according to a Swedish study from Karolinska Institutet, Danderyd Hospital and others.

Person receiving respiratory assistance during an asthma attack,

Photo: TT Bild/Science Photo Library,Science Photo Library

New method predicts asthma attacks up to five years in advance

Researchers at Mass General Brigham and Karolinska Institutet have identified a new method to predict asthma exacerbations with a high degree of accuracy. The study is published in Nature Communications.

ATMP

Cell and gene therapy – from science fiction to the hospital ward

Cell and gene therapies use the body’s building blocks – cells and genetic material – to boost the immune system or correct the root cause of disease. It is a new era in healthcare. First published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap no 4 2025.

Photo: N/A,Getty Images/iStockphoto

Academic freedom

KI's president: "We must safeguard academic freedom"

In the United States, universities and independent research are under attack by the country’s president. “A similar trend is unfolding in several countries and could eventually affect Sweden too,” says Karolinska Institutet’s president Annika Östman Wernerson in this interview first published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap no 3 2025.

AI research at KI paves the way for more targeted and globally equal healthcare

Artificial Intelligence that detects breast cancer, enables medical imaging in low-resource countries and that identifies the patients who require advanced treatment even at the point of diagnosis – these are just a few examples of AI research at Karolinska Institutet that is impacting an entire world.

Photo: Martin Stenmark

Elham Rostami saves lives after brain trauma

Forced to flee as a child, today Elham Rostami saves lives in emergency situations – and conducts research to understand why some patients with brain injuries recover unexpectedly well. First published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap no 4 2025.

Photo: Amnesty International

Gut and mind – how they are connected

Researchers are exploring how psychological treatments can ease digestive problems, and whether gut bacteria might affect the brain. First published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap no 4 2025.

Free Ahmadreza Djalali

UN call for the release of KI researcher Ahmadreza Djalali

Important statement from United Nations: ”Iran must release Ahmadreza Djalali, an Iranian-born resident of Sweden, who has been arbitrarily detained since 2016 despite repeated warnings about his deteriorating health.”