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Information about the corona virus for staff and students

Lipid biomarkers in urine can determine the type of asthma

In a new study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have used a urine test to identify and verify a patient’s type of asthma. The study, which has been published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, lays the foundation for a more personalized diagnosis and may result in improved treatment of severe asthma in the future.

The new coronavirus

New small antibodies show promising effects against COVID-19 infection

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed, in collaboration with researchers in Germany and the U.S., new small antibodies, also known as nanobodies, which prevent the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus from entering human cells. The research study, published in Science, shows that a combined nanobody had a particularly good effect – even if the virus mutated. According to the researchers, the nanobodies have the potential to be developed into a treatment for COVID-19.

Low risk of severe COVID-19 in children

Sweden was one of only a few countries that kept preschools, primary and lower secondary schools open during the spring of the pandemic year of 2020. So far, little research has been done on the risk of children being seriously affected by COVID-19 when the schools were open. A study from Karolinska Institutet has now shown that one child in 130,000 was treated in an intensive care unit on account of COVID-19 during the period March-June. The work is published as a letter to the editor in New England Journal of Medicine.

Covid-19 tests: KI returns to regular laboratory activities but remains prepared

During the spring pandemic, the higher education sector, including Karolinska Institutet, received a temporary permit from the government to analyse covid-19 tests in connection with the increase in the spread of the infection. The number of analyses carried out increased rapidly, but now other operators have started up, which means that KI can go back to its regular laboratory activities. KI however still remains in a state of a preparedness to reorganize its operations should the need arise.

Ongoing anticoagulant treatment does not seem to protect against severe COVID-19

DOAC (direct oral anticoagulant) pills are used in the treatment of atrial fibrillation by preventing blood clots. Even though blood clots are thought to contribute to complications from the new coronavirus infection, users of this class of drug do not seem to be protected against severe COVID-19.

Find out more at the COVID-19 Resource Hub

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet are responding to the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, through a myriad of initiatives. For more news and features on the work being conducted at Karolinska Institutet, including vaccine and drug development, please see the COVID-19 Resource Hub.

Weaker skin barrier leads to faster uptake of chemicals

The ability of our skin to protect us from chemicals is something we inherit. Some people are less well-protected which could imply an increased risk of being afflicted by skin disease or cancer. A new study from Karolinska Institutet that has been published in Environmental Health Perspectives shows how the rate of uptake of common chemicals is faster in people with a genetically weakened skin barrier.

Good results for groin hernia operations not performed by doctors in Sierra Leone

An international study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet shows that inguinal hernia operations performed by associate clinicians at a hospital in Sierra Leone were just as safe and effective as those performed by doctors. The study, a collaboration with Kamakwie Wesleyan Hospital, is published in JAMA Network Open.

Anna Martling named Cancer Researcher of the Year

The Swedish Cancer Society has awarded the prestigious title Cancer Researcher of the Year 2021 to Anna Martling, professor of surgery at Karolinska Institutet and senior consultant colorectal surgeon at Karolinska University Hospital, as well as dean of KI Nord.

Alarming information about Ahmadreza Djalali

The situation about the death sentence against the former KI researcher and Swedish citizen Ahmadreza Djalali is still alarming and might soon be carried out.

Advances in research on the most general type of stem cells

Stem cell research is the prerequisite for regenerative medicine, which with the help of the body's cells recreates and heals important organs. Now, researchers at KI have found a method for defining the most general type of stem cells, that can develop into all cell types in the body. The study of totipotent stem cells in mice has been published in Nature Cell Biology.

Antioxidants Vitamin C and Vitamin E Linked to Lower Risk of Parkinson’s

People who consume high levels of vitamin C and E in their diet may have a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease than people who get only small amounts of these nutrients, according to a new study from University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy, and Karolinska Institutet. The study was published in Neurology.

Top-publications list

A limited selection of recent publications in high impact journals to which researchers at KI have contributed.

No reduced risk of extremely preterm birth during the pandemic
Preterm Birth and Stillbirth During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sweden: A Nationwide Cohort Study, Björn Pasternak et al, Annals of Internal Medicine, January 2021.

A molecular map of tissue-specific human innate lymphoid cells
Tissue-specific transcriptional imprinting and heterogeneity in human innate lymphoid cells revealed by full-length single-cell RNA-sequencing, Jenny Mjösberg et al, Cell Research, January 2021.

Biomarkers reveal early and late alterations in the course of Alzheimer's disease
Untangling the association of amyloid-β and tau with synaptic and axonal loss in Alzheimer’s disease, Joana B Pereira, Brain, December 2020.

Study suggests novel therapeutic strategy in AD at a molecular level
Inactive variants of death receptor p75NTR reduce Alzheimer’s neuropathology by interfering with APP internalization, Ibáñez CF et al, EMBO Journal, December 2020.

Both conventional and biologics treatment effective in early rheumatoid arthritis
Active conventional treatment and three different biological treatments in early rheumatoid arthritis: phase IV investigator initiated, randomised, observer blinded clinical trial
Merete Lund Hetland et al, BMJ, December 2020.

More high impact publications

KI in the media

The Macchiarini case: timeline

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View a summary of the events and decisions in the Macchiarini case.

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Marie Carlén: She wants to decode the brain

Sherlock Holmes was an idol when she was a child and her mother suggested the research profession early on. But it was not a straight path to science for Marie Carlén. Today she leads advanced studies on the part of the brain that shapes us as individuals: the prefrontal cortex.

President‘s blog

Spotlight on COVID-19

In early 2020, a new coronavirus was identified in China, and it has now caused a worldwide pandemic. The official name for this virus is SARS-CoV-2, and the disease that is caused by the virus is called COVID-19. Here we present news and features about KI's efforts to stop the new coronavirus.

Meet our researchers

What causes depression and why is fat cells so hard to study? These are some of the questions that researchers at KI are interested in. Find interviews and articles prevously published here at the news site or in our popular-science magazine, Medicinsk Vetenskap.

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