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Grants, prizes and donations

Historic funding from the Swedish Cancer Society with focus on early detection

This year's decision from the Swedish Cancer Society's Research Board means that just over SEK 1 billion will go to new cancer research. It is the largest investment in the history of the Swedish Cancer Society. KI is granted SEK 447.8 million to 104 research projects and 3 planning groups. This year, a special investment is also being made in the area of early detection of cancer.

Photo: Liza Simonsson

The Swedish Research Council awards KI 106 grants in three calls for proposals

The Swedish Research Council has decided on a number of calls for proposals in medicine and health for 2025. KI will receive just over SEK 526 million for 102 grants. KI is also being awarded four grants in natural and engineering sciences, and humanities and social sciences, totalling approximately SEK 18.7 million.

Professor Mona Ståhle has been awarded the Sven Hellerström Medal by the Swedish Society of Medicine.

Photo: Melanie Cremer.

Mona Ståhle receives the Sven Hellerström Medal for research in dermatology

Professor Mona Ståhle has been awarded the Sven Hellerström Medal by the Swedish Society of Medicine for her significant contributions to dermatological research. The award committee highlights how, over four decades, she has been a visionary leader at Karolinska Institutet, particularly in psoriasis research, and has educated an entire generation of clinician-scientists in Sweden

Photo: Abraham Engelmark,Mogrenstiftelsen

Håkan Mogren Prize awarded to Caroline Nilsson

Paediatric allergist and KI researcher Caroline Nilsson has been awarded this year's Mogren Prize in Medicine, Sweden's largest prize for clinically active doctors. The prize money of SEK 250,000 is motivated by her work to link patient encounters directly to research, which has a life-changing effect on children with severe food allergies.

Photo: Martin Stenmark

Fredrik Lundberg donates SEK 30 million to colorectal cancer research

Businessman Fredrik Lundberg is donating SEK 30 million to Karolinska Institutet and a research project looking into how the immune system can combat colorectal cancer and prevent it spreading.

Photo: Gettyimages

New study

Sons of mothers with type 1 diabetes show early signs of vascular dysfunction

A new study reveals that sons born to mothers with type 1 diabetes may develop early vascular dysfunction – independently of metabolic health. The finding may help shape future strategies to prevent cardiovascular disease early in life.

Photo: Getty Images

New study

Treatment could prevent brain damage during premature birth

A treatment that could protect premature babies from brain damage showed promise in a recent study in Sweden. Using a first-of-its-kind prenatal brain model created with human cells researchers observed new details about the effects of cerebral hemorrhages on stem cells during premature birth. And they successfully tested an antidote that reduced the damage.

Blood platelets and proteins slide down blood vessels. Illustration.

Photo: Getty Images

New study

A family history of heart disease is linked to a specific protein pattern in the blood

A specific pattern of proteins in the blood may reflect an increased risk of hereditary atherosclerosis. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, examining close relatives of people who had suffered a heart attack at a young age. The study has been published in the journal Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine.

3D image of CAR T-cell therapy targeting diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in lymph node tissue.

Photo: Getty Images.

Karolinska ATMP Center

Karolinska ATMP Center behind breakthrough cancer treatment

A new form of CAR T-cell therapy has recently made headlines after a patient in a clinical trial became cancer-free in record time. The treatment was produced at Karolinska ATMP Center, a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital.

Photo: Amagoia Agirre

New study

Scientists map how the brain develops and resolves inflammation

Researchers have created a multidimensional, molecular map of how the mouse brain develops after birth and how it reacts to inflammation. The study, published in Nature, shows that some of the molecular programmes that govern brain development can be reactivated in the brain during inflammation.

Photo: Getty Images

New study

High risk of suicide after involuntary psychiatric care

People who have been treated in psychiatric care against their will are at increased risk of taking their own lives after hospital discharge, a new study shows. The results highlight a need for follow-up care after discharge.

Photo: Getty Images.,Getty Images

New study

Four subgroups of PCOS open up for individualised treatment

Four distinct subgroups of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) have been identified in an international study published in Nature Medicine. The results open up for more tailored treatments for the millions of women living with the disease worldwide.

Photo: Getty Images,Getty Images/iStockphoto

New study

Protection against winter vomiting bug spread with arrival of agriculture

The arrival of agriculture coincided with a sharp rise in a gene variant that protected against the virus that causes winter vomiting, according to researchers report after analysing DNA from over 4.300 prehistoric individuals and cultivating ”mini guts”.

Photo: Getty Images

New study

New gene discovery aids heart disease prevention

By analyzing large amounts of data, researchers have developed a system for classifying individuals into different risk groups for atherosclerosis. The results enable early detection of the disease, which can lead to personalized preventive care.

Photo: istok

New study

Gender equality universally linked to physical capacity

Fitness amongst young adults varies widely from one country to another, and is strongly associated with both socioeconomic development and gender equality, a new study shows. The results indicate that levels of development and gender equality in a society can affect differences in physical capacity and therefore public health in general.

Photo: Fredrik Persson

In memory of honorary doctor Leif Lundblad (1938–2025)

Leif Lundblad, entrepreneur, inventor and honorary doctor at Karolinska Institutet, has died at the age of 87. He is survived by his wife Irene and daughter Ulrika and family.

The Nobel Prize 2025

The Nobel prize medal with a background of an audience in the aula.

Photo: ©® The Nobel Foundation,Erik Flyg

Nobel Prize rewards key to future MS and cancer treatment

The year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine rewards discoveries that reveal how our immune system is kept in check – in other words, how the body protects itself from attack by its own immune cells. The discoveries pave the way for possible new therapies for many conditions, including autoimmune diseases like type 1 diabetes, MS and cancer.

Photo: cecilia odlind

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi

The Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has decided to award the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine jointly to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance.

Ebba Carbonnier and Nobel Prize winner John Martinis in Gothenburg in 2021.

Photo: Daniel Lundqvist

This year’s Nobel prizes in Chemistry and Physics equally valuable to life science

neighbours socialising in a residential area

Photo: Getty Images

New study

Neighbourhood trust benefits some more than others

Living in a neighbourhood where people feel safe and supported is linked to a reduced risk of psychosis among Stockholm residents – but only for people of Swedish or European origin. For people of North African or Middle Eastern origin, an increased risk of psychosis was seen in the same neighbourhoods.

Photo: Fredrik Persson

Academic ceremony

Ceremony, joy and world-class research as KI honours its new professors

At the installation ceremony for KI’s 22 new professors, Aula Medica was filled with music, laughter and academic pride.

The Conversation

Photo: Getty Images

Paracetamol use during pregnancy not linked to autism in large study

A study of nearly 2.5 million births in Sweden published in JAMA in 2024 shows no evidence that paracetamol (acetaminophen) use during pregnancy increases a child’s risk of autism. This is the largest study conducted on the subject to date.

Photo: Getty Images

Do all heart attack patients need beta blockers? A cardiologist explains

Beta blockers have long been prescribed to almost everyone who has suffered a heart attack, but new research shows that their effect depends on the heart's pumping capacity. While some patients clearly benefit from the treatment, it appears to be unnecessary—or even risky—for others. Read the news article in The Conversation.

Photo: Getty Images

Gene therapy restores hearing in congenital deafness

Photo: B Henrique Pixabay

New brain imaging technique can detect early frontotemporal dementia

An international study led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet demonstrates that it is possible to detect subtle changes in the brain and identify early signs of hereditary frontotemporal dementia using advanced brain imaging techniques.

Photo: Getty Images

New study

AI can improve cervical cancer screening in low-resource settings

Access to cervical cancer screening in low- and middle-income countries can be improved with the help of AI, according to a new study published in The BMJ. However, the technology requires support from functioning healthcare systems to be effective.

Photo: Fredrik Persson

Digital twins provide answers to health

Medical digital twins are computerised versions of patients, enabling different treatments to be tested and the most effective one identified, without any risk to the patient’s health. And in the future, we will each have our own, according to researcher Mikael Benson. First published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap no 3 2025.

Photo: Martin Stenmark

From a crash in the ditch to forefront of research

When Per Uhlén was fourteen, he ended up in a wheelchair. Since then, he has become a professor, started three companies, and competed in two Paralympic Games. “Sometimes I feel like my life is a film,” he says. First published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap no 3 2025.

Photo: Getty Images

Quantum technology at KI

Martin Bergö: “We owe it to humankind to use this technology”

With its extreme computational capacity, quantum technology is now of interest to the field of life science and could prove the key to such advances as smarter drug development and optimised therapies to treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Photo: Jens Magnusson

Healthcare fails to treat osteoporosis

A common yet seriously undertreated condition, osteoporosis, is a widespread condition where the healthcare system often falls short. Researchers are now investigating why so many patients slip through the cracks and miss out on treatment that could prevent further serious fractures. First published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap no 3 2025.

Photo: Martin Stenmark

Vera Berg suffered recurring bone fractures

She suffered from recurring fractures. But today, Vera Berg leads an active life thanks to medication for osteoporosis. First published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap no 3 2025.

Photo: Ulf Sirborn

Fragile bones can be detected during mammography

Can osteoporosis be detected in images taken for purposes other than fractures? According to radiologist Torkel Brismar, the answer is yes. First published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap no 3 2025.

Photo: Liza Simonsson

Karolinska ATMP Centre

Knut Steffensen: Taking cell and gene therapy from the lab to the hospital

Knut Steffensen heads up the newly opened Karolinska ATMP Centre, which has been established to convert research on cell and gene therapy into actual treatments.

Photo: Getty Images,Getty Images/iStockphoto

Ranking

KI ranks 8th among Sweden's 100 most attractive employers

Karolinska Institutet retains its place among Sweden's 100 most attractive employers according to this year's edition of the Young Professional Attraction Index (YPAI). With this year's ranking of 8th, up from 42nd last year, KI is now at the very top alongside employers such as Ikea, Google and Spotify.

Photo: Amnesty International

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.”

Photo: Liza Simonsson

Updates from the University Management

Selected top publications

New microprotein discovered that helps cancer cells overcome stress
Elsässer et al, Nucleic Acids Research, November 2025

Discovery about blood stem cells sheds new light on blood cancer
Yoshizato et al, Nature Genetics, November 2025

Scientists reveal first high-resolution structure of key herpes virus protein
Hällberg et al, Nucleic Acids Research, October 2025

Fat tissue’s hidden role in ovarian cancer spread
Gonzalez Molina, Nature Communications, September 2025

Future Alzheimer's treatment: Study highlights controversies
Aho et al, The Lancet, September 2025

Cancer screening saves lives – without increasing the risk of dying from other diseases
Lei et al, JAMA Network Open, August 2025

More high-impact publications

KI in the media (Swedish only)

Research subjects wanted

Information regarding the war in Ukraine

On this page you will find information for staff and students concerning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Grants, prizes and donations

Historic funding from the Swedish Cancer Society with focus on early detection

The Swedish Research Council awards KI 106 grants in three calls for proposals

Mona Ståhle receives the Sven Hellerström Medal for research in dermatology

Håkan Mogren Prize awarded to Caroline Nilsson

Fredrik Lundberg donates SEK 30 million to colorectal cancer research

Sons of mothers with type 1 diabetes show early signs of vascular dysfunction

Treatment could prevent brain damage during premature birth

A family history of heart disease is linked to a specific protein pattern in the blood

Karolinska ATMP Center behind breakthrough cancer treatment

Scientists map how the brain develops and resolves inflammation

High risk of suicide after involuntary psychiatric care

Four subgroups of PCOS open up for individualised treatment

Protection against winter vomiting bug spread with arrival of agriculture

New gene discovery aids heart disease prevention

Gender equality universally linked to physical capacity

In memory of honorary doctor Leif Lundblad (1938–2025)

The Nobel Prize 2025

Nobel Prize rewards key to future MS and cancer treatment

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi

This year’s Nobel prizes in Chemistry and Physics equally valuable to life science

Neighbourhood trust benefits some more than others

Ceremony, joy and world-class research as KI honours its new professors

The Conversation

Paracetamol use during pregnancy not linked to autism in large study

Do all heart attack patients need beta blockers? A cardiologist explains

Gene therapy restores hearing in congenital deafness

Popular weight-loss drugs linked to rare but serious eye conditions

More articles by KI researchers published in The Conversation

New brain imaging technique can detect early frontotemporal dementia

AI can improve cervical cancer screening in low-resource settings

Digital twins provide answers to health

From a crash in the ditch to forefront of research

Martin Bergö: “We owe it to humankind to use this technology”

Healthcare fails to treat osteoporosis

Vera Berg suffered recurring bone fractures

Fragile bones can be detected during mammography

Knut Steffensen: Taking cell and gene therapy from the lab to the hospital

KI ranks 8th among Sweden's 100 most attractive employers

UN call for the release of KI researcher Ahmadreza Djalali

Updates from the University Management

Selected top publications

KI in the media (Swedish only)

Research subjects wanted

Information regarding the war in Ukraine