| Karolinska Institutet

KI appoints two new honorary doctors who have changed the view of oral health and breast cancer

Karolinska Institutet has appointed the world-leading researchers Timo Sorsa and Charles "Chuck" Perou as honorary doctors in dentistry and medicine, respectively. With their research, they have both contributed to new ways of understanding how diseases arise and how they can be detected and treated earlier. They will be awarded their honorary degrees at a conferment ceremony in Stockholm City Hall on 24 April.

Grants, awards and donations

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

Photo: Centrum för hälsokriser

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.

Photo: Getty Images

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.

Photo: Liza Simonsson

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.

Photo: Liza Simonsson

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).

Photo: Getty Images

Wallenberg grants for KI research in mental ill health among young people

Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation and Marcus and Amalia Wallenberg Foundation have decided to award grants to ten research projects in psychology and psychiatry aimed at children, young people and young adults. Seven of these are run by researchers at KI.

Photo: Getty Images

New study

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.

Photo: Getty Images

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

New study

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.

New study

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.

Photo: cc Pixabay,Public domain CC0

New study

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: Getty Images

New study

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.

Photo: Getty Images,Alena Butusava

New study

Simple method can enable early detection of chronic kidney disease

Subtle abnormalities in kidney function – even within the range considered normal – may help identify people at risk of developing chronic kidney disease. KI researchers have developed a web-based tool that could aid in early detection and thus primary prevention.

Photo: Getty Images

New study

New mechanism links Epstein-Barr virus to MS

The immune system’s reaction to the common Epstein-Barr virus can ultimately damage the brain and contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS). The study provides new insight into the long-suspected link between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and MS.

3d rendered close-up illustration of human fat cells.

Photo: Getty Images.

New study

Fat surrounding the colon interacts with the immune system

Abdominal fat is not a uniform tissue. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, among others, reveals that fat located close to the large intestine contains an unusually high number of inflammatory fat cells and immune cells. The findings suggest that this tissue is specially adapted to communicate with the immune system in the gut region.

Setup of experiment where a test subject i wearing a helmet recording signals in the brain.

Photo: Mariano d'Angelo

New study

How brain waves shape our sense of self

New research from Karolinska Institutet reveals how rhythmic brain waves help us distinguish between our own body and the external world. The findings offer new insights into how the brain integrates sensory signals to create a coherent sense of bodily self.

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

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.

The Conversation

Photo: Getty Images

Climate change affects mental health – but the story is more hopeful than it might seem

Concerns about climate change can manifest themselves in various ways. While people's mental health can be negatively affected, there are also positive aspects, writes Fabian Lenhard in The Conversation.

Photo: Getty Images

What teenagers want adults to know about their digital lives

Woman lying in bed, frowning. In the foreground a clock with the hands pointing to four o'clock. There is morning light in the window above the bed.

Photo: Getty Images

Poor sleep may make your brain age faster

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

New study explains the link between long-term diabetes and vascular damage

The longer a person has type 2 diabetes, the greater the risk of cardiovascular disease. A new study shows that changes in red blood cells may be an important explanation, and identifies a specific molecule as a possible biomarker.

Stock photo, nurse taking a blood sample from a patient.

Photo: Getty Images.

New study

Blood test reveals risk of multimorbidity

A small set of common blood biomarkers predicts which older adults will develop specific combinations of chronic diseases – and how quickly.

An oligodendrocyte forms insulating myelin sheaths around neuron axons

Photo: Getty Images

New study

Immune cells protect the spinal cord as we age

The nervous system's own immune cells help protect the spinal cord from age-related damage. This new study may contribute to new knowledge about how certain neurological diseases arise.

Photo: Liza Simonsson

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.

Photo: N/A,Getty Images/iStockphoto

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.

Researcher Theresa Lemke holding a clock displaying 9 am.

Photo: Fredrik Persson

Does the school day improve with a later start?

KI researcher Theresa Lemke is collecting data from a study in which schools have tried adapting to teenagers’ “internal body clock” – by starting morning lessons a little later. First published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap no 4 2025.

Photo: Linnea Bengtsson

Rolf Kiessling: “I thought something was wrong – but it was a new cell”

In 2025, the NK cells celebrated their 50th anniversary. Rolf Kiessling tells the story of the serendipitous finding that changed the course of his career. First published in the magazine Medicinsk Vetenskap no 3 2025.

Photo: Getty Images

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.

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

How to prevent an overactive immune system
Johnson, Nature Communications, January 2026

New molecule may reduce signals linked to bowel cancer
Gunnar Schulte et al, Nature Communications, December 2025

Molecular movie reveals how a critical mitochondrial enzyme processes RNA
Ole Unseld, Hrishikesh Das, Martin Hällberg, Nucleic Acids Research, December 2025

New clues to how human brain connections take shape
Carl Sellgren et al, Nature Communications, December 2025

AI better than radiologists at detecting pancreatic cancer
Natalia Alves, Megan Schuurmans M, Dawid Rutkowski et al, The Lancet Oncology, November 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.

KI appoints two new honorary doctors who have changed the view of oral health and breast cancer

Grants, awards and donations

Kamprad Family Foundation enables continued collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières

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

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

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

Wallenberg grants for KI research in mental ill health among young people

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

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

Air pollution may increase the risk of ALS

New brain maps challenge traditional descriptions of the brain

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

New method predicts asthma attacks up to five years in advance

Simple method can enable early detection of chronic kidney disease

New mechanism links Epstein-Barr virus to MS

Fat surrounding the colon interacts with the immune system

How brain waves shape our sense of self

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

The Conversation

Climate change affects mental health – but the story is more hopeful than it might seem

What teenagers want adults to know about their digital lives

Poor sleep may make your brain age faster

Paracetamol use during pregnancy not linked to autism in large study

More articles by KI researchers published in The Conversation

New study explains the link between long-term diabetes and vascular damage

Blood test reveals risk of multimorbidity

Immune cells protect the spinal cord as we age

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

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

Elham Rostami saves lives after brain trauma

Does the school day improve with a later start?

Rolf Kiessling: “I thought something was wrong – but it was a new cell”

Gut and mind – how they are connected

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