| Karolinska Institutet

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.

Grants, prizes and donations

Photo: Liza Simonsson

Trio of KI researchers join forces against Parkinson's disease with donation from Promobilia

The Promobilia Foundation is donating SEK 25 million to enable four research groups from Karolinska Institutet and Lund University to join forces in a major research project designed to develop new treatment strategies for the fundamental causes of Parkinson’s disease.

Photo: Liza Simonsson

The Cancer and Allergy Fund supports cancer research at KI

The Cancer and Allergy Fund (Cancer- och allergifonden) is awarding a total of SEK 3,3 million to 19 research projects in the field of cancer and allergy. Of these, eleven researchers at Karolinska Institutet will be awarded SEK 2 million. Several of these projects focus on cancers with poor prognoses, such as pancreatic cancer, where more research and knowledge are needed.

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: Liza Simonsson

Over SEK 35 million for research on childhood cancer at KI

The Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation (Barncancerfonden) has granted SEK 35,3 million to KI for childhood cancer research. This year, the Foundation distributed a total of SEK 145 million to relevant research projects.

Portrait of a male person in an office environment.

Photo: Liza Simonsson

KI researcher Sten Linnarsson awarded distinguished professor grant

Professor Sten Linnarsson, Karolinska Institutet, has been awarded a distinguished professor grant by the Swedish Research Council totalling just over SEK 30 million for the period 2026–2033.

Photo: Getty Images

New study

HPV vaccine can protect against several cancers

Girls who are vaccinated against HPV are not only well protected against cervical cancer; they are also less likely to develop severe precancerous lesions of the vulva and vagina, particularly if they were vaccinated before the age of 17.

Ukrainian combat medics in a panel discussion in a large conference hall.

Photo: Anna Zorzet.

Collaboration

Ukrainian combat medics share frontline experiences with Swedish total defense actors

While in Sweden for psychological rehabilitation through the Repower project, Ukrainian combat medics visited Stockholm for a day of discussions and experience-sharing with Swedish healthcare professionals, decision-makers, and other actors within the Swedish total defence system.

Photo: Liza Simonsson

Karolinska Institutet involved in Sweden’s largest excellence cluster initiative

The government has initiated an investment in new excellence clusters totalling SEK 2.5 billion. With five planning grants awarded by the Swedish Research Council and Vinnova, Karolinska Institutet (KI) is one of the institutions taking the next step towards strengthening Sweden’s position in medical research and innovation.

Photo: Getty Images

New study

New algorithm maps how cells develop

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and KTH have developed a computational method that can reveal how cells change and specialise in the body. The study can provide important knowledge about why this process sometimes goes wrong and leads to disease.

Children sitting next to each other, watching their phones.

Photo: Getty Images,Getty Images/iStockphoto

New study

Using social media may impair children’s attention

Children who spend a significant amount of time on social media tend to experience a gradual decline in their ability to concentrate, according to a comprehensive study from Karolinska Institutet.

Photo: Getty Images

New study

Lower doses of immunotherapy for skin cancer give better results

According to a new study, lower doses of approved immunotherapy for malignant melanoma can give better results against tumours, while reducing side effects.

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

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.

illustration of a hand holding a looking glass over a brain.

Photo: Pixabay,Mohamed Hassan

New study

New study reveals how the brain prioritises bodily signals in conscious awareness

A new study shows that visual and tactile impressions that are related to our own body are prioritised for reaching conscious awareness. This helps us understand how we develop the feeling that the body is our own – through the brain’s integration of what we see and what we feel.

Photo: Getty Images,Getty Images/iStockphoto

New study

How the nervous system activates repair after spinal cord injury

After a spinal cord injury, cells in the brain and spinal cord change to cope with stress and repair tissue. A new study shows that this response is controlled by specific DNA sequences. This knowledge could help develop more targeted treatments.

Photo: Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset

Collaboration

New radiation centre in Stockholm a joint effort for the future of cancer treatment

Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University and Region Stockholm intend to establish a new centre for medical radiation science in Stockholm. This is a combined effort for the cancer treatment of the future.

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”

A puzzling experiment in the 1970s led to the discovery of a new type of immune cell. In 2025, the NK cells celebrate 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

The gut has its own sophisticated nervous system and communicates with the brain in various ways. 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: 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,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 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

New method provides unique insight into the body's insulin production
Per-Olof Berggren et al, Nature Communications, 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's president: "We must safeguard academic freedom"

Grants, prizes and donations

Trio of KI researchers join forces against Parkinson's disease with donation from Promobilia

The Cancer and Allergy Fund supports cancer research at KI

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

Over SEK 35 million for research on childhood cancer at KI

KI researcher Sten Linnarsson awarded distinguished professor grant

HPV vaccine can protect against several cancers

Ukrainian combat medics share frontline experiences with Swedish total defense actors

Karolinska Institutet involved in Sweden’s largest excellence cluster initiative

New algorithm maps how cells develop

Using social media may impair children’s attention

Lower doses of immunotherapy for skin cancer give better results

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

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

New study reveals how the brain prioritises bodily signals in conscious awareness

How the nervous system activates repair after spinal cord injury

New radiation centre in Stockholm a joint effort for the future of cancer treatment

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

Digital twins provide answers to health

From a crash in the ditch to forefront of research

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