| Karolinska Institutet Nyheter

News archive KI calendar Press Office

The Nobel Prize

The Nobel Lectures in Physiology or Medicine 2023

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: “Their discoveries have helped to save millions of lives”

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded this year to Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, whose research gave rise to effective mRNA vaccines that contained the COVID pandemic and saved millions of lives. A well-deserved honour, according to Karolinska Institutet.

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

In the first week of October each year, the recipients of the Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, Literature and Peace are announced, as Alfred Nobel stated in his will. First out is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine — and it is the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet that selects the recipients since 1901.

New study

Early body contact develops premature babies' social skills

Skin-to-skin contact during the first hours after birth of very preterm babies helps develop their social skills, according to a news study. The study also shows that fathers may play a more important role than previous research has shown.

Grants, prizes and donations

Two KI researchers are awarded distinguished professor grants

Professor Gonçalo Castelo-Branco and professor Jonas Frisén, Karolinska Institutet, are awarded distinguished professor grants from the Swedish Research Council, totalling just over SEK 62 million for the years 2024-31.

Clinical therapy research grants to eight KI researchers

The Swedish Research Council has decided on the applications to be awarded grants within clinical therapy research. In total, almost SEK 210 million is granted for the years 2023-2027 to 28 researchers. Eight of them are researchers at Karolinska Institutet.

Five new Wallenberg Academy Fellows to KI

Of the 31 researchers appointed Wallenberg Academy Fellow this year, five will be active at Karolinska Institutet. The five-year grant is awarded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and provides young, promising research leaders with long-term research funding in Sweden.

Professor Robert Harris made honorary doctorate

Professor Robert A. Harris is made honorary doctorate at the Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy (UMF) Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The honour is given in recognition of Bob Harris’ exceptional contributions to the development of the university, especially in the context of the European University Alliance NeurotechEU project.

New study

Non-Europeans have more eating disorder symptoms - but are less likely to receive specialist treatment

People in Sweden of non-European descent have almost three times as many eating disorder symptoms as people born in Sweden. But despite this, they have significantly less access to specialist treatment.

New study

New findings on long-term treatment of ADHD and its link to cardiovascular disease

A large proportion of patients who start taking ADHD medication, especially young adults, stop within the first year. However, people who use ADHD medicine for a long time and in higher-than-average doses seem to have a higher risk of some cardiovascular diseases. This is according to two new studies led by researchers from Karolinska Institutet and published in The Lancet Psychiatry and JAMA Psychiatry.

New study

Drones enabled the use of defibrillators before ambulance arrival

Researchers have evaluated the possibility of alerting drones equipped with automated external defibrillators (AED) to patients with suspected cardiac arrest. In more than half of the cases, the drones were ahead of the ambulance by an average of three minutes. In cases where the patient was in cardiac arrest, the drone-delivered defibrillator was used in a majority of cases.

New study

Anti-rheumatic drugs could prevent thyroid disease

Anti-rheumatic drugs used for rheumatoid arthritis might prevent the development of autoimmune thyroid disease, according to a new observational study.

KI and Stockholm School of Economics to launch a program in health diplomacy

Global health is becoming increasingly complex, ranging from pandemics and climate change to wars, migration and deteriorating mental health. There is an urgent need for a new generation of global health leaders. The Stockholm School of Economics and Karolinska Institutet are now launching a new initiative to meet the challenges ahead.

Academic ceremony

New KI doctors ready to make the world a better place

Diplomas, salutes and fanfares for 155 new KI doctors and 13 jubilee doctors! 10 November was a day of celebration, as they received their accolades to much pomp and ceremony in front of 1,000 guests in Stockholm City Hall’s Blue Hall.

The Conversation

How your biological clock unveils the risk of dementia and stroke

As we journey through life, the risk of developing chronic diseases, including cancer, heart disease and neurological disorders, increases significantly. However, while we all grow older chronologically at the same pace, biologically, our clocks can tick faster or slower. A new study suggests your biological age, more than the years you’ve lived, may predict your risk of dementia and stroke in the future.

Decorative image of a woman watching the sea and bathing people.

Why a holiday is good for you – even before you take time off

You have spent the past few days on a cloud over your forthcoming, well-deserved holidays, and will go back to daydreaming about them as soon as you finish this article. And the truth is that the benefits of a good holiday can be felt even before the trip begins.

Baby deaths in Tanzania: being born in a city no longer increases their chances of survival

Babies born in urban areas in Tanzania are less likely to survive than babies born in rural areas, writes a group of researchers including from KI in The Conversation. Several policy areas for action are presented.

Why understanding how spiders spin silk may hold clues for treating Alzheimer’s disease

KI researchers Michael Landreh and Anna Rising explain in The Conversation why they are studying spider silk to find important insights into diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

KI to be knowledge partner of Hagastaden’s new technology museum

Next spring, the National Museum of Science and Technology will be opening a branch – called The Cell – in Stockholm’s Hagastaden, with KI as knowledge partner. The Cell will be a venue where science meets art through fascinating and inspirational activities designed to educate and engage more people in the development of tomorrow’s life science field.