| Karolinska Institutet

26 April marks the eighth anniversary of the arrest of Ahmadreza Djalali during a professional visit to Iran.

Photo: Amnesty International/Ulf Sirborn.

KI’s President: Valuable with the government's open support for Ahmadreza Djalali

It has now been nine years since the Swedish-Iranian doctor and researcher Ahmadreza Djalali was imprisoned in Iran. In recent months, his health has deteriorated further. It is therefore ‘excellent that the Swedish government, via the Swedish Foreign Ministry, recently sent a clear signal to the Iranian regime’, writes KI's President Annika Östman Wernerson in a debate article.

Grants, prizes and donations

Photo: Mikaela Friedman

SEK 80 million from the government in special support for precision medicine

The government is funding Genomic Medicine Sweden (GMS) with SEK 80 million in 2025. The special support will be used, among other things, for continued investments in the sustainable development and implementation of precision medicine in cancer care. Richard Rosenquist Brandell, professor at KI and director of GMS, describes the initiative as an important investment in the future of healthcare.

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Tim Bergling Foundation funds digital training in suicide prevention among the young

A four-year grant from the Bergling Foundation will provide support to Karolinska Institutet’s digital training initiative to help medical students be better at identifying and responding to suicidal children and young adults.

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Olle Kämpe gets extension as Wallenberg Clinical Scholar

In 2025, five Wallenberg Clinical Scholars have been granted an extended grant for another five years. Among these is KI researcher Olle Kämpe, who will thus receive support for a total of ten years for his research into the causes of autoimmune diseases.

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Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation extends support for research on obesity-related diseases

Congratulations to Mikael Rydén who has been granted an extension as Wallenberg Clinical Scholar. The extension from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation means three million SEK per year for five years for his research.

Photo: Andreas Andersson

Rolf Kiessling receives a distinguished award for immunotherapy research

Professor Rolf Kiessling at Karolinska Institutet has been selected as the recipient of the 2025 CIMT Lifetime Achievement Award for his groundbreaking discovery of natural killer (NK) cells, which has significantly advanced our understanding of the immune response to viruses and cancer cells.

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New study

Heart valve abnormality is associated with malignant arrhythmias

People with a certain heart valve abnormality are at increased risk of severe heart rhythm disorders, even after successful valve surgery, according to a new study. The condition is more common in women and younger patients with valve disorder and can, in the worst case, lead to sudden cardiac arrest.

Photo: Liza Simonsson

Evaluation

KI excels in the Swedish Research Council’s evaluation of medical research

The Swedish Research Council has published its report "Quality and impact of research in basic medicine in Sweden", which evaluates the scientific quality and societal impact of medical research at seven universities. Karolinska Institutet is a leader among Swedish higher education institutions.

Photo: Sandra de Haan

New study

New method reveals how the brain and inner ear are formed

KI researchers have developed a method that shows how the nervous system and sensory organs are formed in a mouse embryo, and used it to study how the inner ear is formed. The discovery, published in Science, could provide important insights for future treatment of hearing loss.

Photo: Lewalski.

Student 2026

Great interest in Open Day at KI Campus Flemingsberg

Applications to universities and colleges are now open, and KI welcomed prospective students to the Open Day at Campus Flemingsberg. There was great interest and many questions as visitors from Sweden and Europe learned more about their dream programmes.

The Conversation

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The dangerous myth about white snus

What do British footballers have in common with young women in Sweden? The answer is white snus. KI researchers explain why tobacco-free is not the same as risk-free in The Conversation.

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Why the eyes are the mirror of breathing

New research has discovered a fundamental mechanism that affects pupil size - our breathing. The pupil is smallest when we breathe in and largest when we breathe out - something that could affect vision. In The Conversation, the researchers explain the implications of this.

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How fluoride may be linked to poorer cognition in children

Photo: Sara Bakhshi

Nine reasons why the myth that vaccines cause autism persists

From a research perspective, there is little left to discover about vaccines used in long-standing nationwide vaccine programmes, such as polio, measles, and rubella. So why do suspicions that vaccines cause autism remain? Professor Sven Bölte presents nine reasons in The Conversation.

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Blood test may rule out future dementia risk

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have demonstrated how specific biomarkers in the blood can predict the development of dementia up to ten years before diagnosis, among older adults living independently in the community.

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New study

Researchers have mapped the genetics of cardiovascular disease

Researchers have identified gene variants that increase the risk of atherosclerosis. The goal is for these new findings to enable earlier detection of atherosclerosis and improved treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Photo: Johan Nord

Palliative care: how to improve quality of life in terminal illness

We have all been born, and we will all die. But how do we want to die, and how can the final period be as good as possible? Researchers in palliative care aim to improve the quality of life for people with incurable diseases.

Photo: Johan Nord

Important to talk about death when children are incurably ill

Children who are dying often understand that they are indeed dying. A major task for healthcare professionals is to help children, parents and siblings to talk about it. But how do you do that?