News archive

The Swedish National Patient Register (NPR) has long been a cornerstone for epidemiological research. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have published a new review examining the validity of the register and found that it is good for most diagnoses and very good for surgical procedures.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified the guinea pig as a promising model for studying the early development of human embryos. A new study shows that guinea pig embryos share many important characteristics with human embryos, which could open up new research opportunities in fertility and stem cell biology.

Region Stockholm and Karolinska Institutet (KI) have the common goal of improving dental care in the Stockholm County through research and development. The steering group KI/Region Stockholm for dental research (SOF) announces funding for clinical dental research.

A new study from the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet reveals that days with both high air pollution and extreme heat substantially raise the risk of death in Indian cities more than either factor alone.

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.

A groundbreaking national initiative, Precision Omics Initiative Sweden (PROMISE), aims to connect research with healthcare and establish Sweden as a world leader in data-driven precision medicine. The vision was recently published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed a method that shows how the nervous system and sensory organs are formed in an embryo. By labelling stem cells with a genetic ‘barcode’, they have been able to follow the cells’ developmental journey and discover how the inner ear is formed in mice. The discovery, published in Science, could provide important insights for future treatment of hearing loss.

This call aims to facilitate new and existing contacts as well as increase research collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, University College London (UCL), Imperial College London and King’s College London.

The strategic partnership agreement, signed between Karolinska Institutet and University of Tokyo aims to increase mobility, joint research projects and faculty development. Up to three KI collaboration awards will be awarded 2025 for collaboration with the University of Tokyo for doctoral students and post docs.

Some users are currently experiencing problems accessing the library's website kib.ki.se and SvenskMeSH mesh.kib.ki.se. Troubleshooting is ongoing.

Young people with high screen time develop poorer sleep habits, which in turn can lead to increased levels of depression – especially among girls. This is shown in a study from Karolinska Institutet published in PLOS Global Public Health.

We are proud to announce that Natalia Hernandez-Pacheco, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Clinical Research and Education, Södersjukhuset, has been awarded the Klosterfrau Group Award for Research of Airway Diseases in Childhood 2025.

The European Renal Association (ERA) just announced that Dr. Anne-Laure Faucon will receive the “ERAC Award for Young Investigators – Young Nephrologist”. The prize is awarded to a young nephrologist/researcher who has made a scientific contribution in the field of nephrology.

Marie Hasselberg, Professor at the Department of Global Public Health, has been has been reappointed to lead the GPH for up to 3 years.

Do you want to stimulate young people's interest in higher education, research and innovation? Show how research is done and develop your communication skills? On 26 September, the Science Festival Forskarfredag (European Researchers' Night) and the Researchers' Grand Prix competition will take place.

KI has awarded this year's Sustainability Prize to Ester Gubi, a doctor and sociologist, and Ann Liljas, associate professor in global public health and assistant lecturer, both at the Department of Global Public Health at KI. They receive the prize for their outstanding contributions to sustainable development. The prize was awarded for the third time and in connection with KI's Sustainability Day on 2 April.

Our colleague Rita Fernholm, affiliated with the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, participates in the latest episode of the podcast Medicinvetarna, #168.

The Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF) provides financial support to promising researchers in medicine who are at the beginning of their careers and supports both basic and applied research. Silvia Angori receives 3 million SEK distributed over three years for her project titled "Uncovering the role of SAMHD1 in tumor suppression and therapy resistance in cutaneous melanoma."

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.

Applications to universities and colleges are now open, and KI welcomed prospective students to the Open Day at KI Campus Flemingsberg on March 26. There was great interest and many questions as visitors from Sweden and Europe learned more about their dream programmes.

Ebba Rehfeldt graduated from the midwifery program at Karolinska Institutet (KI) in January 2025. She has since moved from Stockholm to southern Sweden and started working as a midwife in a delivery ward.

Federico Triolo has received a postdoctoral grant from the Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF), a non-profit organisation that has supported medical research since 1919. The purpose of the grant is to help early-career researchers to build their independence and develop their own line of research. The grant amounts to 3,950,000 SEK over three years, including a two-year research stay abroad, followed by one year back in Sweden.

Research from the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM), Karolinska Institutet shows that air pollution and traffic noise together may pose a greater risk for stroke than either factor alone. The researchers found that even at low levels – below the EU’s air quality standards and around WHO noise recommendation levels – the risk of stroke increased significantly.

Are you planning an event for autumn 2025 being aimed at the public? Schedule it between 3 to 13 October and be a part of Nobel Calling Stockholm! A week that offers inspiring events and educational meetings in the spirit of knowledge.

Congratulations Mikael Rydén, who has been granted an extension as a Wallenberg Clinical Scholar. The extension entails SEK 3 million per year for five years.

For two weeks in April, the water will be turned off in ANA Futura (coffee nodes, kitchen, toilets, labs). The shutdown means that it will not be possible to flush either taps or toilets. Emergency showers will also not work.

On 3 April, Formas will be bringing together experts and researchers for a breakfast seminar titled 'Research across borders - what is needed in turbulent times?' (in Swedish). The Centre for Health Crises will be one of the speakers.

Anna Schandl is a registered nurse and has worked in intensive care in the Stockholm Region for many years. She is an associate professor in nursing and research group leader in the research group for Perioperative Care and Intensive Care at Södersjukhuset. Anna works with data collected from regional and national cohort studies, but also with qualitative research; something she uses as an advisor within Clinicum's network.

This week, the third edition of the book “To start a research career within medicine and health” ("Att börja forska inom medicin och hälsa") is released. Author is Jonas F Ludvigsson, pediatrician and professor at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the book is aimed at doctoral students and prospective researchers in medicine and health.

Inga Rødahl from the Center for Infectious Medicine (CIM) at the Departmet of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) is defending her thesis titled "Features of innate lymphoid cells in human fetal tissues and adult respiratory infection", on 4 April, 2025. Main supervisor is Jakob Michaëlsson (MedH).

Researchers at Swedish institutions, including Karolinska Institutet, 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 such as heart attack and stroke. The study has been published in the journal Nature Communications.

A recent study by KI-researchers Nadia Davoody and Sravya Katta reveals significant gaps related to healthcare professionals' awareness of gender diversity, proper communication strategies, the specific needs of transgender, nonbinary, and intersex (TNBI) individuals, and the societal and structural challenges they face.

In a new study, researchers from Karolinska Institutet have shown that so-called interval cancers, which are detected between two screening sessions, account for a significant proportion of breast cancer cases and that certain risk factors may increase the likelihood of developing this type of cancer. The study was published in the journal JAMA Oncology.

Karolinska Institutet (KI) and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité) have entered into a bilateral agreement. The Internationalisation Board at KI has allocated limited competitive funds for KI faculty and staff for grant applications to strengthen collaborative interactions within research and education.

A team of researchers at Karolinska Institutet has developed a novel tool for genetic research. The study, published in Nucleic Acids Research, introduces BLU-VIPR, a method that allows researchers to control the gene-editing tool CRISPR using light. This innovation could significantly enhance our understanding of gene functions in complex organisms.

Early diagnosis of COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, increases the quality of life of the patient and the efficacy of available treatments. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now shown that material from nasal lavage provides a basis for assessing COPD. The study, which has been published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, could lead to a simple diagnostic method for early assessment of COPD.

Certain widely used drug combinations may either slow down or worsen the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, but their effects differ between sexes. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in the leading journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia, highlights these important findings.

PhD student André Thunberg is researching how healthcare workers in rural Malawi identify and manage critically ill children. On March 26, he successfully completed his half-time review, and we had the opportunity to discuss his PhD journey so far.

On March 25, KI's Professional Services (PS) gathered for a digital staff meeting. The agenda included news within PS, security issues, the Microsoft 365 license, the government's research bill for the next four years and KI's prioritised focus areas.

Viktor H. Ahlqvist, postdoc at the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM), receives 3,000,000 SEK in a Postdoctoral Grant from the Swedish Society for Medical Research (SSMF) for the project “Advancing cardiovascular drug safety in pregnancy through cutting-edge computational statistics, causal inference, and drug-target genomics (DRUG-SAFE).

In a study published in Nature, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and SciLifeLab, among others, have identified a new mechanism for how cells deal with stress. This could have implications for treating certain hereditary, neurodegenerative diseases, but may also be relevant for future cancer treatment.

Helene Lindfors, PhD student at the Endocrine Surgery research group, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, will defend her thesis "Tumor burden, thyroglobulin and Ki-67 as prognostic indicators in papillary thyroid cancer" on April 2025.
Main supervisor is Ivan Shabo.

The tennis courts in Solna are now open for you as staff och student at KI.

The Swedish Society for Virology has awarded the Pandemifonden Fenyö Prize for 2024 to Daniel Sheward, Assistant Professor at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet.

On 3 April 16:30, KI's Viva Engage will be moved from servers in the US to the EU. Access to Viva Engage will not be possible during this move.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered a new mechanism behind blood vessel damage in type 2 diabetes. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, shows that small vesicles from red blood cells can transfer harmful signal molecules to the blood vessels and impair their function.

The Infrastructure Board has adopted its strategy for the development of KI's research infrastructure. The aim of the strategy is to ensure that KI's researchers have access to the most advanced and relevant research infrastructure, which is crucial for conducting research of the highest quality.

The debate on nature versus nurture has never ceased, particularly in discussions about neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs) such as autism and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These lifelong conditions emerge in childhood, and while they mostly have genetic nature, environmental factors may play a role.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in BMJ Global Health, shows that one in eight patients admitted to hospitals are critically ill, and most of these patients are cared for outside intensive care units. The researchers behind the study believe that simple but underutilised care could save many lives at a low cost.