News archive

The latest Planetary Health Report Card (PHRC) has been recently released, in which health profession students evaluate planetary health content at their universities. KI has improved its scores in most areas, especially in support for student-led sustainability initiatives.

Fredrik Piehl, Professor of Neurology at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet and researcher at Karolinska University Hospital, has been named Neuroprofile of the Year 2025.

It will soon be time for the long-awaited summer holidays for many. To ensure the holiday and operations run smoothly, there are a few things for you as an employee to consider.

The prestigious Nordic Anders Jahre Award for 2025 goes this year to two researchers at Karolinska Institutet. Professor Sten Eirik Wælgaard Jacobsen is to receive the Anders Jahre Award for Medical Research for his work on normal and leukemic blood stem cells. William Nyberg is honoured with the Anders Jahre Award for Young Researchers for his work on the development of T-cell immunotherapy for cancer.

Administrative news for staff and affiliates at the Department of Neuroscience (June 2025).

On 25 September, it’s time for the most energizing event of the year - the KI Fun Run at Campus Solna! Whether you walk, jog, or run you’ll be part of our shared challenge: to beat last year’s total distance. Registration is now open!

Karolinska Institutet has been invited by STINT (The Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education) to nominate three candidates to participate in the exchange programme for teaching staff called Teaching Sabbatical.

The rapid transformation we are now seeing in the healthcare sector brings a growing need for municipally provided health promoting and preventative activities, and, consequently, for research and education. On 3 June, KI signed collaboration agreements with Solna City and Upplands-Bro municipality, marking an important step towards reinforcing such strategic partnerships between the university and local government.

Hi there Isabelle von Saenger! On 13 June, you will defend your doctoral thesis entitled “Care and financial support in ageing families: the changing shape of inequality.” Can you tell us more about what it explores?

Helena Erlandsson Harris has been appointed new Head of Department at the Department of Medicine, Solna (MedS). The decision was signed by Dean Carl Johan Sundberg on 22 May 2025.

The Bridging Grant is a funding initiative through which StratNeuro provides support to promising researchers with outstanding scientific merits, offering them the opportunity to further consolidate and strengthen their research.

A new investigation from Karolinska Institutet shows that the majority of food and beverage advertisements that adolescents are exposed to on social media promote unhealthy products. The investigation is part of a new report from UNICEF Sweden and the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation.

Research on uveal melanoma - the most common form of eye cancer in adults - at St. Erik Eye Hospital and Karolinska Institutet has been ranked fifth in the world according to the 2024 ScholarGPS ranking.

Thomas Frisell is a Principal researcher and docent in epidemiology at the Department of Medicine, Solna, and coordinates health data counseling in Clinicum. As a method-oriented epidemiologist, he is particularly focused on study design, biostatistics and how we can best use registries and other health data sources for clinical and epidemiological research.

Five people are to receive Karolinska Institutet’s Grand Silver Medal, and a further two KI’s Silver Medal. These two classes of medal are awarded to people who have made tremendous or excellent efforts, respectively, in support of KI’s activities and will be presented this year at the installation ceremony on 9 October.

The Foundation for Child Research at Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital recently hosted a ceremonial event to present this year’s Hugo Lagercrantz Award alongside the fall research grants. It was an inspiring gathering that celebrated both groundbreaking research and emerging scientific talent in paediatrics.

Shengyuan Zeng from the Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit (GUT), at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) defends her thesis titled "Investigation of epigenome changes in quiescent fission yeast cells", on 5 June, 2025. Main supervisor is Karl Ekwall (MedH).

Junior researchers are invited to apply for funding to strengthen collaboration or to establish new collaboration with partners in low- and middle-income countries in Africa in 2026.

Karolinska Comprehensive Cancer Center (Karolinska CCC) will be the first center in Sweden to receive renewed accreditation. This milestone marks an important step in further strengthening the collaboration between Karolinska University Hospital and KI. Childhood cancer is now also part of Karolinska CCC.

As a cardiologist and former head of the cardiac intensive care unit at Karolinska University Hospital, I have seen the serious consequences of ignoring gender differences in medical research and clinical practice. Some international leaders now want to stop research on sex and gender, which is not only a step backward but also a direct threat to patients' lives and health in our field.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have identified three types of nerve cells connected to the intestinal villi, suggesting that previously unknown neural networks regulate fluid balance in the gut. The findings, published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, could lead to a better understanding of diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Clinicum methodological advice, aimed at researchers at KI or Region Stockholm, has, since its inception, supported over 300 researchers with methodological advice. Clinicum is currently hosted by the Department of Medicine, Solna (MedS), but support is provided by approximately 60 experienced methodology specialists from several departments at Karolinska Institutet (KI).

Despite many digital tools showing promising results in research aimed at supporting patients in lifestyle changes, self-care, and monitoring of common chronic diseases, they rarely make it into routine healthcare. A new correspondence article in Nature Medicine presents six concrete recommendations to help accelerate the path from research to real patient benefit.

On May 29-30, the KI Housing office will be closed for the Ascension Day holiday.

The Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services (SBU) recently provided a commentary on a review conducted at the Aging Research Center (ARC) in collaboration with affiliated researchers. The review focused on interventions to support informal caregivers—family members or close friends who care for older adults without formal compensation.

The Spanish TV channel 3 Cat has produced a report in Sweden about the new tobacco and nicotine market. The report, which is now completed, is comprehensive and covers various aspects, including the perspective of researchers as well as that of the tobacco industry.

People with an autism diagnosis are at a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease early in life, a large-scale study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Neurology reports. The researchers believe that the two conditions can share underlying biological mechanisms.

The number of Achilles tendon injuries has drastically increased over the past 20 years. Simon Svedman's thesis shows that blood clots are a common complication that needs better prevention.

Biomedicum was transformed into a colourful studio on May 26th when children rolled up their sleeves for a Science Clay Workshop that turned cell biology into art.

A day does not go by now without a report on the severe suffering that Israeli military strikes are causing the civilian population of Gaza. The situation is worsening by the day, as we witness the blatant and repeated abuse of international law and of the Gazans’ right to security and functioning schools, hospitals and workplaces.

Mayo Clinic and Karolinska Institutet are marking 30 years of collaboration by rescheduling their next joint research meeting to Fall 2026, aiming to focus on cutting-edge themes like RNA therapeutics, precision health, and decentralized care. The event will be held at Mayo Clinic’s Jacksonville campus and is designed to reflect the evolving strengths of both institutions.

This week and next week are shorter weeks, which affects the presence of the service team in ANA Futura.

Together with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), KI organises a vaccinology course titled "Vaccines in a Changing World: Innovation and Access".

Alphonsus Matovu, PhD student at the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Global Surgery research group, the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, will defend his thesis "Groin Hernia Surgery in Women. Outputs, Factors, Methods and Costeffectiveness" on June 2, 2025. Main Supervisor is Jenny Löfgren.

After cycling 90 kilometres through sunshine, hail and beech forests, Pernilla Alencar Siljehag arrived in Tomelilla with tired legs and a heart full of impressions. Together with the initiator Oskar Jonsson, she has cycled a leg of the tandem tour that takes researchers around southern Sweden to give lectures on ageing and health. She shares her reflections on the conversations along the way, the audience at the library, and why research journeys are sometimes at their best when on two wheels.

Thanks to a generous donation from businesswoman and investment company director Louise Lindh, the Department of Dental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet is able to establish a new professorial chair. This marks an important step towards making dental health a self-evident and integral part of public health, a move that both researchers and healthcare professionals have long been calling for.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the 2nd Mats Sundin Postdoctoral Fellowship in Human Developmental Health.

Giola Santoni, biostatistician at the Upper Gastric Intestinal Surgery group at Karolinska Institutet, became docent in epidemiology on April 29, 2025.

Dr. Santoni holds a broad expertise in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, with a focus on cancer outcomes using Nordic registry data. Her work includes large-scale, register-based cohort studies focusing on cancer etiology and outcomes, intervention effects on cancer risk and survival, and socio-economic and lifestyle factors.

If you would like to meet with Indu Motwani, NVS's officer for international projects, please send her an email and schedule an appointment. She will be happy to come out and meet you.

In today's complex world, ethical issues are particularly important. Marie Chenik, senior advisor, monitors a wide range of sources, including leading newspapers from around the world, to gather the latest news on ethics in areas ranging from politics and religion to healthcare. "The ethics newsletter" is distributed free of charge once a week to anyone interested in the subject. A report on the first 350 newsletters is now available.

Ingrid Lundberg, senior physician and professor of rheumatology, has been awarded the title of honorary doctor at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) for her significant contributions to myositis research.

Amir Ata Saei, assistant professor at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology has been awarded the Novo Nordisk Foundation Excellence Emerging Investigator Grant within Endocrinology and Metabolism 2025.

Researchers are getting better at growing miniature organs and embryos in test tubes or on chips. This creates new opportunities for answering research questions while reducing the need for animal testing in some cases.

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The Kamprad Family Foundation awards SEK 5 million to Elisabet Rydwik, researcher at the Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, for her research project on home rehabiltation for the elderly.

A new report by the second Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing , with contributions from Karolinska Institute, shows that adolescents' health globally is at a tipping point. Without targeted action, at least half of the world's adolescents will be at risk of poor health by 2030.