News archive

A large brain imaging study involving researchers at Karolinska Institutet demonstrates that same-sex sexual behaviour-related differences in the brain exist. Patterns in the brain that differentiate between men and women were less pronounced in non-heterosexual individuals, and some of the brain differences could be linked to a genetic predisposition for non-heterosexuality. The study is published in the scientific journal Human Brain Mapping.

Despite the importance of enzyme-substrate reactions in biology and medicine, there is a lack of general and unbiased tools for identifying substrate proteins for a given enzyme of interest. Scientists from Karolinska Institutet have now developed a new proteomics method called “System-wide Identification and prioritization of Enzyme Substrates by Thermal Analysis” (SIESTA). Their study is published in Nature Communications.

AIMBE fellows represent two percent of the top scientists working in medicine and life science, and are regularly recognised for their contribution in teaching, research and innovation. Yihai Cao was recently elected to become one of them.

Swedish Foundations' Starting Grant 2020 is awarded to KI researcher, Carl Sellgren Majkowitz for his research in schizophrenia.

Liver transplantation is currently the only treatment available for the severe liver disease PSC. Now, however, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Oslo University have discovered the first reported genetic mutation that causes PSC. The study, which is published in Science Translational Medicine, opens new paths to future treatments.

Karl Ekwall, from the Department of Biosciences and Nutrition (BioNut), is one of the new elected members of the Faculty Council. The new members’ mandate periods are 1 January 2021 through 31 December 2023.

The European Commission has launched a contingency plan to meet the challenge of the various mutations of the coronavirus. KI and Karolinska University Hospital are contributing to a new network for the evaluation and testing of new vaccines.

We can produce spider silk fibers stronger than those created by the spiders themselves. This according to the Professors Jan Johansson (KI) and Anna Rising (KI and SLU).

Chlamydia trachomatis infection is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI), with about 127 million new cases estimated annually worldwide. Since it is an asymptomatic infection, individuals may carry it for a long time and unknowingly transmit the infection to others.

Disorders of the cells’ energy supply can cause a number of serious diseases, but also seem to be connected to ageing. More research is needed on mitochondrial function to find future treatments. A new study involving researchers at Karolinska Institutet shows how an important molecule inside the mitochondria affects their function in mice and fruit flies. The study, which is published in Science Advances, adds valuable knowledge on formerly relatively unexplored protein modifications.

Hi Roman Kuster, PhD student at the Division of Physiotherapy! On March 12 you will defend your thesis “Advancing the measurement of sedentary behaviour – Classifying posture and physical (in-) activity”. What’s the main focus of the thesis?

People with cardiometabolic risk factors such as high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes have an increased risk of life-threatening COVID-19 requiring treatment with invasive ventilation in the intensive care unit. The risk factors are more important in younger people, but there are also clear links between severe COVID-19 and other diseases such as asthma and chronic inflammatory diseases. The researchers believe the findings may be important for future vaccinations in younger age groups.

Almost one in five people lacks the protein α-actinin-3 in their muscle fibre. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet now show that more of the skeletal muscle of these individuals comprises slow-twitch muscle fibres, which are more durable and energy-efficient and provide better tolerance to low temperatures than fast-twitch muscle fibres. The results are published in The American Journal of Human Genetics.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet explain that the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) binds to the receptor tropomyosin receptor kinase B (trkB) present on the surface of many neurons, triggering signaling pathways critical to the maturation and growth of neurons during development. In their latest article however, they show that BDNF-trkB signaling also plays a significant role in the functioning of the adult brain.

Last year, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany showed that a major genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19 is inherited from Neandertals. Now the same researchers show, in a study published in PNAS, that Neandertals also contributed a protective variant. Half of all people outside Africa carry a Neandertal gene variant that reduces the risk of needing intensive care for COVID-19 by 20 percent.

The pandemic has meant that courses and programmes have only had a short time to transition to distance teaching – something which has required major involvement from teachers, students and educational administrators. At the same time, these experiences have propelled the development of teaching methods.

From 2017 to 2020, KI developed an educational development project focused on internationalisation of the curriculum and the project team is now sharing solutions so as to inspire others to initiate the same process in their own institutions.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have revealed a large diversity of proprioceptive neurons and unveiled a new type of plasticity suggesting neuronal individuality in the nervous system to adapt its performance to changing environment. The article was recently published in Nature Communications.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have revealed a central proprioceptive organ built directly into the central nervous system that acts as an inner movement sensor. The article was recently published in the Scientific Journal Neuron.

During a one-week challenge Praveen Pillai and Stephen Townsend, two KI students, worked together with students from other schools to solve the case on how Pfizer and IBM could ensure a successful COVID-19 vaccine distribution – and their solution ended up winning the challenge!

Anti-retroviral drugs are a vital tool in the prevention and treatment of HIV. A new study of pregnant women in Tanzania shows that life-long antiviral treatment also seems to prevent viral transmission from mother to baby. The results of the study, which was conducted in part by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and published in Lancet HIV, make a promising contribution to the WHO’s work with HIV prevention in low and middle-income countries.

Hi Petra Adebäck, PhD student at the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care! On March 19 you will defend your thesis “To be a child and survive a natural disaster”. What’s the main focus of the thesis?

Variants of nine genes increase the risk of developing Addison’s disease, a rare disease in which the immune system attacks the adrenal glands. That is according to the largest genetic study to date on patients with Addison’s disease. The findings help increase knowledge about what causes the disease. The study was conducted by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and University of Bergen, Norway, and is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Neuroblastoma arises within the sympathetic nervous system and is the most frequent extracranial solid childhood cancer, exhibiting a high degree of clinical heterogeneity ranging from spontaneous regression to fatal progression despite intense clinical intervention.

Michael Axenhus, PhD student at the Division of Neurogeriatrics, NVS, receives the scholarship with the motivation "For the desire to research in confusion and the desire to convey warmth in health care".

For her research in HIV vaccine and design, professor Gunilla Karlsson Hedestam at the Department of Microbiology, Tumor and Cell Biology receives 1.8 million US dollar, multidisciplinary, long-term research program (P01) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

In 2021, the Hagströmer Library will focus on art and artists. Beginning in the spring with an exhibition of illustrations in books and prints within the library's own collections, featuring some of art history's most famous figures, created by our curator Anna Lantz.

The success of the mRNA-based vaccines is a boost for the entire mRNA field and can lead to new treatments for completely different diseases. This is the view of Kenneth Chien, professor at Karolinska Institutet and co-founder of Moderna, one of the companies that has now developed a vaccine against COVID-19.

In a letter sent to Karolinska Institutet in December of 2018, the committee for the return of Finnish remains, a Swedish-Finnish activist group, demanded that Karolinska Institutet return the Finnish remains in KI's historical anatomical collection. KI has now responded to the committee's letter.

The Jussi Taipale Group is part of the 5-year research project whose goal is to discover novel diagnostic tools and effective drug combinations based on data from high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients. The project with 14 international and multidisciplinary partners will be coordinated from the University of Helsinki and has a total budget of 15 million Euros. 

Treating severe COVID-19 patients with the anticancer drug bevacizumab may reduce mortality and speed up recovery, according to a small clinical study in Italy and China that was led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden between February and April 2020. On average, blood oxygen levels, body temperature and inflammatory markers significantly improved in patients treated with a single dose of bevacizumab in addition to standard care. The research is published in Nature Communications.

KI is participating in a new EU project about using Real World Data (RWD) to improve post treatment in breast cancer, as well as shaping guidelines and best practices for researchers, public health and regulatory bodies throughout Europe to facilitate wider adaption of RWD in research and clinical practice.

It is necessary to develop additional COVID-19 vaccines, as different vaccine approaches have their advantages and disadvantages and may work synergistically. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden now report that they have developed a prototype vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 using a DNA vaccine platform that is inexpensive, stable, easy to produce, and shows a good safety profile. A study published in Scientific Reports shows that the vaccine induces potent immune responses in mice.

The StratNeuro board has reviewed the neuroscience submissions to the SLL call “kliniska forskare” (2020) and decided to support the two researchers at Karolinska Institutet with SEK 500,000 each.

StratNeuro has awarded SEK 1,000,000 in start-up grant to Maya Ketzef receiving a 2020 VR 'starting grant and Sara Garcia-Ptacek receiving a 2020 faculty-funded Assistant Professor position.

Nearly 11 percent of people admitted to an intensive care unit in Sweden between 2010 and 2018 received opioid prescriptions on a regular basis for at least six months and up to two years after discharge. That is according to a study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet published in Critical Care Medicine. The findings suggest some may become chronic opioid users despite a lack of evidence of the drugs’ long-term effectiveness and risks linked to increased mortality.

Researchers from Karolinska Institutet and Gothenburg University have investigated a potential new drug target for the rare genetic disorder Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome that causes accelerated aging in children. The findings in mice are published in the scientific journal eLife and may aid in the development of more effective treatments for this fatal condition.

Dr Kung-Lee Liang, a pioneer in the field of biostatistics, gave a webinar via zoom with more than 100 attendees, including the President of KI, Ole Petter Ottersen. Dr. Liang spoke about how biostatistics contributed to medical science in the 20th century, and how we can rise to meet the current and future challenges in public health.

A new study conducted in Nepal, offers some first local evidence to inform local decision-making and contribute to setting a research agenda for the use of menstrual cups in low- and middle-income countries. First author is Diksha Pokhrel, Kathmandu Medical College, Nepal, and corresponding author is Olivia Biermann, Karolinska Institutet. The results of the study were published in Reproductive Health.

Mattias Günther is the new Principal Investigator of the research group Experimental Traumatology, at the Department of Neuroscience, taking over from Mårten Risling, who will continue to work in the field of neurotrauma.

KI and Makerere University have signed an agreement to establish the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH), a centre to promote partnerships and develop capacity, resources and tools for researchers and policy makers globally. The agreement is the next step in the deepening of the collaboration between the institutions.

New professors Eric Westman and Dorota Religa, both Division of Clinical Geriatrics, head and deputy head of division respectively, gave their lectures as new professors at NVS on Wednesday January 20.

Helena Salminen, docent at the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, has received a private donation of 2.75 million SEK for a research project. The donation was finalized just before Christmas, 2020.

Purchasing and procurement, a sub-project within the project Harmonised professional services, has come to coordinate and centralize the purchasing coordinator organisation. Six to seven full-time positions within the organisation are being reorganized and will now be incorporated in the Central Administration.

Alex Moreno, Ana Coelho and Alexander Krämer were awarded a prize for best podcast episode by the European consortium “Combatting Disorders of Adaptive Immunity with Systems Medicine”, COSMIC. Out of the five recorded podcast episodes, the PhD students' episode with the title “The ethics behind the use of animal models in biomedical research” won the consortium’s prize.

How do cis-regulatory genome elements regulate gene expression, what are the critical components involved, and can we therapeutically target them? By investigating how corepressors modulate enhancers and silencers during inflammatory macrophage activation, BioNut researchers have found some unexpected answers to these fundamental questions. The study is published today in Molecular Cell.

Individual variations in how the immune system responds to SARS-CoV-2 appear to impact the severity of disease. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now been able to show that patients with severe COVID-19 have significantly elevated levels of a certain type of immune cells in their blood, called myeloid-derived suppressor cells. The study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation may bring an increased understanding of how early immune responses impact disease severity.

The cause of the inflammatory lung disease sarcoidosis is unknown. In a new study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have investigated whether a type of immune cell called a monocyte could be a key player in sarcoidosis pathogenesis and explain why some patients develop more severe and chronic disease than others. The study, which is published in The European Respiratory Journal, opens new possibilities for future diagnostic and therapeutic methods.

A subset of immune cells called gamma delta T cells are associated with increased survival in patients with advanced ovarian cancer, researchers at Karolinska Institutet report in the scientific journal Science Translational Medicine. The findings suggest that promoting gamma delta T cell responses may be a therapeutic option for ovarian cancer, researchers say.

A fundamental process by which cellular components are degraded is Autophagy. Defects in Autophagy pathways are strongly associated with multiple human diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. Despite their importance, to date, a comprehensive characterization of the extent and selectivity for Autophagic degradomes has remained largely uncharacterized. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have in two studies published in the journal Autophagy mapped out how this happens.