News archive

KI bachelor, master’s and doctoral students of KI within the fields of biomedicine and life sciences are invited to apply to the 7th International BonnBrain³ Conference hosted by the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, in collaboration with the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and the Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior – caesar.

In 2024, the scholarship recipients Emma Hagström Molin and Anna Svensson, funded by the Catarina and Sven Hagströmer Foundation, will be working as embedded researchers at the Hagströmer Library at KI.

In the beginning of 2024 we, the Department of Medicine Solna (MedS), asked the library to generate bibliometric data, as one approach to gauge our scientific activity and contribution to knowledge production.

An updated edition of the book "Essential Guide to Blood Coagulation" will be released during the fall of 2024. The first edition of the book was published in Swedish in 1997. Since 2010, the book has been published in English and it has become a valued source of quick information about coagulation conditions, investigation and treatment. The book is now being renewed as new investigation and treatment options have been added.

Karolinska Institutet is to be an engine driving the realisation of Sweden’s potential in the field of life science. As an important step in this direction, Professor Anna Martling has been appointed Scientific Director Life Science at KI. Professor Martling has spent the past three years leading KI’s efforts to implement precision medicine in healthcare, a remit that is now being expanded to cover KI’s overall work in life science.

On Thursday 22 February, the award "För nit och redlighet i rikets tjänst ("Zealous and Devoted Service of the Kingdom") for 2023 was presented at the Swedish Society of Medicine. A total of 30 employees at KI were recognized for their long and impeccable service. During the ceremony, Gunnar Nilsson and John Skår, recipients of KI's Silver Medal 2023, were also honoured.

Congratulations to the three researchers at the Department of Laboratory Medicine (Labmed) who have been allocated Faculty Funded Career Positions and Consolidator grants.

Amaia Calderón-Larrañaga has been awarded the SFOepi consolidator bridging grant for the project entitled "Multimorbidity and kidney function in old age: longitudinal trajectories and synergistic effects". The amount granted is SEK 3,600,000 for the period 2023-2025.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have discovered a link between a rare and severe form of psoriatic arthritis and an enzyme that produces oxygen radicals. The study, published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine, opens up new ways to slow down or stop the disease progression.

Welcome to an inspiring discussion about planetary health, what is happening at KI in this field, and how you can get involved.
March 7, at 12:15 - 13:00 via Zoom.

Two researchers at Karolinska Institutet have been awarded grants from the PolyBio Research Foundation totalling USD 1.85 million dollars (SEK 19 million) for research into long COVID. It is hoped that the studies will provide valuable insights that can promote the development of more efficacious treatments for long COVID, which is still a puzzling condition.

The Pohjola prize it is one of the three major medical awards given out in Finland. This year the 20,000 euro award is received by Professor Mats Brommels, Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics (LIME) for his significant work for the development of medicine and health service systems in Finland.

Tips from Grants Office regarding current calls

CLINTEC and Heart lab. will move lab/staff/PI:s to floor 7 in the end of week 8/beginning of week 9.

The administration of BioNut has moved to temporary locations on floor 8. The KI president and the Neo manager will also move to temporary places on floor 8 in the end of February. In April, when floor 8 has been rebuilt and MedH administrative staff has moved in, a final move will take place.

The increase in gun violence and Sweden's changing security situation has prompted researcher Mattias Günther and his team to reorient their research. In episode #140 of KI's podcast Medicinvetarna, he tells us how to reduce deaths from severe bleeding - and how best to protect yourself.

The internal investigation into the freezer malfunction at Neo on 22 December is expected to deliver its report in early March. A priority concern for the investigative teams has been ascertaining both the immediate and the underlying technical, organisational and other causes of the incident in which the automatic refilling of the cryo tanks with liquid nitrogen was interrupted, causing the temperature in 16 of the 19 tanks to rise and destroying decades of biological material.

The organisation Students for Sustainable Development (SSD) is run by KI students who are passionate about environmental and sustainability issues. The group organizes everything from seminars and workshops to clothing exchange days and movie nights.

A new publication in Nature Communications from researchers at Karolinska Institutet solves a long-standing problem by establishing a system that allows site-specific protein degradation within mitochondria, the cellular hubs for energy production and metabolism.

Once again, a computer has been stolen on our premises, therefore here is another reminder not to let unauthorized persons in. Do
when a door doesn't lock or if you see suspicious activity. We all need to work together.

Simone Tambaro, Senior Research Specialist at the Division of Neurogeriatrics, receives approximately SEK 2 million (198 319 US dollar) in research grant from Alzheimer’s Association.

High-dose pressurized oxygen can stress out old immune cells, leaving behind a younger, better functioning immune system. It helped with acute COVID, and now Anders Kjellberg is testing the method for post-covid as well.

We are happy to introduce new colleagues at the Department of Laboratory Medicine. Welcome everyone!

Our warm congratulations to docent Ida Goliath, adjunct senior lecturer in the research group of Lars E. Eriksson at the Department of Nursing and investigator at the Stockholm Gerontology Research Center!

Hi Theofanis Tsevis, doctoral student at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics. On February 23 you will defend your thesis ”Alcohol consumption and cognition”. What is the main focus of the thesis?

Andreas Eklund is the new HR administrator and substitute for Ellinor Lind during her parental leave. We took the opportunity to ask Andreas a few questions.

A new study from Karolinska Institutet discovered that blocking the MYC tumor protein in kidney cancer cells leads to an increase in fat droplets, which are associated with tumor growth. The study provides crucial knowledge for identifying new therapeutic targets for treating this aggressive form of cancer.

The American Dental Society of Sweden, ADSS, was founded at the Grand Hotel in Stockholm on April 3, 1913 as an association for Swedish dentists trained in the United States. At the time, it was relatively common to travel across the Atlantic to become a dentist.

On February 1-2, 2024 the group leaders and team leaders at MedH and BioNut met at Yasuragi to get to know each other, network and discuss future research projects. All in all, the days were filled with lively discussions and great commitment from the participants.

The adoption of the hybrid work model in the KI administration led to better health and less stress for the staff, according to a recent study. The research project, which looked into the effects of the more flexible approach that was taken during the COVID-19 pandemic, provides valuable insights that will inform the development of new workplace models for the future at KI.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet have made exciting discoveries about Alzheimer's disease, a common form of dementia affecting millions of people around the world. In a study published in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, they have explored the potential of novel synaptic PET-tracer UCB-J as an important early diagnostic biomarker/tool for Alzheimer's disease.

Professor Igor Adameyko offers the new course “Development of soft skills and better academic perspectives”, with focus on writing research papers, presenting at conferences, attracting funds, and interpersonal interaction and social aspects in the lab. The target audience are senior PhD students, postdocs and junior PI’s at FyFa.

Daniel Ferreira Padilla, senior researcher and docent at the Division of Clinical Geriatrics, has received SEK 1.9 million.

Karolinska Institutet is one of 24 partners in AD-RIDDLE, a collaborative project that aims to increase healthcare providers' ability to diagnose, prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease. The project, supported by, among others, the EU's Innovative Health Initiative (IHI), started in January 2024 and will run for five years.

Anniversary! This year it is 50 years since the dentistry programme moved to Flemingsberg. On June 13 between 14 and 17, we will celebrate with a summer party for all employees. Make time in your calendar already now - more information will follow.

An article in The Conversation written by a KI researcher broke a record in the number of readers. Associate Professor Karin Modig's article on centenarian biomarkers received almost 2.4 million reads and was translated into several languages.

This is a summary of the information meeting that Maria Eriksdotter, head of the Integration project and the former Dean of KI South, held together with Janne Johansson, the departmental head of BioNut, on 6 February on Zoom addressing all staff at BioNut and MedH.

Nominate candidates for the Dimitris N. Chorafas prize for outstanding scientific work. You may nominate a recently graduated postdoc researcher or a doctoral student who plans to graduate in 2024. Make sure your nominations reach us by 9 April.

The Summer research school for high school students are looking for motivated supervisors who are interested in supervising one or two high school students during this summer 2024.

Eva Åhrén, operations director of the Hagströmer Library and KI’s Medical History and Heritage, has been awarded a project grant of SEK 5 million by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond. The grant is intended to support efforts to make KI’s academic heritage accessible for the purposes of research, education and outreach.

Zambia is currently experiencing the worst cholera outbreak in over two decades. The acute diarrhoeal disease can be deadly if not treated, however with rapid and correct help, the majority of people affected can be treated successfully. The Centre for Health Crises as seconded members of staff to cholera outbreaks before, and on the 26th of January, Caroline de Groot went to Zambia, via the Centre’s collaboration with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

Tips from KI Grants Office about current calls.

Senior lecturer and senior physician Vladimir Carli has been appointed as the new head of the National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (NASP) at Karolinska Institutet.

The eastern mediterranean region is currently facing a brewing health crisis, brought on not least by the war in Gaza. The danger of spread of infectious diseases means that effective epidemiological surveillance and action is key. To assist in these efforts, the Centre for Health Crises has seconded epidemiologist Moa Herrgård via our membership in WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN).

Every year in August, managers together with safety representatives review our physical work environment in a round. The aim is to identify whether there are any risks for us in our work. Each risk is assessed on the basis of how serious it is and what consequences it may have - can we continue our operations? An action plan is then drawn up for the risks that need to be addressed. The measures carried out in 2023 are presented here.

The European Research Council (ERC) awards a Starting Grant to promising young investigators in a variety of research fields, to kick off their careers. Alessandro Furlan, Assistant Professor at the Department of Neuroscience, who investigates how the brain and body work together to regulate critical physiological processes, is one of the early-stage scientists to be awarded this five-year grant.

Regular erections could be important for maintaining erectile function, according to a new study on mice published in Science by researchers at Karolinska Institutet. “We discovered that an increased frequency of erections leads to more fibroblasts that enable erection and vice versa, that a decreased frequency results in fewer of these cells,” says principal investigator Christian Göritz.

On January 23, President Annika Östman Wernerson decided to name a lecture hall on Campus Solna after Christina Larsdotter. The decision was made after preparation by KI's advisory board for naming matters.

In February, Vice President Martin Bergö visited Makerere University in Uganda, a long-term partner of Karolinska Institutet. As the chairman of the steering committee for the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health (CESH), a collaborative initiative between Karolinska Institutet and Makerere University, he met his counterparts at the university and the college of health sciences, toured research sites, discussed global health challenges, and met with alumni and partners.

Both programs have been running since 2020 at the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Health - a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Makerere University in Uganda.

Incorporating a mix of campus-based and digital teaching methods comes with numerous advantages. It not only promotes efficiency in various settings but also enhances collaborative efforts, including diverse forms of group work. Now you can find guidance and recommendations for digitally-mediated teaching.