News archive

FitForLife is a study where patients with psychosis are educated to physical exercise trainers. For 6 months the trainers led exercise sessions for their fellow patients at sixteen psychiatric outpatient units in three regions. The most important finding was that 6 months after the study ended 15 out of the 16 units continued with the concept. The researchers have seen effects on need of care, social skills and metabolic markers.

Expression of interest open until September 13, 2024.

Would you like to know more about how the Research & Innovation system of the EU works to boost your international research career? The EU research landscape is complex but if you learn to navigate the system, it offers many opportunities to contribute to both European research and to relevant EU-policies through its various initiatives, networks and EU-funded projects.

As the volume of clinical data increases, so does the amount and complexity of the work needed for a doctor to interpret them. Magnus Boman researches on how AI can be employed for healthcare-improving analyses. Meet one of Karolinska Institutet's new professors who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 3 October.

On 1 July 2024, the number of departments at KI went down from 22 to 21 as the integration of BioNut as a division of MedH came to a close. The project, which will now continue within MedH, has boosted the work KI is doing on its strategic focus areas as well as the “we” spirit within the department and KI as a whole.

Are you planning to collect data abroad for your thesis?

Acute kidney injury is associated with an increased risk of developing dementia, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and others.

We congratulate Caroline Nordenvall, docent and lecturer in surgery, who was awarded two prizes during the Surgeons' Week in Karlstad 2024. She was awarded both with the Regional Prize of Stora Forskarpriset and the Bengt Ihre Scholarship 2024.

Jennifer Cleland has been awarded the Karolinska Institutet Prize for Research in Medical Education (KIPRIME) 2024. Her scientific work has had a significant influence on the development of medical education worldwide.

Empowering connections from neurons to society - A 2-day Neuroscience Conference held the 17 and 18 of October

Finding out who falls ill and why is essential to preventative action. Jette Möller conducts epidemiological research on our major health issues – cardiovascular disease, mental ill-health and injuries. Meet one of Karolinska Institutet's new professors who will participate in this year's installation ceremony at Aula Medica on 3 October.

A research internship enables doctors on an internship to combine their regular clinical internship (in Swedish Allmäntjänstgöring - AT) with up to 12 months of research at KI.
Apart from being eligible for an internship, candidates must also at the time of the application, hold a medical degree and either as a registered doctoral student at KI or a PhD engaged in research at KI.

Dementia with Lewy bodies is a type of dementia that is similar to both Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease but studies on long-term treatments are lacking. A new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, highlights the potential cognitive benefits of cholinesterase inhibitor treatment.

We congratulate Pernilla Lagergren, Professor of surgical care science, who received the NFSK's research prize 2024 during the Surgeons' Week in Karlstad on August 21.

Every year, 135 people die by suicide in Sweden’s transport system, with about 85 of these occurring in rail transport. Johan Fredin Knutzén investigates intelligent measures that can save lives.

Professor Juleen Zierath is this year's recipient of the prestigious Diabetes Prize for Excellence, awarded by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) research network and the research foundation Novo Nordisk Foundation. Juleen Zierath receives the prize for her groundbreaking research on physical activity and diabetes.

The study showed that elevated hormone levels during pregnancy affect the placenta and fetal germ cells in mice, but treatment with an androgen receptor antagonist restored their function. Similar mechanisms could be transferred to humans by culturing human placental organoids. Qiaolin Deng and Elisabet Stener-Victorin labs together have a new publication in The Advanced Science.

Although the incidence of cancer during pregnancy is increasing in Sweden, new studies from Karolinska Institutet show that women with breast cancer during pregnancy have good prognosis and low risks of adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes.

He receives the grant for the project ‘Preclinical Evaluation of Potential Cholinergic PET Imaging Tracers’ and it is valid for a three-year period.

The Rwanda Clinical Trial Capacity Strengthening Team has visited Addis Ababa University. The team included members from the University of Rwanda, Rwanda Biomedical Center, and Rwanda FDA. The purpose of the visit was to learn how The Centre for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa) set up a clinical trial training program. The visit was facilitated by Professor Eleni Aklillu from Karolinska Institutet and Professor Eyasu Makonnen from CDT Africa.

Epidemiologist Moa Herrgård has spent six months seconded to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Centre for Health Emergencies in Amman, Jordan. The overall focus of her work has been to enhance health emergency preparedness and response in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Region. Looking back, she thinks the secondment has taught her a lot that will benefit work at KI.

Dose-dense adjuvant chemotherapy can improve survival for patients with high-risk breast cancer, according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet and others. The international PANTHER study, which included over 2000 patients where 97% had metastasis to the lymph nodes in the armpit, compared two different chemotherapy regimens and found that the dose-intensive treatment reduced the risk of recurrence and spread of the disease. The results are presented in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The external review of the previous internal investigation into the freezer failure in Neo during the Christmas holidays 2023, supports the conclusions and recommendations of the internal report. This was clear when the external investigation was presented to KI's management and affected staff on 20 August.

Men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer should be treated primarily with second-generation hormone drugs, which offer better treatment response and longer life expectancy than chemotherapy. However, the effect depends on which mutations the patient’s tumour carries. This is shown by results from the ProBio study, led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings are published in Nature Medicine.

A new study published in Nature Medicine shows that partic-ipating in an exercise program can reduce pain and fatigue, and improve the quality of life for individuals with metastatic breast cancer.

A new machine learning model can predict autism in young children from relatively limited information. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in JAMA Network Open. The model can facilitate early detection of autism, which is important to provide the right support.

In the wake of the green transition, new risks are emerging in people's work environments, says Karin Broberg, professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet. "It goes very quickly from a pilot to being scaled up to become the next generation of fuel or to become the next plant for how to recycle plastic," she says. At the end of the year, her research team will publish a study on the work environment in Sweden for those involved in recycling metals.

We welcome Wilfrid Nicholasiva Farrel Dhanesvara to join the group as an exchange student. Farrel is doing his master study in University of Potsdam in the Netherlands. He is visiting our lab for 3 months with the supports from the Erasmus program. Welcome Farrel! We hope you will enjoy your stay in Stockholm!

Personalized medicine is transforming cancer treatment by tailoring therapies to the genomic profile of each tumor. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is key to this approach, but its complexity and inconsistent reporting have been hurdles. A recent paper in Annals of Oncology introduces new guidelines to standardize NGS reports, aiding clinicians in making informed decisions and improving patient outcomes.

A new study published in the journal Scientific Reports by researchers at Karolinska Institutet reveals that different antiretroviral therapies (ART) influence the gut and oral microbiome, as well as body mass index (BMI), in people living with HIV. The findings highlight the importance of considering microbiome changes when selecting ART regimens.

Karolinska Institutet is ranked 43 in the 2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), also known as the Shanghai ranking.

Thomas Helleday, Professor of Chemical Biology at the Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, is awarded the 2024 Anders Jahre Award for Medical Research. He receives the prestigious Senior Jahre Award for his discoveries of mechanisms for cancer development in humans, which have been applied in the follow-up and treatment of patients.

Researchers have developed an industry-standard tool to facilitate drug development and translational research in collaboration between labs at Karolinska Institutet and the Gygi Lab at Harvard Medical School.

Certain genetic variants that have previously been linked to the lung disease COPD can explain reduced lung function already in children and adolescents, according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The results are presented in the Lancet's sister journal eClinicalMedicine together with fifteen other European research centres.

AI, artificial intelligence, can be used to identify molecules with great potential to be developed into new drugs for mental illnesses, according to researchers from Karolinska Institutet, among others. The study, which has been presented in the journal Science Advances, and conducted on mice, shows that AI with high precision can contribute to more effective future treatments for conditions such as psychosis.

A treatment given during pregnancy has the potential to prevent a rare but serious disease in fetuses and newborn babies caused by maternal antibodies. This is according to the phase 2 UNITY clinical trial involving researchers at Karolinska Institutet. The study is published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine.

Pete Williams is one of few researchers in Sweden concentrating on glauComa. The goal is an effective treatment, something that stops the degenerative process in the nerve cells of the eye.

Women with epilepsy are four times more likely to die during pregnancy and their babies are 50 percent more likely to suffer illness or death. These are the findings of a major new study led by Karolinska Institutet and published in JAMA Neurology. The researchers believe that better care of women before, during and after pregnancy can reduce the risks.

Students, alumni and staff from KI participated in the colourful Pride parade under the universities' Adacemic Pride flag in Stockholm on 3 August. The atmosphere was great and this year's theme was clear – we are stronger together.

We welcome Philipp Valina Allo to join the group. Philipp finished his Master study in Helmholtz Institute for Metabolic, Obesity and Vascular Research Leipzig in 2024 and officially starts his work in our lab today. Philipp will work together with the team to investigate the mechanisms involved in MASLD development. Welcome Philipp!

Anders Ekbom, Professor of Epidemiology and former Vice President of Karolinska Institutet, has died aged 76. He passed on 29 July after a long illness. Anders Ekbom had several roles and assignments at KI. ”His importance for Karolinska Institutet cannot be overestimated”, says KI’s President Annika Östman Wernerson.

Fetuses whose mothers had COVID-19 or were vaccinated during the first three months of pregnancy are not at increased risk of birth defects. This is the result of a large Nordic study published in the British Medical Journal.

Unicef is launching a report written by two KI researchers that describes the devastating consequences of climate change for children's health globally. The report summarises research from the field and over 30 experts. It identifies the six main climate hazards and shows that they pose a serious threat to children's health and well-being.

The Stockholm3 blood test, developed by researchers at Karolinska Institutet, is equally effective at detecting prostate cancer in different ethnic groups, a new paper published in The Journal of Clinical Oncology reports. The test produces significantly better results than the current PSA standard.

Young Swedes are drinking less alcohol, but – as Isabella Gripe’s doctoral thesis shows – this is not because they have moved onto smoking hash.

A new e-mail list is now available for everyone working in Biomedicum: Forum Biomedicum. Here you can share and receive information about equipment, cultural events at KI, get advices etc.

Docent Georgios Sotiriou is awarded the ERC Proof of Concept grant from the European Research Council (ERC). The aim of the project is to investigate whether a light-activated nanocomposite film can be an effective treatment for severe, infected wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers. But also to prepare the step from innovation to medical device. This is the second time Georgios Sotiriou has been awarded the prestigious grant, and the third time he has received funding from the ERC.

A new study shows that women lose more years of life after a heart attack than men. A 50-year-old woman with a large heart attack loses an average of 11 years, while an 80-year-old man with a small heart attack loses an average of 5 months of life. The study was led by researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Danderyd Hospital and the results have been published in the journal Circulation.

Researchers at the Center for Infectious Medicine at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge have developed a new strategy that can make cell therapy against cancer work longer in patients. The results are published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

Nobel laureate and former president of Karolinska Institutet, Bengt Samuelsson, passed away at the age of 90. Bengt Samuelsson was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1982, along with Sune Bergström (1916–2004) and John R. Vane (1927–2004), for their discoveries related to prostaglandins – hormone-like substances that regulate several important processes in the body. Bengt Samuelsson also served as president of Karolinska Institutet from 1983 to 1995.

Research published in the Lancet Global Health describes the crucial role that pulse oximeters have in risk-stratification in both hospital and primary care or outpatient settings. Carina King, Associate Professor at the Department of Global Public Health has had a leading role in the newly published viewpoint.