News archive

On 1 October, there was a change in Cecilia Stålsby Lundborg's research group Health Systems and Policy, (HSP). Three of the teams in HSP will now become their own research groups following a joint decision by the department management. The new groups are led by Claudia Hansson, Tobias Alfven, and Johan von Schreeb.

Nearly 800 first term students from KI's educational programmes participated in the Interprofessional Learning Day (IPL Day) on 17 October 2023.

Tips from KI Grants Office about current calls.

Last Wednesday (11 October), the Research Funding Commission presented its report to Minister of Education Mats Persson. Its findings are likely to inform a forthcoming bill reflecting the government’s research and innovation policy.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed a microscale device for implantation in the eye, which presents new opportunities for cell-based treatment of diabetes and other diseases. The study is published in the journal Advanced Materials.

We congratulate Virginia Stone, who has been awarded the 2023 Johnny Ludvigsson Prize for Younger Childhood Diabetes Researchers in Sweden.

A new thesis from Karolinska Institutet focuses on cancer prevention by investigating the factors and outcomes associated with false-positive mammography recalls, a fairly common event where women are called back for additional tests after an initial screening, but no cancer is detected during the follow-up. A second aim of the thesis was to further our understanding of the association between breast cancer risk factors in women and cancer risk among their relatives, particularly sisters.

New perimeter security measures are being introduced at KI’s premises this autumn. Anyone wanting to enter a building at KI will now need both a card and a code.

To constantly develop KI as a study- and workplace, we need to learn from past events. Therefore, it is important that you report if you experience deviations in the work environment.

Tülay Lindberg, Associate Professor at the Department of Dental Medicine represented KI at the ceremony.

KI and Karolinska University Hospital have signed a memorandum of understanding with Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, one of Europe’s largest and most eminent university hospitals and medical universities. The signing of the MoU intensifies cooperation between the organisations.

First the hot dogs – then the diplomas, speeches, fanfares and applause. Tradition prevailed on 12 October as 17 new professors were ceremoniously installed at KI.

The survival rate in lung cancer has increased considerably, albeit from low levels. Oncologist Simon Ekman wants to contribute to better treatments in the future by studying two problems in lung cancer: drug resistance and brain metastases.

Global Child Health and Sustainable Development Goals group member Anna-Theresia Ekman had her halftime seminar October 9 for her PhD project titled: Prevalence, associated risk factors, and early detection of developmental delay and disabilities among young children living in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Tobias Alfvén researches to improve the health of the world’s children. His research ranges from studies on clinical improvements to organisational issues on how to conduct development collaborations in society.

The upcoming salary review is preliminary planned to the Autumn/Winter of 2023/2024. A new central collective agreement for government employers (including KI) has been negotiated between the Swedish Agency for Government Employers and the central union parties, and valid from 1st of October.

Christoph Ziegenhain recently started at MBB as a research group leader for a group who is shedding light on central molecular processes in human cells.

The immune system of individual organs may be something entirely different from the immune system that circulates the blood. Niklas Björkström is conducting research into the immune system of, among other things, the liver and the uterus.

Computer games and social media are designed to draw us in and keep us engaged – something that can be particularly difficult for people with neuropsychiatric disorders. Lisa B. Thorell researches ADHD and the link between digital media and mental health problems.

Peter Bergman is charting mechanisms of the nonspecific immune system and the genetics behind immunodeficiency diseases. His research on endogenous antibiotics can give rise to new treatments to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Mattias Lissing from the Gastroenterology and Rheumatology Unit, at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) is defending his thesis: "Liver transplantation, cancer risk and comorbidity in acute porphyria" on 20 October 2023. Main supervisor is Staffan Wahlin (MedH).

On October 5, the Department of Global Public Health at Karolinska Institutet organized a roundtable discussion on the political economy of adolescent mental health and well-being in Sweden. Around thirty key stakeholders contributed to an afternoon of discussion, insightful perspectives and to building bridges for collaboration.

It began with a text message in the early hours of the morning. A few hours later he was on a plane to Morocco, reading the first reports and trying to start a secondary data analysis of the situation. Within the 48 hours after the earthquake, he was in the most affected region. He had barely gotten back from that mission, when he was asked to go to Libya and to do the same thing all over again, this time in a heavily flooded town.

Chewing gum, acupressure, vaccine. There have been numerous attempts to stop nausea. We have interviewed the researchers who are examining an important revolutionary mechanism that makes us feel sick.

On September 27th, 200 teachers and staff involved in education at KI gathered for Educators' Day. Here you will find pictures, materials and short interviews.

A team of researchers from Karolinska Institutet and University of Glasgow has developed a new test that can accurately measure biological aging in a clinical setting. The discovery was made while studying patients for the aging effects of chronic kidney disease.

In two parallel projects, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have been involved in creating the most comprehensive atlases of human brain cells to date. The two studies, which are published in Science, provide clues on different brain diseases and give hope for medical advancements in the future, such as new cancer drugs.

Rockefeller University and Karolinska Institutet announce the availability of funding for one postdoctoral training position in basic science at Rockefeller University in New York city, New York, USA. This fellowship is part of the Nicholson Exchange Program established between Rockefeller and Karolinska Institutet.

This call is now open. Deadline Monday November 6, 2023.

Tips from Grants Office regarding current calls

Mattias Günther, an anaesthetist at Södersjukhuset and researcher at Karolinska Institutet, participates in the Radio Sweden P1's programme Kropp och Själ (Body and Soul) and explains, among other things, how to stop heavy or hard-to-reach bleeding using a balloon called REBOA.

Occupational exposure limits (OELs) for chemicals are based on 8 hours of work per day, 5 days per week, day time. However, many people have ”unusual” working hours, i.e. work more than 8 hours per shift, more than 40 hours per week, or at night. The Nordic Expert Group (NEG) has reviewed the scientific support for combined effect of unusual working hours (shift work or extended working hours) and chemical exposure.

Marcus Carlsson is using magnetic resonance imaging in cases of heart failure – to understand the disease better in all its forms and to match the right treatment to the right patient.

When the recipients of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine were announced last Monday, what was being rewarded was their far-sighted basic research, the discoveries they made that enabled the development of effective mRNA vaccines against COVID-19.

Hi there Federico Triolo! You are soon to defend your thesis entitled "Depression and chronic diseases in old age: understanding their interplay for better health". What is the main focus?

In his research, Ulrik Kihlbom dissects ethical healthcare issues, often those concerning the patient perspective and powers of decision-making, as a means of improving healthcare guidelines.

With only six years left until 2030 when the Sustainable Development Goals are to be achieved, this year's Sustainability Forum was organised with a focus on the role of universities in sustainability work. The organisers were the University Alliance Stockholm Trio. 

The Rockefeller University and Karolinska Institutet announce the availability of funds for exchange positions that will allow KI researchers, doctoral students, and other individuals to work in laboratories, resource centers, or administrative offices at Rockefeller University, in New York City, New York, USA for a period of up to 12 weeks.

This call is now open. Deadline Monday November 6, 2023.

Dementia diseases cost society around SEK 80 billion per year, according to Linus Jönsson’s calculations. With his research on health economics, he hopes to help make the utilisation of healthcare resources as effective as possible.

Anders Svenningsson has laid the groundwork for the evidence-based use of the substance rituximab in the treatment of MS, leading to better health for the patients and lower costs for society.

Studying signalling within cells can predict the risk of adverse drug reactions of novel obesity and type II diabetes treatments before they reach the patient, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet published in Nature Communications.

KI researchers Gunnar Nilsson and John Skår are awarded this year's silver medal. The medal is awarded to people who have made excellent efforts in support of KI's activities. The researchers will receive their medals at the ceremony for Diligence and Devotion in February 2024.

Karin Jensen uses brain imaging to understand why chronic pain occurs and what happens in the body when placebo, the patient's positive expectations, affect the outcome of a treatment.

Fill out a survey which aims to evaluate the users' experiences of KI's core facilities. The survey results will be used to follow-up and analyse previous improvements.

Volker Lauschke uses three-dimensional models of human organs to study drug candidates and disease mechanisms. The models are called spheroids and when combined can provide answers as to how organs influence each other in health and disease.

Treatments that boost the immune system help some cancer patients, but not others. Andreas Lundqvist researches the causes of these differences in order to help make existing therapies more effective and to enable the development of new ones.

Professor Agneta Åkesson, Institute of Environmental Medicin (IMM) has been elected to the The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the National committee on Nutrition and Food Science.

Gabriel Oniscu is increasing access to organs for transplantation by using a technique that makes it possible to preserve, evaluate and improve organs outside the body before they are transplanted into the recipient.

Dementia and stroke often cause problems with speaking and swallowing. Speech and language pathologist Per Östberg researches ways to improve our understanding of these problems and facilitate their treatment.

Better psychological treatments based on science – this is what Emily Holmes is passionate about. Her research concerns how we think and remember in mental images, and developing new treatments based on this knowledge. Among other things, Holmes’ group has developed methods for reducing the risk of intrusive memories (also known as flashbacks) soon after trauma.

Zaher Elbeck from ICMC at the Department of Medicine, Huddinge (MedH) is defending his thesis: "Redox and epigenetic modulators regulate cardiac function and remodeling in health and disease", 16 October 2023. Main supervisor is Christer Betsholtz (MedH).